Megan Lam co-founded Neurum Health with software engineer Caleb Chiu in 2018 (Photo: Neurum Health)
Cover Megan Lam co-founded Neurum Health with software engineer Caleb Chiu in 2018 (Photo: Neurum Health)

In the latest Crazy Smart Asia podcast episode, Hong Kong-based founder discusses how family tragedies triggered her own struggles with mental health, but also led to her launch an app helping others take control of their wellbeing

Experiencing two suicides in the family as a child was one of the biggest triggers that led Megan Lam to start Neurum Health in 2018 to tackle mental health. 

“I had zero mental health knowledge or vocabulary at the time,” said the Hong Kong-based neuroscientist in a past interview with us. “It was a very helpless situation, watching it unfold and not knowing what to do about it.” 

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Through the Neurum app, Lam and her team use data to track and piece together people’s individual behaviours in order to give them tailored recommendations that suit their lifestyle and mental health needs. It currently has a reach of two million users and was recognised at the Cartier Women’s Initiative 2023, which spotlights women-led businesses creating a positive impact on society.

In the latest episode of our Crazy Smart Asia podcast, Lam sits down with Gen.T’s Lee Williamson to discuss some hard-hitting moments and tips she’s picked up in her entrepreneurial career and life that led her to her path today. 

From why every entrepreneur needs a blanket burrito moment to how the appearance of an engagement ring led to a potential investment deal turning sour, here are a few excerpts from her episode. Click the audio player below to listen to the full episode or subscribe via Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

On her own mental health battle

“I didn’t even really understand what the root cause was because you’re just trundling and going forward in life, just trying to put one foot in front of the other.”

On the life-changing moment

“I think it was that moment at the back of the ambulance where I was so incredibly distraught with the situation and my [grandmother], but also so incredibly frustrated that we [couldn’t] do something beforehand. There wasn't something upstream; there was this gap [in] between… that ambulance journey, from home to the hospital. There wasn't really something in between, in everyday life that could have supported my loved one.”

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On starting her business

“This hot potato had fallen in my lap and I decided to make fries with it. And those fries were Neurum Health. That was how Neurum Health was born. We had set out to find a way where we can use AI to essentially personalise our mind and lifestyle care journey.”

On the unexpected parts of entrepreneurship

“I was freshly engaged and [my investors] had seen my engagement ring. They congratulated me, [but] then wanted to renegotiate the terms. They said our company was overvalued and they would like to slash the valuation by half because, well, essentially they called me an investment risk and wanted me to go back and impose my family-planning plans on top of [our] financial model.”

On founder mental health

“My best friend describes me as a taco. But a blanket burrito is when you wrap yourself up in a blanket and you make the sauce by crying into it. But it happens. When you’re trying to change things and the odds are already stacked against you, it can feel incredibly lonely.”

Quotes are edited for clarity and brevity.


Listen to the episode and subscribe using your preferred podcast platform on our Crazy Smart Asia podcast page.

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