Neumic Therapeutics wins Startup World Cup New Zealand, heads to Silicon Valley

The Dunedin-based neurotech company claimed the national title in Wellington on 24 August, emerging from a field of twelve finalists to secure its place on the international stage. Neumic's CEO and co-founder, Professor John Reynolds, presented the company's vision for transforming brain treatment, drawing on more than two decades of pioneering neuroscience research at the University of Otago.

Previous New Zealand winners include Kitea Health (2024), developer of an implantable brain-pressure monitoring device, and Scentian Bio (2025), whose insect-inspired biosensing technology reached the global top ten. Both companies have subsequently attracted multimillion-dollar investment to advance their technologies.

Neumic is translating pioneering neuroscience research at the University of Otago into a new approach to treating neurological disease. Its platform integrates wearable focused ultrasound, precision targeting software and specially designed drug carriers to control where and when treatments act in the brain. This approach aims to move beyond conventional treatments that act broadly or continuously, towards therapies that can be controlled with greater precision in both location and timing.

The company's first planned product is a clinic-based focused ultrasound system for tinnitus, designed to modulate neural activity without surgery or drugs. Tinnitus affects an estimated 740 million adults worldwide, including more than 120 million who experience severe symptoms, representing a substantial unmet clinical need. This initial application offers Neumic a focused pathway towards clinical development, while establishing the technological foundation for its longer-term ambition: wearable, precisely controlled drug delivery for conditions such as Parkinson's disease.

The Startup World Cup brings together some of the world's most promising startups, leading venture capital firms and influential technology investors, culminating in a global final in Silicon Valley. For Neumic, competing on this international stage is an opportunity to showcase a new approach to brain therapy alongside emerging technologies from around the world.

The company's ambitions extend well beyond the competition. Neumic is now focused on attracting the investment, expertise and strategic partnerships needed to advance its technology towards clinical development. Representing Aotearoa New Zealand in Silicon Valley marks an important step towards its larger mission: restoring brain function through precision therapies that act where and when they are needed.