AI Note-Taking Startup Plaud Invests $10M in Singapore Hub
Source: The Straits Times
Plaud, the AI startup behind a credit card-sized voice recorder, is investing 0 million to grow its Singapore office from 100 to 150 staff as it expands Asia-Pacific operations. The Singapore team will handle AI development, cloud infrastructure, and regional compliance for 12 markets.
Plaud, the AI startup behind a popular voice-recording and transcription device, is doubling down on Singapore. The company is investing 0 million to expand its local office, growing the team from roughly 100 to 150 employees by the end of 2026, and positioning the city-state as its Asia-Pacific headquarters covering 12 markets including Australia, South Korea and Hong Kong.
The San Francisco-headquartered company, founded in 2021 by CEO Nathan Xu and co-founder Charles Liu, makes the Plaud Note — a credit card-sized AI recorder that magnetically attaches to phones to transcribe and summarise calls and meetings. The product has amassed over two million users globally. Plaud now sells a series of four devices including a wearable pin, and revenue from APAC is projected to hit roughly US00 million in 2026, representing 20 to 25 per cent of total company revenue.
CEO Nathan Xu cited Singapore’s strong AI talent base as the draw. The Singapore office will serve as the hub for AI development, cloud infrastructure, data storage, and global legal compliance. Current job openings include AI engineers, AI agent architects, data scientists and product marketing managers.
On the product side, Plaud is building the scaffolding for agentic AI — a system that can independently carry out multi-step tasks like turning a meeting transcript into a full project plan or booking a meeting room based on an action item. The company aims to have some agentic AI features ready by end of 2026 and eventually allow third-party developers to build custom agents.
Why it matters for Singapore: Plaud’s expansion is the latest data point in a trend: AI companies are building regional hubs in Singapore not just for market access but for talent. With AI salaries in Singapore rising five times faster than average wages, the city-state is attracting a growing share of global AI R&D spend in Asia. Plaud alone will house 25 per cent of its global workforce here by end of 2026.