Part of a US$3 million pre-seed round, the funding will accelerate the physical AI start-up’s tactile foundation model, engineering team and commercial deployments across five key industries

SINGAPORE, Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — TacnIQ.ai, a physical AI startup building technology that enables machines and robots to interpret touch, has secured US$1.5 million from lead investor In Group Holdings as part of a US$3 million pre-seed round. The funding will support the development of TacnIQ.ai’s  tactile AI foundation models, expansion of its engineering team, and scaling of commercial deployments.

The TacnIQ.ai platform enables machines to interpret signals generated through physical contact so they can understand and respond more reliably to real-world interactions. TacnIQ.ai has deployed a scalable, commercially validated and field-tested model with paying customers across five key industries: logistics, construction, e-commerce, hospitality, and healthcare. These deployments, which gather signals through sensor-based data collection nodes, deliver real-world value by improving workplace safety and ergonomics, while giving TacnIQ.ai the raw sensor data it needs to build a robust, reliable, and commercially ready foundation model.

“Our mission is to build AI models that deliver real-world impact today and transform how engineers design and develop hardware,” said Aashish Mehta, Co-founder and CEO of TacnIQ.ai. “We are grateful to In Group Holdings for backing that mission. Securing this investment is an important milestone and will enable us to hire talented engineers, build advanced tactile models, and to fully develop the technology into practical, scalable industry applications.”

To date, TacnIQ.ai has built one of the world’s largest tactile datasets with more than 5,000 hours of interactions collected from both controlled experiments and commercial deployments. The company is developing additional sensor nodes to capture a wide range of physical signals, which will broaden the multimodal data available to train its models.

While many tactile AI systems are trained on laboratory data or built for specific applications, TacnIQ.ai uses its proprietary dataset to train its model across different industries, tasks and operating conditions. This enables its model to generalize across industries and physical tasks, perform more reliably in complex environments, and reduce the need for application-specific training.

Liu Song, CEO of In Group Holdings, said: “Physical AI is emerging as one of the next major frontiers in artificial intelligence. TacnIQ.ai is building a critical intelligence layer for the physical world, underpinned by proprietary tactile data and real-world commercial deployments. We believe this combination of data, technology and practical applications strongly differentiates the company, and we are excited to lead this funding round and support the team as it scales.”

TacnIQ.ai is working with Synaptics to close the gap between research and commercially ready tactile applications. Commenting on the investment, Mahesh Srinivasan, Vice President & GM, Touch & Display at Synaptics, said: “We are delighted to partner with the TacnIQ.ai team in unlocking the potential of touch-based AI. For physical AI to move beyond the lab, systems must be able to interpret complex physical signals reliably and in real time. TacnIQ.ai is tackling that challenge by turning tactile intelligence into robust, commercially ready hardware.”

TacnIQ.ai is hiring across AI, software engineering and business development. Interested candidates can explore opportunities to help build the foundation model for physical interaction at https://www.tacniq.ai/careers#open-positions.

About TacnIQ.ai

TacnIQ.ai is a physical AI startup building foundational sensor models for physical interaction, starting with tactile. Backy, its tactile wearable data node, is deployed across logistics, construction, e-commerce, hospitality, and healthcare environments, delivering real-world impact while serving as the company’s testing ground for a robust, reliable tactile model. Additional data nodes are in development to capture physics primitives and support generalization across applications. TacnIQ.ai’s mission is to bridge AI and the physical world by building the foundation model for physical interaction. For more information, visit https://www.tacniq.ai/.

About In Group Holdings

In Group Holdings is a Singapore-based investment firm focused on backing high-growth companies across artificial intelligence, deep technology, healthcare, climate technology, semiconductors, robotics, quantum technologies, and other frontier sectors. The firm partners with visionary founders to accelerate commercialization, scale globally, and create long-term value through strategic capital, active governance, and access to its extensive network of industry partners, customers, and co-investors. For more information, visit https://ingroupholdings.com/

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SOURCE TacnIQ.ai

Token Is Becoming a Managed Asset.

The Economics of AI Are Entering a New Phase.

SINGAPORE, Sept. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Enterprise spending on AI tokens is growing faster than the systems designed to track it. A McKinsey study found that enterprise LLM spending tripled in twelve months, even as the cost per token fell sharply — because companies are running more complex workloads across more workflows. Goldman Sachs projects token consumption will increase 24-fold by 2030. And yet, for most companies, token spending remains a black box: unpredictable, difficult to forecast, and impossible to finance.

“Token consumption is already one of the fastest-growing costs on the enterprise P&L,” said Raymond, CEO of Accels. “But it is still managed with spreadsheets and manual reconciliation. There is no infrastructure for treating token usage the way finance teams treat any other material input — something to be measured, optimized, and financed.”

One company that has been operating in this space is Accels, whose routing product, Accels Router, has been serving customers in recent years. The platform provides reliable, low-latency access to a wide range of large language models, and is now being upgraded and expanded to cover 15 leading model providers and more than 150 AI models through a single API.

The team behind Accels has spent the past several years researching and building at the intersection of AI infrastructure and financial services. That experience shaped a key design principle: routing data, billing data, and credit assessment should operate as a single system, rather than separate products stitched together. The goal is that a company’s actual token consumption patterns — how much it uses, how predictably, at what cost — will inform its credit profile and financing terms.

The company’s plans extend far beyond routing. Accels is exploring a broader set of capabilities designed for how AI agents actually operate, spend, and grow — with the intention of helping businesses manage token consumption as both an operational input and a financial resource.

“The companies that will win in AI are not just the ones with the best models,” said Raymond. “They are the ones that can manage the economics of running agents at scale. That requires infrastructure that understands tokens as both an operational input and a financial resource.”

About Accels

Accels is headquartered in Singapore and is dedicated to building AI infrastructure for the agentic economy. Combining deep experience in financial services with a growing AI infrastructure business, Accels aims to launch inclusive, accessible financial products that help businesses and developers participate in — and benefit from — the growth of AI agents and the token economy that powers them.

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SOURCE Accels

Convened 500 guests including policymakers and institutional investors from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and ChinaDiscussions focused on deepening trade, manufacturing and supply chain linkages between China and ASEAN, which can extend into stronger capital connectivity through institutional coordination, trust and complementary partnershipsPositioned closing the wealth gap and building local capability as the foundation for translating capital inflows into lasting outcomes for the region

SINGAPORE, Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — CGS International Securities Pte. Ltd. (“CGS International”) and China Enterprises Association (Singapore) co-hosted the 2026 CGS China-ASEAN Business Leaders Summit on 21 and 22 September, together with organising partner SGX Group, and Strategic Bank Partner, UOB.

Themed “Where Two Blocs Meet,” the summit examined how to accelerate capital flows, deepen regional integration and unlock investment opportunities across China and ASEAN, spanning capital markets connectivity, cross-border expansion and market integration, alongside sector themes including AI infrastructure, energy transition, private capital and industrial transformation.

Guest-of-Honour addresses were delivered by His Excellency Cao Zhongming, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the Republic of Singapore; Laksono Widodo, Chief Investment Officer of Indonesia Investment Authority; and Edward Zhang, Executive Managing Director, Head of Private Equity Investment Department III, China Investment Corporation. The addresses collectively examined how the depth of China-ASEAN trade, manufacturing, technology and supply chain linkages can extend into stronger capital connectivity through institutional coordination, trust and complementary partnerships across the corridor.

Keynote speakers included Yang Mulia Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, Chairman of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) and Chairman and Founder of the Southeast Asia Futures Initiative Centre (SEAFIC), who discussed closing the wealth gap between China and ASEAN as a competitive advantage; Khairy Jamaluddin, former Minister of Health, Malaysia, who addressed ASEAN’s opportunity in a new era of strategic competition; and Tan Sri Andrew Sheng, Distinguished Fellow at the Asia Global Institute, University of Hong Kong and International Advisory Council Member of CIC, who spoke on shared prosperity in a multipolar world. Across the addresses, closing the wealth gap and building local capability were positioned as the foundation for the region’s next phase of growth, with ASEAN+3 now larger than the G7 in purchasing power terms and expanding at a faster pace. Translating that scale into lasting outcomes rests on stronger firms, deeper regional markets, better research and skills, and economies capable of generating productivity across generations.

Panel Discussions and Roundtables

The first panel discussion, “Empowering Capital Flow Between China and ASEAN” was moderated by Carol Fong, Group Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) of CGS International. Focusing on capital markets connectivity, the panel brought together Ian Chung, Executive Director, Markets, Infrastructures and Intermediaries Department, Monetary Authority of Singapore; Soravis Krairiksh, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Markets Officer, The Stock Exchange of Thailand; Shahrul Amry Abdul Malek, Director of Market Development, Securities Commission Malaysia; Iding Pardi, Director of Business Development, Indonesia Stock Exchange; and Abhishek Bakshi, Head of ASEAN Issuer Services, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited. The discussion examined how to improve market connectivity, regulatory cooperation and cross-border investment frameworks to facilitate the movement of capital along the China-ASEAN corridor. Carol Fong, Group CEO of CGS International, said, “China-ASEAN capital flows are already happening. The opportunity now is to make those flows more transparent, more investable and more scalable through public markets, building a stronger China-ASEAN capital gateway that supports companies, deepens liquidity and gives investors better access to the region’s growth.”

Turning to Singapore’s equity market, the “Activating Singapore’s Growth Layer: Next 50 as a Channel for China-ASEAN Capital” panel was moderated by James Ong, Group Head of Asset Management at CGS International. The panel examined how SMID-cap companies are positioning for growth, broadening investor participation, and capitalising on product innovation including ETFs.

Beyond public markets, the summit turned to private investment and industrial expansion across ASEAN. Discussions on private capital and alternatives covered LP allocation, exit environments and the private credit opportunity across the region, while a separate session on industrial cooperation explored how Chinese corporates are entering and localising in ASEAN markets. Wu Peng, Member of the Executive Committee and Business Director, CGS, said, ” For Chinese enterprises to succeed, they need two fundamental elements: excellent localisation capabilities and strong, reliable support from Chinese resources.” Geoff Howie, Market Strategist at Singapore Exchange (SGX), said, “Capital follows execution, and being able to execute is what enables investors to trust and participate in your expansion and scale. There are five parts to Chinese industrial expansion into ASEAN: choosing the right ecosystem or market rather than the country; building local networks, particularly with suppliers and developing talent; embedding investment into productive capacity in ASEAN markets; securing logistics and digital infrastructure; and earning access to local capital.”

The summit also examined the AI, semiconductor and emerging technology landscape shaping the region. Discussions on semiconductors covered supply chain development and the build-out of ASEAN’s semiconductor ecosystem, exploring infrastructure and enterprise applications across ASEAN. Speakers also spotlighted emerging technologies looked at how new technologies are reshaping industries from healthcare to office software and new energy. Amarjit Singh Sandhu, Corporate Vice President. Micron Technology, Singapore, said, “AI is a once-in-a-generation opportunity, and the growth is phenomenal. Being close and present to customers, quick to move, and able to evolve fast with technology will be critical to capture that growth across ASEAN.”

Lastly, the speakers shared views on the China and ASEAN macroeconomic outlook, capital markets support for Chinese enterprise internationalisation, consumer trends, sustainability and new consumption drivers shaping the region.

Wang Sheng, Chairman of CGS, said, “As China and ASEAN deepen their commercial ties, the opportunity is to turn these into partnerships that create lasting value. CGS will continue to build trusted platforms that bring investors, enterprises and policymakers together to capture opportunities, manage risks and advance sustainable regional growth.”

Carol Fong, Group CEO of CGS International, said, “CGS International is proud to host the CGS China-ASEAN Business Leaders Summit with CGS and our partners CEA, SGX and UOB. This reflects our shared commitment in strengthening the China-ASEAN capital gateway and advancing deeper collaboration for the region’s next phase of growth.”

Tan Zhiyong, President of CEA, said, “CEA (Singapore) is glad to host the Summit with CGS International. Since our first event in Singapore in 2023, we have become more convinced that for Chinese enterprises, ASEAN represents not just an immediate opportunity, but one worthy of long-term cultivation. The Association will continue to leverage such platforms to facilitate and connect Chinese enterprises expanding into ASEAN.”

Michael Syn, President of Singapore Exchange, said, “The China-ASEAN corridor is one of the world’s most active engines of growth. The opportunity now lies in how we scale, finance and de-risk that growth. As economies and supply chains become more intertwined in a fragmenting world, Singapore can play an important role in connecting global capital with regional opportunities and helping businesses manage risk across markets. This will be critical to sustaining the region’s long-term growth.”

Wee Ee Cheong, Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of UOB, said, “As economic ties between ASEAN and China continue to strengthen, businesses are increasingly viewing the two markets as a connected ecosystem for growth. With our extensive ASEAN footprint, strong China connectivity and deep cross-border expertise, UOB is pleased to work with CGS International and other ecosystem partners at this event to facilitate investments and business flows that drive sustainable growth across the region.”

More details about the summit programme and speakers can be found here: https://www.cgsi.com/events/exclusive/2026-cgs-china-asean-business-leaders-summit

– END –

About CGS International Securities

CGS International Securities Pte. Ltd. (“CGS International”) is an award-winning and market leading integrated financial services provider, ranked among the top securities houses in Asia.

CGS International taps on its wealth of global and ASEAN insights to offer equities trading, leveraged products, wealth management, investment banking, equities research, Shariah-compliant financing, fixed income, currency and commodities, structured products and prime brokerage services in over 15 countries and regions.

Along with its parent organisation China Galaxy Securities, a leading securities house in China, CGS International is trusted by over 18 million customers globally.

Find out more at www.cgsi.com.

About UOB

UOB is a leading Asian bank with a global network in Southeast Asia, Asia Pacific, Europe and North America. Operating through our head office in Singapore and banking subsidiaries in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, we have a global network of about 430 branches and offices in 19 markets. 

Since its incorporation in 1935, UOB has grown organically and through a series of strategic acquisitions. Today, UOB is rated among the world’s top banks: Aa1 by Moody’s Investors Service and AA- by both S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings.

For more than nine decades, UOB has adopted a customer-centric approach to create long-term value by staying relevant through its enterprising spirit and doing right by its customers. UOB is focused on building the future of ASEAN – for the people and businesses within, and connecting with, ASEAN.

The Bank connects businesses to opportunities in the region with its unparalleled regional footprint and leverages data and insights to innovate and create personalised banking experiences and solutions catering to each customer’s unique needs and evolving preferences. UOB is also committed to help businesses forge a sustainable future, by fostering social inclusiveness, creating positive environmental impact and pursuing economic progress. UOB believes in being a responsible financial services provider and is steadfast in its support of education, children and art, doing right by its communities and stakeholders.

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SOURCE CGS International Securities Pte. Ltd.