Launching into a new era

• A ‘supergroup’ comprising eight Australian-owned space and defence companies, including 500-backed rocket startup Gilmour Space, has been formed. This new alliance is aimed at boosting the country’s sovereign space capabilities.   
• ADISCA, or the Australian Defence Industry Space Capability Alliance, will lead the development of sovereign space capabilities to serve and protect national interests.
• The collective capabilities of the supergroup’s members offer a broad range of expertise for key space-related defence projects.
• “We are key contributors to the advancement of the Australian Civil Space Sector Strategy which aims to triple the size of the sector to $12 billion and create an additional 20,000 jobs over the next decade,” said the ADISCA spokesperson.
• Read the full announcement here.

Uplifting by upskilling

• In conjunction with International Women’s Day, 500-backed e-florist and gifting startup BloomThis collaborated with non-governmental organization, WOMEN:girls, to launch ‘Job For Community’, a three-month apprenticeship program.
• The initiative targets women from the B40 community (bottom 40% in household income) in Malaysia with the goal of not only providing job opportunities, but also increasing the future employability of participants.
• They will receive hands-on training to learn the skills required in the florist industry. By the end of the program, at least 20 participants will be given the opportunity to become one of BloomThis’ fixed-term contract employees.
• “BloomThis is devoted to improving the lives of those in need, and we want to encourage them to achieve a better social and economic status through upskilling efforts,” BloomThis co-founder and managing director, Penny Choo said.
• Read the full story in Tatler.

Building better with technology

• 500-backed MHub is bringing innovation to real estate. The proptech startup signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sarawak Housing and Real Estate Developer’s Association (SHEDA) to drive the industry forward with the use of technology.
• The alliance will jointly work to develop a technology-driven ecosystem across the property transaction and construction value chain. Ultimately, SHEDA believes that purchasers will benefit from the elevated standard of building construction.
• MHub co-founder and CEO Wee Siong Quek hopes to bring efficiency, accountability, and transparency to the construction industry in Sarawak.
• He added that the startup can help to groom local talents in the area of coding and blockchain technology, in line with the state government’s vision in its digital economy strategy.
• Read the full statement here.