“For years I believed being nice was the best way to lead. I was wrong. Nice is about how people feel about you. Kind is about what they actually need.” – Kenneth Graeme Palmer
What began as a meeting between two National University of Singapore students has grown into a lifelong friendship and a shared ambition to address a singular question: what to do with batteries after they’re spent?
Bryan Oh and Kenneth Graeme Palmer co-founded Neu Battery Materials after pursuing ventures in portable storage and vertical farming following their graduation in 2020. “Bryan and I started a few companies together,” recalls Palmer, Neu’s chief technical officer. “Before we put everything into Neu Battery Materials, we saw a real gap in the global market.” They began developing the concept in 2020 and incorporated the Singapore- based deep-technology company in 2021.
Today, Neu Battery Materials recovers critical minerals from spent lithium-ion batteries, focusing on lithium iron phosphate, or LFP, batteries. Commonly used in electric vehicles (EVs) and energy-storage systems, LFP batteries do not contain cobalt or nickel, but their iron-based cathodes have historically been less commercially attractive to recycle. Neu aims to change that by developing recovery solutions that return valuable materials to the supply chain.
Trained as a mechanical engineer, Palmer describes the work as an education in entrepreneurship and electrochemistry. “We use electrochemistry to recover lithium from spent lithium-ion batteries, pulling a critical mineral back out of waste and returning it to the supply chain,” he says. As CEO, Oh leads the company with a simple but ambitious belief: the energy transition must be circular.
What have been some of the key milestones in the company’s journey to date?
Bryan Oh (BO): There are many to list, but the most significant recent milestones include the Maybank Young Entrepreneur Shield Award, the SMU Chancellor Cup, and the Sembcorp Greennovation Award in 2023. This year, we are closing our pre-Series A fundraising round and building a semi-commercial facility.
Kenneth Graeme Palmer (KGP): The S$1 million grant from Temasek Foundation was a major moment. It proved that what we had identified was real, that we were not simply two graduates with a lot of energy. Forbes 30 Under 30 was also meaningful recognition for years of work.
What is the most important lesson you have learnt through your work?
BO: Running a start-up is a marathon, and we should not treat it like a sprint.
KGP: As a start-up, you depend on everything: partners, suppliers, stakeholders, and the direction of the market. The instinct is to wait for a partner to commit, for the market to turn, or for someone to validate you.
How has your perspective changed since you started Neu?
KGP: For years, I believed that being nice was the best way to lead. I was wrong. Being nice is about how people feel about you; being kind is about what they need. Sometimes, that means telling someone they are not performing. They may not be happy with you, but doing it anyway is more respectful because you are treating them as someone who can handle it.
What excites you most about the future of battery recycling?
BO: The growth in electric vehicles and energy storage has accelerated demand for batteries exponentially. We are tackling a global problem—not just for Singapore, but for the world.
KGP: A decade of EVs is about to reach end of life. The capacity to recycle batteries into material good enough to go back into new cells does not yet exist at the scale we will need. That gap is what excites me. It is a real problem, arriving on a known timeline, and it is ours to solve.
What is something you are still trying to improve?
BO: I am continuing to improve my management skills so that I can provide the company with the best possible approach, framework, and mindset.
KGP: Becoming a better leader. I have been doing it for a few years and I am still learning.
Photography by Eugene Lee of Enfinite / Hair & Makeup by Sveta Klyn of Suburbs Studio
