AI Unicorn Aaru Opens Singapore Office to Serve Asia-Pacific Market
Aaru, a US AI startup valued at $1 billion, has launched a Singapore subsidiary to target customers across Southeast Asia and beyond.
US-based AI firm Aaru, which creates synthetic data for market research, announced the establishment of its first overseas base, Aaru Apac, in Singapore. The subsidiary, registered with a US$500,000 paid-up capital, will operate from a shophouse in Tanjong Pagar after completing its office fit-out. Co-founder Ned Koh, now president, and regional general manager Arnaud Frade plan to hire continuously for commercial roles until the end of 2026, deliberately focusing on sales rather than engineering.
From Singapore the company intends to serve the Asia-Pacific region, targeting consumer-packaged-goods firms in the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, while excluding Hong Kong and mainland China. Aaru’s expansion follows a wave of AI firms choosing Singapore as a hub, and the startup, valued at $1 billion after its 2025 Series A, is also opening offices in San Francisco and London. Koh indicated that the firm is not currently seeking new funding, acquisition, or a public listing.
Why it matters
The move signals growing confidence in Singapore as a regional hub for AI firms and expands Aaru’s reach into fast-growing Asian markets.
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