The world is in a peculiar moment. In the news today are wars, natural disasters, food and energy crises, and a global recession. Amidst the backdrop of a post-lockdown world, where many nations are still trying to recover economically, a more sinister threat stands off to the side, biding its time. I’m talking about climate change.

It isn’t anything new, of course – plenty of scientists have been trying to warn everyone about its effects since the 1960s. 

Unfortunately, the world now is not in a better state than it previously was. I made my money from coal yesterday, so it’s my responsibility to be clear today: global warming is real, and we have far surpassed the 1.5C global temperature increase limit needed to reverse its effects.

ASEAN’s digital conundrum

Compounding the effects of climate change is that a huge chunk of the world, Asia, is growing fast, namely Southeast Asia (ASEAN). The World Economic Forum predicts that the region is on track to become the world’s fourth-largest economy by 2030.

Also Read: Waste4Change grabs US$5M to shrink Indonesia’s landfills

Buoyed by the quick expansion of its middle class, trade development, and rapid digitalisation, ASEAN’s growth comes with a commensurate need for increased energy capacity.

Let’s take Indonesia as a baseline. It is the largest ASEAN country, spanning 1.86 million square kilometres, and is home to more than 270 million people. 

On the back of a strong economic outlook boasting an average annual GDP growth of around five per cent (despite the pandemic), the nation has a relatively stable unemployment rate (four per cent) and a high Human Development Index of 0.71.

The pandemic hit the country hard, but a curious trend emerged – there was massive growth in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector. In fact, within these past couple of years, ICT has been the largest growth contributor to Indonesia’s GDP. Internet penetration jumped to 77 per cent during the pandemic (an increase of around 45 million people), with an 81 per cent usage rate from 2021 to 2022. 

These, together with swift urbanisation and industrialisation, have led experts to predict that Indonesia’s energy demand will triple by 2039. 

More internet means more data centres

If you’re familiar with the tech and ICT space, you’ll know that keeping up with a nation’s increased internet usage requires more data centres. 

Data centres are indeed proliferating in ASEAN. The region is projected to be one of the fastest-growing data-centre markets in the world.        

Indonesia is expected to lead Asia Pacific in IT spending by 2025, driven by a strong shift toward cloud services. A Gartner study predicts that by 2024, 52 per cent of the country’s total IT spending will be for public cloud services. 

Its power demand for data centres alone will reach 2,031 megawatts (MW) by 2032. Of that amount, its multitenant data centre demand will account for 1,429 MW.

This massive demand is primarily driven by cloud service providers (CSPs) who supply cloud tech to power increasingly digitalised businesses and services. These CSPs include tech titans such as Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, and Alibaba, as well as smaller players. 

Unfortunately, most of ASEAN’s energy needs, including Indonesia’s, are met with fossil fuels. In 2021, the share of fossil fuels in ASEAN was 81.2 per cent, with renewables comprising 18.2 per cent. 

Interestingly, during the pandemic, the share of renewables in the region remained resilient, jumping from 17.4 per cent in 2019 to 18.2 per cent in 2020. 

The ASEAN Centre for Energy expects the renewables sector to continue growing and become the main driver in various government stimulus packages across the region.

With great power demand comes great opportunity

Continued reliance on fossil fuels for energy will soon make it untenable to live in this world. As it stands, the increased rate of natural disasters and mercurial weather patterns are just the beginning of the world’s climate problems.

Around the globe, stakeholders are increasing pressure on businesses to reduce their carbon footprints and act on climate change.

Also Read: How Neliti aims to help improve accessibility to scientific knowledge in Indonesia

The message is clear: there is a drastic need for alternative energy sources, which lies in the increased provision and supply of renewables. 

This is all the more obvious in the rapidly digitalising and growing Indonesia. 

Fortunately, the country is blessed with abundant natural and renewable energy (NRE) resources, including geothermal, hydro, solar, wind, and ocean potential. In fact, the nation commands 40 per cent of the world’s geothermal reserves. 

To date, the utilisation of NRE resources stands at only 0.3 per cent of its 3,638 GigaWatt potential (11.5GW), signalling a huge market opportunity for anyone who can harness the sector.

Truly, the potential for disruption and growth in Indonesia’s energy sector is nothing short of gargantuan, given its NRE promise and support by the government to grow the renewables sector.

Indonesia’s single biggest investment opportunity

These statistics should make tech stakeholders sit up and pay attention. As Indonesia continues on its rapid path to modernisation, demand for the internet will steadily increase, and so too will its energy needs.

The time is now for tech entrepreneurs in Indonesia to gain a foothold in this relatively untapped sector and figure out how to reduce, or at least equalise, the cost of renewables with coal. 

I believe that anyone who can achieve this, with a roadmap to scale, of course, will have the next decacorn on their hands. 

I know that our local cohort of tech investors tends to focus on B2C and pure internet plays, and anything involving hardware, climate tech, or data centres has never been sexy. 

But local venture capitalists need to wake up and smell the energy demand on the horizon. They must start looking for real deals in the renewables space today because tomorrow is too late. 

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Singapore’s innovation and startup ecosystem has continued to experience strong growth over the past five years, remaining vibrant and resilient amid the pandemic. As a signal of confidence in the startup investment scene, funding activities have increased exponentially to reach S$14.7 billion in 2021, growing by more than 45% per annum between 2017 and 2021. Venture funding within the first half of 2022 alone has reached S$8.18 billion1, up 54% compared to the same period last year.

To ensure that Singapore remains a vibrant and attractive startup and innovation hub, Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG) will continue to deepen their support for innovative startups and SMEs. This includes catalysing more financing opportunities, providing the right platforms and infrastructure to drive the development of innovative solutions, building their pipeline of local and global talent, and deepening global connections.

Also read: Journey to the top: From developer to CEO

Tapping new opportunities through innovation platforms and networks

Recognising the need to scale overseas, EnterpriseSG has supported over 780 companies through their Global Innovation Alliance (GIA) programmes, which connects them to international business and tech communities and drive two-way collaboration. This includes their Co-Innovation Programmes (CIPs), where companies jointly develop and test-bed new solutions with trusted in-market partners before scaling into the market or region. EnterpriseSG introduced two pilot GIA acceleration programmes in Stockholm and Cape Town earlier this year to expand opportunities in this area. They are also working with partners like Leave a Nest in Japan and Brinc in China to launch sector-specific programmes and targeted assistance in areas like advanced manufacturing and foodtech.

EnterpriseSG and its partners have continued to encourage enterprises to press on with innovation efforts even during the pandemic, with 600 enterprises undertaking innovation projects to develop new products and solutions in 2021. Partners like IPI Singapore and the Centres of Innovation (COI) have played an instrumental role in helping companies deepen business innovation and tech capabilities. EnterpriseSG is looking to increase the capacity of its centres to accelerate SMEs’ and startups’ innovation journeys further.

To nurture a more vibrant startup ecosystem and catalyse growth through market-led innovation, EnterpriseSG launched the Open Innovation Network in 2019 to encourage co-innovation by both private and public stakeholders. Since then, there have been nearly 150 Open Innovation Challenges (OIC), with almost 900 challenge statements issued across various sectors. This includes the Building Construction Authority’s (BCA) Built Environment Accelerate to Market Programme (BEAMP), the Land Transport Authority’s Xcite Innovation Call, as well as the Healthcare OIC involving the National Healthcare Group (NHG), National University Health System (NUHS), SingHealth, HMI Group and St Luke’s Eldercare. Corporates3 such as ExxonMobil, SATs and L’Oreal have also actively engaged in OICs to partner with startups and co-develop demand-led solutions in industries like energy and, transport & logistics, as well as to address today’s most pressing challenge – climate change.

Also read: How can we create new urgency for a green recovery?

In 2021, EnterpriseSG launched the Abu Dhabi-Singapore Joint Innovation Challenge and the second Southeast Asia OIC to help startups access demand in these emerging markets. Building on these, this year, they will be working with new partners to facilitate demand-led innovation and test-bedding opportunities to address challenges in sectors like Energy, Healthcare, Agritech and more. They will also continue with global partners through the Sustainability OIC, which will soon return for its fourth year. Both will be launched during the Singapore Week of Innovation and TeCHnology (SWITCH) 2022 Flagship Event.

Supporting startup efforts in Singapore

Since its launch in 2017, the Startup SG4 initiative has played a pivotal role in supporting startups by helping to galvanise funding, increase access to mentor and partnership networks, and connect startups with overseas markets to scale abroad.

• The access to financing has made Singapore an ideal location in Southeast Asia to raise funds. As part of Startup SG Equity, more than S$51 million was co-invested across 58 startups through SEEDS Capital and SGInnovate, catalysing over S$400 million in private investments in 2021.
• Entrepreneurship has seen a boost. The number of innovative startups supported through the Startup SG Founder (SSGF) reached close to 480 as of June 2022, growing by 47% per annum since the initiative started in 2017. Of these, 104 startups have raised publicly disclosed rounds amounting to over S$350 million. On average, they secured pre-seed funding more than 1.5x faster than their Southeast Asian counterparts between 2017 and 2022.

Year-long innovation efforts culminate at SWITCH 2022 Flagship Event

The year-long innovation movement, the Singapore Week of Innovation and TeCHnology (SWITCH), will culminate in the SWITCH Flagship Event, which will return in person at the Resorts World Convention Centre from 25 to 28 October 2022. More than 300 speakers and 250 exhibitors from around the world, including startups, entrepreneurs, investors, community multipliers and MNCs, will convene at SWITCH to discuss emerging technology trends and opportunities for collaboration in innovation.

Also read: How startups should approach ESG opportunities

This year’s SWITCH Flagship Event will comprise three main stages: SWITCH Beyond, focused on exploring the latest sector trends and innovation opportunities in Asia; SWITCH Global, to spotlight emerging market access opportunities and catalyse cross-border collaboration; SLINGSHOT at the SWITCH Grand Stage, where the top 50 global startups from Asia’s leading deep tech startup competition will pitch to a live audience of investors and corporate judges. The top 50 finalists also had the opportunity to participate in an inaugural immersion programme in Singapore and connect with the local innovation and startup ecosystem.

About Enterprise Singapore

Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG) is the government agency championing enterprise development. They work with committed companies to build capabilities, innovate and internationalise.

They also support the growth of Singapore as a hub for global trading and startups and build trust in Singapore’s products and services through quality and standards.

Visit www.enterprisesg.gov.sg for more information.

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This article is produced by the e27 team, sponsored by Enterprise SG

We can share your story at e27, too. Engage the Southeast Asian tech ecosystem by bringing your story to the world. Visit us at e27.co/advertise to get started.

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Jago, an Indonesia-based mobile café network, today announced the completion of a US$2.2 million pre-Series A round of financing led by Intudo Ventures and Beenext.

CyberAgent Capital and Arkblu Capital also joined the oversubscribed round.

The funds will be directed towards expanding to over 200 mobile cafés, covering 20 hyperlocal areas in Jakarta. The company will also strengthen its core team in operations and technology.

Launched in June 2020, Jago is a micro mobile retailer that meets customers whenever and wherever they want. With a fleet of fully electric mobile cafés operating in key locations in Jakarta, Jago offers a hyperlocal approach to retail by serving neighbourhoods within a 1-2km radius to prepare and deliver fresh beverages within minutes quickly.

The carts operate in areas that are either high density with demand from residential and business areas or where coffee shops are less abundant despite robust demand for fresh coffee products.

Also Read: Why ‘Indonesia-only’ Intudo Ventures believes SEA as one cohesive market is a fallacy

Jago provides “quality” café beverages served by baristas equipped with all the tools and ingredients needed to prepare fresh drinks on the spot, including hot & cold, coffee & tea, and other speciality drinks.

Jago Coffee offers both in-person grab-and-go and mobile orders, offering pickup and delivery services for fresh café-grade coffees directly to consumers. Users can download the Jago app on iOS and Android to order freshly brewed beverages for pickup and delivery.

Starting at IDR 8,000 (US$0.55) per cup, Jago claims its fresh beverages offer a higher quality alternative to instant and ready-to-drink coffee while ensuring convenience and cost-effectiveness.

“Our innovative business model, pairing mobile cafés with our Jago app, creates unrivalled access for coffee anytime, anywhere, without sacrificing quality, price, or convenience. We are building new possibilities for last-mile retail that is sustainable and fulfilling for Indonesian consumers to meet their daily coffee and refreshment needs,” said Tanu.

Jago is led by co-founders Yoshua Tanu (CEO) and Christopher Oentojo (CTO). In addition to Jago, Tanu is also the co-founder of Common Grounds, a premium chain of café stores in Indonesia. Before founding Jago, Christopher was Vice President of Product at Gojek, where he led the launch of GoCar and the company’s internal mapping initiative.

In addition, Daniel Sidik has recently joined Jago as COO and CMO. Sidik brings extensive F&B experience, joining the company after co-founding and leading as the CEO of Reddog, a popular Korean-style hotdog chain in Indonesia with over 40 retail outlets after only two years from launch.

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Echelon 2022 is happening from 27-28 October at Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore!

Echelon 2022 aims to provide intimate and focused discussions on key topics and business matching services to facilitate business-driven connections during the two-day event. e27 will curate and invite key stakeholders of startups, investors, corporates, and ecosystem enablers to drive towards fruitful business outcomes at Echelon.

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When I started investing and advising Web3 projects in 2021, as a founder myself, there was a recognition of a kindred spirit in fellow project founders I’d come across. Through all the jargon, hype culture, speed and volatility that NFTs are notorious for, one day, the NFT landscape would eventually mature.

There’s nothing like a bear market that forces one to grow up. The May 2022 stablecoin crash was a big wake-up call for inexperienced founders building in the bull. There’s no celebration of a 70 per cent loss of value in the crypto market, but this crisis has caused the industry to move at a different cadence, a saner one. Spotlight is now on projects that have succeeded, and now it’s the time to dissect why.

Last year, the success metric for a project had been relatively simple thus far. Firstly, how fast can you sell out an NFT collection? Secondly, how much capital can you raise? Finally, can you sustain the floor price?

During the height of the bull run, these projects were all driven by speculation. But now that the crypto space has cooled down, NFT project founders are coming back to the same conclusion. It’s time to go back to the first principles.

Finding community-market fit

Community-market fit is the new product-market fit. As NFT projects were building out their communities to prime the members for a minting experience, they may not have realised it, but they were establishing community-market fit. With this continuing evolution of the internet, it’s interesting to see that it’s not just the technology that is becoming decentralised; our social structures are also moving in that direction.

What are we learning from these modern communities? Some examples could be motivations beyond money, the authenticity of the early evangelists, and proof of “trust building” behaviours in each other and the projects’ products.

Also Read: Should Southeast Asian startups look to transition from Web2 to Web3?

If executed properly, project founders should be able to shift their mindset away from “how do I sustain floor price to keep holders happy?” towards “how can the community sustain itself”, therefore increasing the valuation of the project.

Once community fit is developed, the next stage is defending your position. In this case, we don’t have to reinvent the wheel. All you have to do is to look at success in other fields, how others have made mistakes, and how we can apply it towards the Web3 industry. In this case, some of the most formidable moats in Web2 are definitely transferable to Web3.

First mover advantage: Cost of switching brands

Techcrunch reports that most of the trade volume in NFT projects is attributed to the top 10 NFT projects. There seems to be some sort of Pareto play for the projects that are first to market. Even though derivatives have their own 15 minutes of fame, the first-mover advantage seems to be the ace up the sleeve of the “blue chip” projects. Web3 mentality has ego around being first to market, and that it can confer advantages, but most of the time in business, it depends on the circumstance.

With many of the protocols already set up, it’s a tall order to shed old habits and simply switch brands. Unless your NFT project offers something revolutionary, one shouldn’t expect to leave a mark. If you were to launch a collection, launch it with a purpose and disrupt.

If you can’t be first to market, be first in class to market. Or find those that were to market and figure out how to create better user experiences. Some projects that have come to mind are DeGods, which introduced a “paper hands tax”, and Goblintown, which mastered the free mint.

Innovation within the NFT market comes in waves. Metas cycle in and out every three weeks or so. While it does seem quite the undertaking to disrupt at this level, we operate in such a nascent industry that there is simply so much room to innovate. Conversely, the bear market has helped reduce noise. Only the true builders remain, and experience dictates that most technology transformation breaks through because of quieter markets.

Localisation

Southeast Asia has seen epic David and Goliath battles between international giants and local startups. Grab took maket share away from Uber. Lazada is beating out on Amazon. Gcash has defended from many fintech entrants. In every instance, it was clear that the local startups knew their customer on a deeper level than their larger, international counterparts. No amount of organisational infrastructure, resourcing, or capital can replace the value of deep insight into local markets. Hyperlocalisation is one of the best competitive advantages.

Also Read: 3 steps to starting a business in Web3

While one of the biggest draws of Web3 is the immediate global audience that provides international liquidity, NFT projects that succeed are the ones that consider the intricacies of cultural nuances. The closest I’ve seen explored are the language-specific subchannels in Discord servers, in-city meetups, and content optimised for specific cultures or time zones.

Azuki’s ‘Proof of Skate’ auction, raising over $2.5 million for eight gold-plated skateboards, is a testament to how strong communities can band together, despite bearish market conditions. Apart from this event being one of the best-in-class marketing events in the quarter, Azuki holders are often found collaborating and meeting in real life.

Network effects

Not to be confused with virality, this refers to the value creation generated as more and more users start to adopt a company’s products or services. NFT projects often resemble one-sided markets in their infancy stage. As more holders get onboarded, we see enriched experiences through more content and diverse applications. It’s all about the vibrant community.

In 2016, Pokémon Go took a mere 19 days to reach 50 million users. This was significant because it took Whatsapp one year to do so, Facebook, three years. However meaningful the Pokémon Go experience was, fast forward to 2022, and it seems all but a distant memory where users would run around the neighbourhood, trying to catch a Bellsprout.

A great study for NFT projects looking to embed virality in their product or service (more meaningful than promised Airdrops). Retention is baked into game economics with features like the Lure Module. When Lures are placed in a geo-mapped place, it brings all players in the area (with more chances of catching Pokémon. More Pokémon in a place means more foot traffic users want to visit to gain rewards.

NFT Projects, now starting to think about phygital application, should be investing in similar strategies to create supply and demand. Real-life meetups to get exclusive Airdrops, treasure hunts to unlock rewards, and community-led hack-a-thons with prize money sponsored by the team. Possibilities (and examples) are plenty.

Web3 founders must balance many balls, from whitelisting partnerships to managing hype post-launch. Investing earlier into building defensibility will prove to be of long-term value, especially when retaining community loyalists. Get the fundamentals right, floor price will follow.

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Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing views from the community. Share your opinion by submitting an article, video, podcast, or infographic

Join our e27 Telegram group, FB community, or like the e27 Facebook page

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In 2020, the average commute time in Singapore was 46 minutes. Commuters brave crowds, traffic congestion, and bad weather to get from point A to point B, and all these can add stress and pressure that affect creativity and productivity.

Singapore is one of the few countries worldwide that have made commuting efficient. Now, they’re also aiming to make it meaningful, enjoyable, and valuable.

The Singapore Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) is a source of national pride. It reflects the nation’s arduous journey from being a third-world to a first-world country where citizens are provided with a convenient and efficient way to travel. Since the first line opened in 1987, the MRT has spanned more than 200 kilometres, while five MRT lines host more than 130 stations throughout the island.

The MRT system is a significant part of Singapore’s daily life. At least two million people use it to go to work, school, or any destination daily, with foot traffic accounting for more than half of the national population.

Creating better experiences with innovative touch points for commuters

Over the years, the public transport system has kept up with the rising and changing demands of commuters and the technological world. Providing a positive commuting experience at the heart of its innovation pursuits, SMRT now aims to ensure that passengers get more out of every commuting touch point.

Passenger information services, signages, consumer amenities, retail shops, and advertising spaces keep the commuters engaged and informed. In addition, stations are filled with shops, booth activations, and activities to make travelling more exciting and fun. An efficient system also improves commuters’ health and well-being as an accessible mode of transportation reduces the stress of travelling.

Stellar Lifestyle, the business arm of SMRT Corporation Ltd, is a leading player responsible for countless enhancements to the country’s transport system. It is the largest managing agent of retail and advertising spaces in the country’s rail network, handling over 600 retail areas in the North-South Line, East-West Line, Circle Line, Thomson-East-Coast Line, LRT, and bus interchanges. It’s also known for operating Kallang Wave Mall, a 40,000-square-metre home to retail and food spots that cater to customers’ lifestyles.

Also read: 25 years in Singapore: This industry veteran discusses innovation

Integration is Stellar Lifestyle’s key driver in creating lively transit destinations. One of its top engagement solutions is Stellar Ace’s Omnichannel Architects, which receives 35 million audiences through its daily touchpoint ecosystem, featuring a range of activities that include home, travel, food, shopping, and play. It also aims to maximise different parts of the customer journey through advertising that supports retailers, engaging customers throughout the whole sale process.

Also under Stellar Ace is the engagement platform WINK+ that rewards users with points per active engagement with WINK+ activities such as the WINKmets campaign known for its digital avatar influencers that will call for content generation anchored in the latest trends and happenings on the island to mark Singapore’s 57th National Day.

Singapore’s MRT system is no longer just a train network; it has become a landmark. With vibrant transit spaces designed for interactive commuter experience, taking the train is meant to be more of an enjoyable trip than a tedious chore.

Hive by Stellar Lifestyle: The Queen Bee in innovation

With numerous initiatives to engage commuters, Stellar Lifestyle aims to maximise the MRT network’s potential for growth and innovation. It is expanding its reach from daily commuters to Singaporean small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with a key project called Hive by Stellar Lifestyle, at Esplanade MRT.

Poised to become the Queen Bee in retail innovation, Hive by Stellar Lifestyle is a new living lab meant to support local SMEs with digital business transformation programmes by connecting people and places with the help of its curated network of transformational brands. It will find its home within the MRT network and house innovative and ambitious entrepreneurs who want to try different ventures.

Stellar Lifestyle innovation programmes: Partnering with trailblazers

With ambitious projects, Stellar Lifestyle hopes to take the MRT experience to the next level by partnering with innovators that develop modern infrastructure and produce never-been-done experiences.

Noyes Technologies, a Munich-based company with the goal of simplifying small warehouse automation, is one of Stellar Lifestyle’s partners. Its automated storage system, NoyesStorage, could allow businesses and commuters to pick up goods on the way, providing convenience and relieving their stress. “In a world that is constantly accelerating and where everything has to go faster, it is important to reduce the stress in everyday life for everyone,” a Noyes Technologies executive said.

Also read: Investments in startups grew by more than 45% per annum in 2021

Another partner is 1cool, a company providing sustainable cooling solutions to problems caused by normal air conditioners. When talking about the partnership, a 1cool representative shared that the company is “collaborating with SMRT to develop cooling solutions to solve Stellar Lifestyle’s problems and transform unused spaces into revenue.” Stellar Lifestyle teamed up with 1cool to deploy DewCoolers, a standalone device that can be used in place of air conditioners, to give commuters a relaxing and pleasant alfresco dining experience.

Speaking of dining experiences, Singrow will also be instrumental in Stellar Lifestyle’s goal of enhancing commuters’ health and well-being with its agricultural technology that helps farmers grow flavourful climate-agnostic crops. Its Blooom Fruit, a concept by Singrow, Juice, and Smoothie bar, which will highlight the world’s first tropical-resilient strawberries, will grace train stations to promote food security and resilience and offer commuters healthy choices. “We want commuters — as consumers — to be actively involved with their purchase choices to help build Singapore’s “30 by 30” food resilience ecosystem,” a representative from Singrow said in an interview.

Commuters are not the only ones benefitting from Stellar Lifestyle’s initiatives. Food and retail businesses can get Waffle Technologies Pte Ltd’s support through a POS-driven CRM system. Using the technology will give merchants valuable insights about their customers’ preferences or which stations they frequent, allowing them to personalise their marketing and services.

When asked about working with Stellar Lifestyle, a Waffle Technologies’ executive highlighted the partnership’s benefits. “By understanding commuter’s behaviours, Stellar Lifestyle will be able to achieve a better tenant mix to improve every commuter’s experience, and run relevant personalised campaigns for them — which not only brings an awesome customer experience for commuters but also more business to their tenants!” the representative said.

Also read: Journey to the top: From developer to CEO

When it comes to safety, Teredo Analytics will work with Stellar Lifestyle through its expertise in acoustics, Internet-of-Things, and Artificial Intelligence. According to a Teredo Analytics representative, the partnership allowed the company to garner “valuable advice and guidance offered by Stellar Lifestyle’s team, which has enabled us to better fine-tune and tailor our product to suit the customer’s needs.” For example, its lift monitoring solution has a predictive capability to lower the risk of a sudden lift failure within the train station, ensuring safety and comfort for passengers, especially those with mobility issues.

Safety is also Reachbots Automation’s focus as it lends Stellar Lifestyle its modular mobile robots that can reach hard-to-access confined spaces. The robots inspect inaccessible areas while an operator monitors the progress from a safe location.

With these robots, Stellar Lifestyle can regularly check and maintain critical safety in the built environment facilities. A Reachbots Automation executive lauded the partnership, saying “the resources and domain knowledge that Stellar Lifestyle has provided me with has certainly allowed us to develop and refine our robot design for a wider range of confined environments.”

All aspects of commuting get the attention they deserve to keep a well-oiled transport system for commuters and tenants. But it does not stop here, as Stellar Lifestyle wants to do more for Singapore startups.

Stellar Lifestyle’s Innovation Programme: Tapping startups’ potential

To help its business partners achieve their goals, Stellar Lifestyle partnered with Enterprise Singapore. The joint funding partnership aims to support startup innovation within the MRT network, bolstering the entrepreneurial ecosystem with innovative technologies and solutions to contribute to the growth of the Stellar Lifestyle’s business partners. These solutions range from finding ways for MRT tenants to lower operational costs, improve profitability, enhance customer data analytics, and implement sustainable practices.

“We are delighted to partner Enterprise Singapore, as our shared belief in a practical innovation approach will help startups conceptualise, prototype, and develop their solutions. We will also validate these solutions in a real-world environment through our living lab ‘Hive by Stellar Lifestyle’ located at Esplanade MRT Station,” shared Tony Heng, President and Stellar Lifestyle.

Reimagining the transit experience

The exciting projects in the pipeline reiterate the importance of smart solutions to engage with MRT commuters and set an innovative commuter lifestyle. When the rail network circulates efficiently in a vibrant and healthy environment, the commuters will enjoy quality transit that is empowering, engaging, and enjoyable — all while keeping them on the go.

For more information, visit www.stellarlifestyle.com.sg and www.hivebystellarlifestyle.com!

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