DSTA’s Objectives
The Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) is a statutory board under Singapore’s Ministry of Defence that leverages science and engineering to advance the nation’s defense capabilities. Every year, its flagship event, BrainHack, brings together students across Singapore to experience the forefront of digital security and innovation.
BrainHack offers a series of activities in 3 main tracks:
- Compete: Students take on real-world inspired competitions, such as Capture The Flag in cybersecurity, TIL-AI challenges, app development, and space tech projects. These events push participants to solve complex problems together, testing their technical capabilities as well as people skills.
- Learn: Participants join hands-on workshops that build practical skills in AI, drone programming, and cybersecurity. Industry experts lead these workshops, helping students master emerging tech and prepare for digital defence roles.
- Experience: Through showcases and expert talks, this track allows students to get a close-up view and directly interact with cutting-edge technologies shaping Singapore’s security landscape.
With its student-centric focus, BrainHack not only inspires young minds but also builds a robust pipeline of tech and security talent essential for Singapore’s future.
AngelHack: Co-host of the TIL-AI Competition
For a second consecutive year, AngelHack is honored to partner with DSTA to design and deliver the Compete track’s TIL-AI (Today I Learned AI) – a truly innovative hackathon that raised the bar for technical rigor and participant engagement.
We were trusted with:
- Strategic Program Design: Two distinct tracks—Novice and Advanced—were created to ensure accessibility for newcomers while stretching seasoned builders. Advanced-tier participants tackled more challenging datasets, mirroring the complexity of modern defence challenges.
- Mission-Focused Challenge Development: We crafted four progressive tasks involving Automated Speech Recognition, Computer Vision, Optical Character Recognition, and Reinforcement Learning, simulating Singapore’s defence line against a rogue AI adversary.
- Real-World Scenario Immersion: Technical challenges were designed to go beyond theoretical exercises, requiring quick adaptation, teamwork, and creative problem-solving under pressure.
- Holistic Learning Ecosystem: We organized a series of hands-on workshops, mentorship sessions, and peer learning opportunities, empowering participants to upskill and network throughout the competition.
- Seamless Submission & Evaluation: A cloud-based system was deployed for project submissions as well as automated testing and scoring.
Measurable Impacts
The collaboration between DSTA and AngelHack delivered strong results with:
- High Participant Engagement: 800 registrations were recorded for the TIL-AI track alone, demonstrating widespread interest and reach within the AI community.
- Competitive Advancement: Out of all registrants, 32 teams advanced to the in-real-life semi-finals and finals events, showcasing high AI knowledge and skills level.
- Recognition of Excellence: A total of 6 teams emerged as winners, split evenly across the novice and advanced tracks, highlighting the inclusive yet competitive structure of the event.
TIL-AI, along with BrainHack, have ignited an exciting wave of innovation—bringing together passionate young minds, opening doors to standout careers, and building a thriving community around the future of AI. This is just the beginning. We are excited to continue partnering with DSTA to drive innovation and champion the next wave of digital defence talent.
What about you? Ready to cultivate top AI talent and accelerate growth in your organization? Contact AngelHack today to launch your next cutting-edge innovation program with expert guidance, seamless execution, and access to a global tech community.
