Daily Briefing: Construction of Jurong East Integrated Transport Hub to commence in Q2; OrderEZ lands $500,000 seed funding

And Robert Downey Jr’s venture fund invests in SG biotech startup RWDC.

From ChannelNewsAsia:

Construction of the Jurong East integrated transport hub is due to begin in the second quarter of this year, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said.

The works are slated to be completed in 2027.

“With its opening, commuters in the area can look forward to direct connectivity and more convenient transfers between the North-South and East-West Lines and the future Jurong Region Line at the Jurong East station,” LTA said.

LTA also announced the awarding of a $477.4m contract to China Communications Construction Company Limited (Singapore Branch) to design and build the integrated transport hub.

The company is already constructing Boon Lay station on the Jurong Region Line and will soon start work on the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link viaduct and tunnels.

Read more here.

From e27:

Singapore-based OrderEZ, which provides a business management platform for F&B suppliers and venues, announced today that it has raised over $500,000 (US$374,731) in a seed funding round from undisclosed investors.

The fresh funds will be used to consolidate its operations locally as well as expand its solution to Australia and New Zealand.

“With our recent funding, our immediate goal is to expand our presence in Singapore and grow into Australia, helping more suppliers and venues minimise human error, grow their revenue, and use data to add value to whoever, wherever they are in the supply chain,” said co-founder Jeffrey Meese.

Founded in 2019, OrderEZ enables suppliers and outlets to centralise critical business processes related to their F&B business.

Its key services include tracking of sales, deal pipelines and ROI, along with bookkeeping, inventory management, automated order tracking, and a driver app to capture delivery data.

Read more here.

From DealStreetAsia:

FootPrint Coalition Ventures, a venture fund launched by Hollywood actor Robert Downey Jr, has invested in Singapore and US-based biotech firm RWDC Industries.

The actor, best known for his role as "Iron Man" in a series of Marvel’s movies, launched FootPrint Coalition Ventures on 28 January to focus on investments in sustainable technologies to address concerns such as deforestation and microplastics.

RWDC Industries makes PHA (or polyhydroxylalkanoate), a bio-based alternative to plastic, created by feeding used cooking oil to microbes. RWDC’s PHA—Solon—is certified by TÜV Austria to be fully biodegradable in soil, water and marine conditions.

Footprint Coalition Ventures plans to invest in early and sometimes late-stage companies alongside top institutional partners, according to its website.

Read more here.