Grandma's fall spurred him to launch a "Grab" for urgent home care

by Tan Zi Jie / Photo: Hillary Tan

Five years ago, NTU student Cornelius Ang’s grandmother was too tired to join a family outing. The family couldn’t find a caregiver at the last minute, so his grandma, then 72, had to be left alone for a few hours.

Unfortunately, she fell and suffered a concussion. She has since recovered, but the painful episode stayed with Cornelius, now a third-year computer science student. 

“I felt that my grandma’s fall could’ve been prevented if we had faster access for home-based care,” he says. At the time, he was serving National Service and began thinking about how he could build a platform to fix this issue.

“I looked forward to enrolling in NTU, where I knew I could get valuable connections and the support to build my venture,” he says. 

Computer science undergrad Cornelius (centre, seated) started his studies at NTU determined to build NurseLink, a platform that helps families find last-minute home care by trained nurses. The team has since expanded to include other students such as (clockwise from left): Tan Xuan Ting, NTU business undergrad Artemus Low, NTU computer science major Gopashish Harikrishnan and Yee Ting Hwei. 

Picking up startup skills at NTU

Right from his freshman year in 2023, he leapt straight into startup life. He joined his school’s Student Entrepreneurship Programme (SEP), which helps computing and data science students turn ideas into real startups through training and mentorship. 

He soon formed a team and began developing the NurseLink app with about $9,000 in grants from SEP.

Users first create a profile with the patient’s medical needs, before submitting a booking request for the care needed, from showering and glucose checks to injections. The platform matches them with a nurse for home visits within two to three hours. 

“I also took a minor in entrepreneurship to learn how to kickstart a business, pick up financing basics, and more,” Cornelius says.

"I looked forward to enrolling in NTU, where I knew I could get valuable connections and the support to build my venture."

–  Cornelius

Winning trust 

Building the app was one thing. Winning people’s trust was another. 

“After all, we are dealing with someone’s health. People are naturally cautious,” says Wayne Tan, a computer science undergraduate involved in operations. Over two years, the team spoke to hundreds of patients and families. With SEP’s support, they also marketed the platform to registered nurses on LinkedIn and Indeed.

After a pilot test, they launched the app this January. For now, eight patients have received over 40 hours of home-based care via NurseLink. Early feedback has been encouraging. Users and nurses welcome its chat function, which helps them sort out details before each visit.

“Since I can see the nurse’s skills, years of experience and reviews on their profile, I feel more confident that my father can receive the right care,” shares a patient’s daughter. 

More hearts on board 

As NurseLink started taking shape, NTU became the bridge connecting Cornelius with the teammates who helped bring it to life. Today, the six-member team includes four NTU students. Some came through classes, others from friends of friends. 

It kept growing, even while Cornelius was overseas. Last year, he interned in Boston as a software engineer at a law enforcement tech startup, working 40 hours a week and pouring another 50 into developing NurseLink. While there, he linked up with two NTU peers who later joined the team.

“We’d have many conversations while interning together,” says Gopashish Harikrishnan, an NTU computer science student. “I felt NurseLink had a strong value proposition and was excited by the positive impact we could create.” 

Through Gopa’s network, NurseLink took its first step into the business-to-business space. The team is now building an internal platform for the National University Hospital to manage scheduling and operations for its new home nursing service. 

“It just feels very liberating,” Cornelius says. “After three years of hard work, NurseLink is finally out there to help caregivers and patients.” Looking ahead, he hopes to expand the business.

But for now, Cornelius is simply glad that somewhere, another family may not have to scramble for help the way his once did.

 

Read more stories of students innovating for a better world here.

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This story was published in the Mar-Apr 2026 issue of HEY!. To read it and other stories from this issue in print, click here.