She didn’t quit corporate life to build a tech empire.
She quit to find peace.
Instead, she found a mission that could change millions of lives.
While the world chases IPOs and startup valuations, one Malaysian founder is chasing something else entirely: literacy. And not just for a few kids but for millions across Asia.
Meet Grace, the woman behind ActiveBot, an AI powered learning robot helping children read, think, and believe in themselves again.
From Boardrooms to Classrooms
Grace’s career started in corporate audit and IT public relations. High pressure. High stakes. High heels.
But as she reached what she calls her “twilight years,” success stopped feeling… successful.
She didn’t want another title.
She wanted impact.
Then came the wake-up call.
During a talk on Malaysia’s economy, she learned the uncomfortable truth: too many children were falling behind before they even had a chance. According to the World Bank, 4 in 10 Malaysian children under 10 can read words but don’t understand what they’re reading. Across Asia, 31 million children can’t read by age 10.
That’s not just an education problem.
That’s a future problem.
Grace knew right then: if you fix literacy, you change everything.
The Robot That’s Rewriting Childhood Learning
Here’s the twist Grace had zero background in robotics.
But she had logic from years as an auditor.
And the heart of an innovator.
So in 2017, she launched ActiveBot not as a gadget, not as a toy, but as a learning companion.
Unlike tablets that turn kids into silent screen zombies, ActiveBot is hands-on, voice-led, and built on multi-sensory learning and synthetic phonics. Kids touch, listen, speak, and respond. It’s interactive. It’s alive. It feels like play, but it builds real reading skills fast.
Three times faster than traditional methods, in many cases.
Grace is clear about one thing:
“The robot doesn’t replace humans. It supports them.”
It becomes a patient tutor.
A storyteller.
A pronunciation coach.
Especially powerful for parents who struggle with English or teachers stretched too thin.
From “Naughty Kid” to Newspaper Reader
The real magic? The kids.
Take Aiden.
Ten years old. Couldn’t read. Struggled to focus. Labeled “naughty” in school when really, he was just lost.
Using ActiveBot, Grace rebuilt his reading foundation from scratch.
One year later?
He was reading full sentences confidently.
Then paragraphs.
Then articles from The Star on his own.
Same child. Different support. A totally different future.
A Game-Changer for Neurodivergent Kids
ActiveBot isn’t just about literacy it’s about inclusion.
Malaysia has seen a sharp rise in autism diagnoses over the past decade. Many children with autism or dyslexia struggle in traditional classrooms that move too fast and rely heavily on passive learning.
ActiveBot slows things down. Repeat patiently. Engages through sound, touch, and rhythm. That repetition helps children with dyslexia process letters more clearly and build confidence before they ever get labeled or left behind.
At one orphanage, an 11 year old girl once placed in a special needs class used the system to rebuild her literacy. Months later, she rejoined a mainstream classroom.
That’s not a small win.
That’s a life trajectory changing in real time.
Raising a Trilingual, AI-Ready Generation
Grace isn’t thinking small.
Her vision? Kids fluent in English, Bahasa Malaysia, and Mandarin equipped with language skills, confidence, and critical thinking to thrive in an AI-driven world.
She believes multilingual kids grow into more creative, adaptable adults. Add STEM exposure and healthy tech habits, and you don’t just create students.
You create future problem-solvers.
In a world where tech often distracts, Grace is proving it can also empower.
More Than a Startup. A Legacy.
Grace didn’t leave corporate life to build another company.
She built a sanctuary where technology serves children, not the other way around.
ActiveBot isn’t just an edtech innovation.
It’s a second chance for kids who were quietly slipping through the cracks.
And proof that it’s never too late to start over especially when the mission is bigger than you.
Because teaching a child to read?
That’s not just education.
That’s freedom.
