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A*STAR And MojiaBio To Develop Next-gen Sustainable Biomanufacturing Platform In Singapore

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SINGAPORE, Feb. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — This initiative aims to produce eco-friendly bio-based molecules from low-cost, eco-friendly sources. Key benefits include:

Cost-parity with conventional methods: Unlike existing bio-based molecules production, this initiative aims to achieve cost-parity with conventional processes by utilising low-cost renewable sources like methanol.

Wide-ranging industry applications: The sustainable bio-based molecules produced can be used for wide-ranging industrial applications in textiles, automotive, personal care, and coatings industries.

Boosting Singapore’s green economy: This effort strengthens Singapore’s leadership in the global bioeconomy, which can lead to high-value job creation in sustainable biomanufacturing.

SINGAPORE – MojiaBio, a leading innovator in green chemistry and sustainable biomanufacturing, will be developing an SGD 44.8 million state-of-the-art Sustainable Biomanufacturing Technology Platform (SBTP) with the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). By integrating advanced synthetic biology and bioprocessing innovations, the SBTP aims to position Singapore as a global leader in sustainable biomanufacturing, accelerating the transition to a circular bioeconomy and net-zero future.

Unlike other existing bio-based molecules in the market, the SBTP aims to pioneer the production of a range of high-value bio-based molecules that are cost-competitive and serve the needs of various industries. This is made possible due to the innovative use of cost-effective sources like methanol and ethylene glycol, which enables the platform to produce scalable, sustainable alternatives to conventional chemical processes. This includes the production of 1,3-propanediol (PDO), a key ingredient for a broad array of industries such as skincare products, coatings and biodegradable plastics.

Building Singapore’s Capabilities in Green Biomanufacturing

The global market for green chemicals is projected to reach USD 200 billion (around SGD 270 billion) by 2030, driven by increasing demand for sustainable alternatives to their fossil-based counterparts. This collaboration will help Singapore build up our synthetic biology capabilities, which will help position us to capture a share of this growing market and contribute to the development of new economic opportunities in the green economy.

At the heart of the SBTP is MojiaBio’s proprietary Cn+Bio™ pathway and OrthBio® bioconversion process, designed to convert low-cost, renewable sources into bio-based molecules. This will be developed in close collaboration with A*STAR Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation (A*STAR SIFBI)—which will provide expertise on enzyme engineering—to ensure a faster, more reliable, and higher-yield conversion.

“The SBTP will not only produce bio-based molecules but also support downstream application research to synthesise high-value sustainable products for different industries,” said Dr Ramon Gonzalez, MojiaBio CSO. “Through our partnership with A*STAR, we will be able to accelerate the commercialisation of green PDO to meet the growing demands and needs of the market.”

The SBTP leverages advanced synthetic biology and integrates the National University of Singapore (NUS)’ computational modelling expertise to engineer enzymes and microbial strains, optimising them as biocatalysts. Unlike conventional fermentation methods, the platform operates independently of its host cell metabolism, which significantly enhances energy efficiency, scalability, and sustainability while reducing production costs.

Professor Tan Sze Wee, Assistant Chief Executive from A*STAR Biomedical Research Council said, “The SBTP marks a significant step forward in sustainable biomanufacturing for Singapore, demonstrating how synthetic biology can unlock cost-effective productions of scalable value-added ingredient alternatives. By leveraging synthetic biology and enzyme engineering capabilities at A*STAR SIFBI and A*STAR Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment (A*STAR ISCE2) and forming strategic private-public partnerships, we are laying the foundation for further advancements in sustainable biomanufacturing across multiple industries. This collaboration will not only accelerate Singapore’s bioeconomy growth but also underscore our commitment to advancing in value-added ingredient innovation and green technologies.”

Lim Wey-Len, Executive Vice President, Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) said: “Singapore has been developing our capabilities in industrial biotechnology as part of a push for sustainable manufacturing. The SBTP demonstrates how leading companies can partner Singapore’s research ecosystem to innovate and commercialise novel products that improve the quality of life, while meeting sustainability commitments. We welcome more like-minded companies to create solutions through Singapore that can further grow Asia’s bioeconomy sector.”

Advancing Green Economy: Building a Sustainable Future Together

The SBTP aligns with the Singapore Green Plan 2030 targets and global sustainability goals, such as reducing carbon emissions and promoting a circular economy. Compared to conventional methods, bio-based molecules produced through this platform offer significant environmental benefits over conventional processes, including:

Reduced energy use: Renewable sources (e.g. methanol and ethylene glycol) require less energy to process.

Lower carbon footprint: Bio-based production typically emits significantly less carbon dioxide than conventional chemical processes by around 60%.

Fewer pollutants: Bio-based methods produce fewer harmful emissions, such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulphur oxides (SOx).

“This collaboration exemplifies our vision to create impactful, sustainable solutions for the future,” said Dr Gonzalez. “MojiaBio is also making strides to establish our operational headquarters and a dedicated research laboratory in Singapore to accelerate commercialisation of other green chemicals to contribute to Singapore’s bioeconomy and the global transition toward sustainability.”

1 “Green Chemicals Market – Global Industry Assessment and Forecast.” Vantage Market Research, 4 July 2023, www.vantagemarketresearch.com/industry-report/green-chemicals-market-1347. 

About the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)

The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) is Singapore’s lead public sector R&D agency. Through open innovation, we collaborate with our partners in both the public and private sectors to benefit the economy and society. As a Science and Technology Organisation, A*STAR bridges the gap between academia and industry. Our research creates economic growth and jobs for Singapore, and enhances lives by improving societal outcomes in healthcare, urban living, and sustainability. A*STAR plays a key role in nurturing scientific talent and leaders for the wider research community and industry. A*STAR’s R&D activities span biomedical sciences to physical sciences and engineering, with research entities primarily located in Biopolis and Fusionopolis.

About A*STAR Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation (A*STAR SIFBI)

A*STAR Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation (A*STAR SIFBI)’s vision is to be an innovation engine for health and well-being, focusing on the Asian phenotype. Our two strategic pillars are: 1) Developing sustainable, value-added ingredients for food and consumer care; and 2) Optimizing health and wellbeing within the Asian phenotype. We prioritize consumer acceptance, considering taste, texture, and nutrition, alongside sustainable and safe food production. Understanding sensory preferences and the Asian phenotype allows us to tailor food designs to meet consumer needs and improve population health and wellness. We directly impact food resilience, population health, economic growth, and talent development. We envision Singapore as a leading hub for Asian food and nutrition research, fostering industry partnerships and regional collaboration to advance this critical field. This is achieved through public-private partnerships locally and globally. Learn more about SIFBI.

About MojiaBio

MojiaBio is a pioneering leader in industrial biomanufacturing, revolutionizing the production of commodities, materials, and chemicals through sustainable and green processes. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies and demand-driven innovation, MojiaBio is committed to creating transformative solutions that shape the future of multiple industries. For more information on MojiaBio.

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SOURCE MojiaBio

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Toku launches Makimoto Flows, a visual builder for speech AI pipelines, taking its open-source initiative beyond transcription

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Developers can chain transcription, summarisation and call tagging on one canvas, test each step and export the pipeline as code, with every step processed in Singapore

SINGAPORE, Oct. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Toku Ltd. (SGX: TKU), a Singapore-headquartered AI-powered customer experience (CX) platform, has launched Makimoto Flows (“Flows”), a visual builder within its open-source conversational AI initiative where developers assemble speech AI pipelines block by block and test each stage on a recorded call. Flows is now live at makimoto.ai.

On the Flows canvas, developers connect blocks to build a speech AI pipeline and test each step individually. The Transcribe block converts audio into text using Kawa, the Summarise block generates a topic and short summary from the transcript, and the Tags block classifies each call across seven categories, including customer sentiment. Developers can see how audio moves from transcription to analysis, and control how each stage connects and runs. Every block runs in Singapore, so audio, transcripts and the resulting analysis stay in-country.

The Chained Analysis starter template puts these blocks together in one click, and developers can adjust any block and rerun it to compare results. Each block maps to a Makimoto API endpoint, and any flow can be exported as ready-to-run Python code, so developers can take the same capabilities into their own code for applications such as call recaps and call triage.

“Developers should have control over how their voice AI works, from the models they use to the way each stage connects. That is the principle behind Makimoto. Flows puts the orchestration layer in front of them: they can build a pipeline, run a recorded call through it and see what each step produces before anything reaches their customers. Models will keep changing. The ability to compose them, and to know where they run, is what lasts,” said Thomas Laboulle, Founder and CEO at Toku.

Flows builds on the composable architecture Toku set out when it introduced Makimoto in April 2026, and takes the initiative beyond transcription. Kawa, released on schedule on 1 July 2026, established the transcription layer through a Singapore-hosted API; summarisation and tagging endpoints followed in September; Flows now lets developers compose them visually. Next, Makimoto plans to add audio preparation blocks, starting with noise filtering, giving developers more control over how recordings are processed before transcription.

By pairing open-source development with enterprise-grade deployment, Makimoto complements Toku’s existing customer experience platform and supports long-term innovation opportunities across the Group’s AI roadmap.

Developers can create a free account at makimoto.ai, open the Chained Analysis template and run a sample recording, or one of their own call recordings, through it; each account includes 1,000 free minutes. Feedback reaches the Makimoto team directly from the portal.

About Toku

Headquartered in Singapore, Toku Ltd. (SGX Catalist: TKU) is a cloud-native, AI-powered customer experience platform purpose-built for enterprises operating in complex, multi-market environments. With deep roots in the APAC region and an expanding global footprint, Toku’s modular 360° CX Platform orchestrates customer interactions across voice, chat, email and digital channels while managing regulatory, linguistic and infrastructure complexity at scale.

Built on end-to-end ownership of its technology stack, from carrier-grade connectivity to AI applications, Toku delivers enterprise-grade security, reliability and deployment flexibility in commercial cloud, private data centres and hybrid environments. Its AI capabilities include transcription, summarisation, sentiment analysis, conversation analytics and governed virtual agents, designed to integrate seamlessly with enterprise systems and customer data.

Trusted by leading enterprises and public-sector organisations, Toku helps organisations streamline operations, scale customer engagement and deliver consistent experiences in fragmented markets worldwide.

For more information about Toku, visit toku.co.

About Makimoto

Makimoto is Toku’s open-source initiative, operated through Makimoto Technology Pte Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Toku Group, dedicated to building composable conversational AI infrastructure for Asia-Pacific. Its releases include Makimoto Kawa, a Singapore-hosted transcription API; summarisation and tagging endpoints; and Makimoto Flows, a visual builder for composing speech AI pipelines. For more information about Makimoto, visit makimoto.ai.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding Toku’s expansion plans, business strategy and planned product releases. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. Toku undertakes no obligation to update these statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

Sponsor’s Statement

Toku Ltd. (the “Company”) was listed on Catalist of the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (the “Exchange”) on 22 January 2026. The initial public offering of the Company was sponsored by PrimePartners Corporate Finance Pte. Ltd. (the “Sponsor”). This press release has been reviewed by the Sponsor. It has not been examined or approved by the Exchange and the Exchange assumes no responsibility for the contents of this press release, including the correctness of any of the statements or opinions made or reports contained in this press release. The contact person for the Sponsor is Ms. Ng Shi Qing, 16 Collyer Quay, #10-00 Collyer Quay Centre, Singapore 049318, sponsorship@ppcf.com.sg.

Investor Relations Contact:
investor.relations@toku.co

Developers and Partners:
contact@makimoto.ai  

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SOURCE Toku Ltd.

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Conscious Spark LLC Launches Alphimiya® Neuro-Recalibration Framework Designed to Resolve C-Suite Revenue Plateaus

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New research-backed neuro-recalibration framework targets the autonomic nervous system’s threat response to managing high financial amounts, offering enterprise leaders a biological pathway to scaling.

ANTALYA, Turkey and ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Oct. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Conscious Spark LLC, a research and advisory firm specializing in applied neuroscience for executive leadership, today announced the official launch of Alphimiya®, a proprietary C-suite neuro-recalibration framework designed to resolve corporate revenue plateaus by upgrading the biological capacity of enterprise decision-makers.

Developed to address the root causes of stalled enterprise growth, the Alphimiya® framework targets the human autonomic nervous system’s subconscious threat response to managing high financial amounts. When commercial leaders and CEOs attempt to scale past historical capital thresholds without recalibrating their stress response, the body’s natural survival mechanism triggers decision fatigue, strategic risk aversion, and systemic self-sabotage. Alphimiya® recalibrates this biological safety brake, enabling executive teams to hold, absorb, and scale larger financial volumes without physiological or operational friction.

“A corporate revenue plateau is rarely an operational or marketing failure; it is a biological safety brake embedded within executive leadership,” stated Dr. Ahmed Al-Nashi, Founder of Conscious Spark LLC. “When managing high financial amounts triggers an underlying physical stress response, the enterprise subconsciously contracts to remain in its perceived safe zone. Alphimiya® removes that biological friction, allowing C-level leaders to multiply revenue with calm, biological authority.”

The Alphimiya® framework restructures executive performance across three core operational pillars:

Sovereign Enterprise Scaling: Expands the nervous system’s tolerance for high-stakes capital, allowing leadership teams to scale revenue without experiencing executive burnout.

High-Value Deal Execution: Regulates autonomic stress responses during multi-million-dollar negotiations and volatile market entries, eliminating hesitation under pressure.

Restored Strategic Clarity: Removes chronic decision fatigue across C-suite teams, restoring mental focus and strategic presence inside and outside the boardroom.

By recalibrating the autonomic nervous system’s response to high capital exposure, Alphimiya® removes the subconscious biological brakes that lock corporate revenue at a standstill. Senior C-level executives and enterprise leadership teams seeking to evaluate their organization’s biological capacity can access the official executive briefing, case studies, and framework assessment directly at https://alphimiya.co/.

About Conscious Spark LLC

Conscious Spark LLC is a U.S.-registered firm specializing in executive education, training, and strategic performance consulting. Pioneering applied neuroscience for C-level leaders, founders, and commercial decision-makers, the firm utilizes its proprietary Alphimiya® methodology to enable leadership teams to recalibrate biological stress responses, resolve revenue ceilings, and build scalable corporations.

Media Relations Team
Conscious Spark LLC
Email: hello@consciousspark.online 
Website: https://alphimiya.co/

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SOURCE Conscious Spark LLC

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Daffodil Software Brings Multilingual Conversational AI to Aadhaar’s Udai Mascot

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GURUGRAM, India, Oct. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Daffodil Software showcased an AI-powered conversational experience featuring UIDAI’s Udai mascot at Aadhaar Samvaad 2026. Developed by Daffodil Software, the assistant is designed to help users access Aadhaar-related information through natural conversation, using official UIDAI as its reference knowledge base.

Daffodil Software has developed Udai, an AI-powered virtual mascot that helps users get clear, reliable answers about Aadhaar simply by talking to it. The assistant was showcased at Aadhaar Samvaad 2026, held in Kolkata on 29 September, coinciding with the 17th Aadhaar Day, where visitors watched it listen, respond, and gesture in real time in their own language.

For most people, questions about Aadhaar come up in daily life, and they usually need answers fast. Which documents do I need for an address change? How much does an update cost? How do I link Aadhaar to my bank account or mobile number? The answers exist, but finding them usually means working through long help pages and documents.

 Udai is designed to answer exactly these questions in a natural conversation, without anyone having to search through long help pages.

A conversation in the user’s own language

Udai speaks and understands 11 languages: Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Odia, and English. A user simply asks a question. Udai listens, works out the answer, and replies in the same language, with natural speech, matching lip movements and expressive hand gestures.

What sets Udai apart is how it is built. AI avatars rely on expensive, specialised graphics hardware to bring a face to life. Udai takes a simpler route. The character is created from pre-filmed footage, and its lip movements are matched to its speech in real time using lightweight processing that runs in a web browser.

The result is a smooth experience at 24 frames per second on ordinary servers, at a fraction of the usual cost per user. For a programme that serves hundreds of millions of people, that efficiency is what turns a nationwide rollout from an ambition into a practical plan.

“Our focus with Udai was to make Aadhaar-related information easier to access through natural conversation. Combining multilingual voice interaction with official reference content allowed our team to build an experience that is practical, approachable, and useful to users,” said Yogesh Agarwal, Founder and CEO, Daffodil Software.

Answers drawn only from official sources

The assistant uses official UIDAI material as its reference knowledge base: frequently asked questions, provisions of the Aadhaar Act, and government policy documents on Aadhaar services. It covers the topics users ask about most:

Enrolment and registrationAddress and demographic updatesFees, required documents and eligibilityeKYC and Virtual IDLinking Aadhaar with bank accounts, PAN and mobile numbersmAadhaar servicesGrievance redressal

Users don’t need to phrase their questions in any particular way. Udai understands everyday language, whether a question is spoken in English, Hindi, or asked in a mix of both, and finds the most relevant official information to answer it.

Built to be accurate, respectful, and secure

When a public service speaks directly to users, trust matters as much as convenience. Udai is protected by three layers of safeguards.

Accuracy first. Udai answers only from its verified knowledge base. Responses are grounded in a curated knowledge base of official UIDAI material. If a question falls outside Aadhaar, it guides the user back rather than offering an answer it cannot stand behind.

Respectful conversations. A screening layer catches abusive or offensive language in English, Hindi, and Hinglish before it reaches the assistant. Screening is designed to identify abusive language while supporting legitimate queries

Protection against misuse. Udai cannot be talked into abandoning its role, pretending to be someone else, revealing its internal setup, or answering beyond its approved scope. These checks work almost instantly, so users experience no delay.

What comes next?

Udai is planned to roll out in two phases.

In the first phase, the mascot will be placed in Aadhaar Centres. Visitors will be able to check information and understand processes on their own, such as which documents they need for an address change. This frees centre staff to focus on their core work instead of answering the same questions again and again.

In the second phase, Udai will come to the Aadhaar website and mobile app, taking the place of the current text-based chatbot, which was also built by Daffodil.

About Daffodil Software

Daffodil Software is a software engineering and AI solutions company serving businesses across industries. Its services span software consulting, product engineering, UI/UX design, AI/ML development, quality assurance, cloud and DevOps, and maintenance. The company serves sectors including healthcare, fintech, banking, technology, and digital commerce. Its client portfolio includes organizations such as the Reserve Bank of India, Mount Sinai Hospital, Maruti, Samsung, Pramerica Insurance, and Dangote Group. Daffodil Software has also been featured in industry research and recognition by Gartner, Everest Group, Zinnov, and Frost & Sullivan. For more information, visit https://www.daffodilsw.com

Media contact

Kunwar Pal Singh
media-relations@daffodilsw.com

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