A boost in sustainability

• 500-backed electric motorbike startup Ion Mobility announced it has raised US$6.8 million in a seed funding round co-led by Quest Ventures and TNB Aura.
• According to founder and CEO James Chan, the funds will be used to accelerate manufacturing and operations in Singapore and Indonesia.
• The startup also shared that it is commissioning a 1,175 square meter EV motorbike and battery pack assembly in Singapore. It also intends to expand its EV motorbike assembly operations into Jakarta in 2022.
• The team will be unveiling its inaugural EV motorbike by the end of this year,and to launch and deliver it to Indonesian customers next year.
• Read the full article on DealStreetAsia here. A subscription may be required.

Flying to the top

• 500-backed drone startup Aerodyne has emerged at the top of a list of top 40 drone service providers globally This is the first time the startup has clinched the top spot, coming second in 2020 and third in 2019.
• According to Vulcan Post, Aerodyne’s growth strategy has yielded massive and rapid growth over the past 7 or so years. For example, in entering the US market, the startup formed a new business entity, Aerodyne Measure Inc, after acquiring a 60% stake in Measure UAS Inc.
• In Malaysia where Aerodyne is based, it was selected to test drone solutions at palm oil plantations. So far, it has provided support to farmers with precision agriculture to increase crop yields and profitability.
• The use of drones and robotics in agriculture could potentially reduce up to 50% in the labor force, generating up to 30% in productivity improvement.
• Read the full article on Vulcan Post here.

Safety in sustainability

• The Ottawan accessibility community in Canada has welcomed 500-backed startup Neuron Mobility’s trial of its Audio Vehicle Alert System. It is an always-on ‘warning noise’ on its e-scooters to help alert pedestrians, particularly those with vision loss, that an e-scooter is approaching.
• The startup also recently introduced Braille identifiers and raised lettering on their e-scooters to help members of the vision loss community identify e-scooters and report unsafe parking.
• Other safety features and initiatives that the startup has rolled out include Braille identifiers as well as a bilingual Voice Guidance audio feature on the e-scooter that provides safety instructions.
• According to the startup, it prioritizes user education. The startup regularly runs safety events and recently launched an in-app rider safety school with a quiz that has been completed by hundreds of riders to date.
• Read the full story on Yahoo! Finance here.