AI firm Plaud doubles investment in Singapore to S$20 million as it targets expansion in Apac

[SINGAPORE] Artificial intelligence interface company Plaud is doubling its investment in Singapore to S$20 million in the space of a few months, it said in a release announcing the opening of its Asia-Pacific headquarters on Wednesday (Sep 16).

US-incorporated Plaud offers a hardware device as well as a subscription service to its AI platform providing AI note-taking services for its users.

The company had announced an initial S$10 million investment in June 2026.

The new headquarters will manage 12 markets in the region excluding China and Japan. They include Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia and Malaysia.

“This doubled investment is an extension of building out Singapore as the Apac headquarters, focusing on R&D and business activities,” Nathan Xu, CEO and co-founder of Plaud told The Business Times.

Plaud has expanded its Singapore team from 10 to about 100 employees in the space of nine months, hitting its original end-2026 hiring milestone ahead of time.

The company will continue hiring across engineering, product development and business functions in Singapore as part of its growth strategy in Apac.

The long-term goal is to grow the team in the city-state from 100 now to about 150 in the next couple of months. The return on investment in this region is high, and Plaud is trying to hire as fast as possible, said Xu.

While there may be competition for talent from other AI companies, Xu believes that Plaud has an edge because Singapore is the Apac headquarters and it is hiring across business lines, such as engineering and product management.

In Plaud’s early days, recruitment was a challenge, but as the team scales, there is a flywheel effect in hiring.

“That’s making talent feel excited and seeing a huge potential for them to get access to building something that’s great, targeting a global market and enjoying huge success in their careers,” said Xu.

Opportunities in Asia-Pacific

In Apac, Xu sees the opportunity split between developed and emerging markets, and Plaud is seeing success across both.

In developed markets, adoption of the startup’s solution is naturally higher and more advanced.

In emerging markets, especially across South-east Asia, Plaud is seeing early adopters and people embracing AI products, said Xu. The main challenge is making the product more affordable for these markets.

The challenge of pricing is keenly felt in these markets, where a Plaud device can cost up to US$189 and up to US$240 for the unlimited subscription plan.

Xu admits that these figures are unattractive to the South-east Asian customer. He said that there are plans to build and offer a new product aimed at this market segment that is more affordable and cost efficient.

“We can unlock the potential of South-east Asia with a better product market fit,” said Xu.

The focus ahead

Plaud has grown from US$1 million to US$100 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) since its signature product Plaid note was launched in 2023. The company now has over 2.5 million users across the world.

The firm originally started out with consumer products, taking 18 months to build and launch its business products, which have been growing fast, said Xu. The products have achieved over US$10 million ARR in 2026, and Xu is aiming to grow it 10 times in 2027.

It is strategically important for Plaud to build not only products for consumers, but also for teams and enterprises, he said.

The company is evolving from being focused on AI note-taking to building a wearable AI interface for humans. This will require significant new technology reinvestment and shifting of the business model from a subscription-based AI product to a product that combines subscription and a usage-based AI agent.

“That’s going to be the company’s major milestone for the next 12 months,” said Xu.