Daily Briefing: Hackcelerator HyperHack to debut in Singapore; Spacetech startup Aliena raises $1.41m

And 25 NTUC FairPrice outlets will extend charging for plastic bags by a year.

From e27:

HyperHack, which describes itself ‘the world’s first global sustainability hackcelerator’, will kick off on 8 November with a 3-day hackathon in Singapore.

HackHack marks the start of the HyperX hackathon-to-accelerator programme, which brings together innovators and entrepreneurs from across the globe to drive sustainable solutions from ideation to realisation.

The programme has attracted over 150 innovators and aspiring startups, who will create products and services that address the UN Sustainable Development Goals. These can range from meeting the growing global demand for food and water without harming the environment, to addressing the specific needs of an ageing population.

The participants come from a diverse range of disciplines, ranging from data science, programming, design, marketing and business development.

Read more here.

From DealStreetAsia:

Space technology startup Aliena has raised $1.41m (A$1.5m) in a funding round backed by Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm 500 Startups.

Aliena co-founder and CEO Mark Lim told DealStreetAsia that the funding round was led by Cap Vista Private Ltd, the strategic venture investment arm of Singapore’s Defense Science and Technology Agency. Paspalis Innovation and Investment Fund also participated.

Aliena designs low power propulsion systems for satellites to perform advanced manoeuvres in space. This allows for more complex operations to be performed onboard smaller satellites, Lim said.

Read more here.

From CNA:

Shoppers will be charged for plastic bags at 25 NTUC FairPrice-owned outlets for a year, an extension of an earlier month-long trial, the retailer said.

Starting 11 November, plastic bags will be available at participating outlets at 20 cents per transaction at FairPrice supermarkets and 10 cents per transaction at FairPrice Xpress and Cheers convenience stores. The seven stores involved in the earlier trial are also part of the year-long trial.

Proceeds from the sale of plastic bags at the 25 outlets will go towards sponsorship of environmental and community causes.

From the consumer sentiment study conducted at the seven outlets during the month-long trial, 71.1 per cent of the 1,745 customers surveyed expressed support for a plastic bag charge at supermarkets, said NTUC FairPrice.

Read more here.