SEEDS Capital catalyses smart investments into innovative Singapore-based early-stage tech startups, through working with co-investment partners.

1Derlife Growth and SEEDS Capital’s capital splash into an automated electric vehicles provider in Singapore follows investment from Momentum and Yinson, to bolster MooVita on its journey to speed up the rollout of the company’s driverless solutions in Singapore, Malaysia and beyond. Yinson’s signed a term sheet with GreenTech Malaysia Alliances Sdn. Bhd. to accelerate the development of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in Malaysia to accelerate Malaysia’s transition to a more environmentally sustainable transport network.

MooVita has pioneered the development of driverless software solutions deployable worldwide. With the vision to revolutionise urban transportation in an era defined by electrification and automation, its component-based software is a cost-effective solution designed to convert regular cars into self-driving vehicles for applications such as first/last-mile transportation, logistic transportation and utility solutions. Established in 2016 with headquarters in Singapore and offices in Malaysia and India, MooVita plans to bring its products to Europe while expanding and strengthening its footprint in Asia-Pacific. Gregory Lee, Principal of 1Derlife Growth, said:

“1Derlife Growth is excited to join MooVita’s journey. The electric and autonomous vehicle market has enormous potential. Current estimates suggest the industry will grow at a CAGR of 22% hitting US$60bn in 2028. However, I believe it will be much faster than this, thanks to a large and growing consumer and enterprise market. MooVita has demonstrated its strategic position in these two fast-growing segments, and we are sure they will play a pivotal role expanding EV growth in Singapore, Malaysia and beyond.”

Driven by Singapore’s push to automatise the public transportation system and accelerate towards a low-carbon future has granted the homegrown EV makers a first-mover advantage. As a result, MooVita is in a prime position in the global race to expedite the world’s goals of creating clean, safe and efficient urban transit networks. Leveraging its green and environmentally friendly technologies to unlock EV and AV vehicles possibilities in urban settings, MooVita has demonstrated its vast market potential and is on track to become one of the leaders in the global EV and AV tech space.

In an infographic published on Blue Origin’s website and seen on Wednesday, the company called SpaceX using Starship to transport NASA astronauts to the lunar surface an “immensely complex & high risk” approach. Blue Origin is referring to a criticism that NASA officials made in evaluating Starship for the lunar lander program. Blue Origin wrote:

“There are an unprecedented number of technologies, developments, and operations that have never been done before for Starship to land on the Moon.”

Last Friday, the U.S. Government Accountability Office denied Blue Origin’s protest of NASA awarding SpaceX with a $2.9 billion contract under the Human Landing System program. In three one-page documents, Blue Origin decried NASA’s decision as “wrong for America’s leadership in space” and repeated its prior critique that the space agency “ran an inconsistent and unfair competition” — even though the congressional watchdog ruled that NASA did not. Blue Origin added:

“NASA ran a flawed acquisition and ignored the significant risks of a one provider model.”

The company wants NASA to award a second contract under the original Human Landing System acquisition structure. While NASA has said it would offer future contracts under HLS through Lunar Exploration Transportation Services awards, those contracts are expected to be $45 million or less each.

Blue Origin’s infographic focused on comparison between its crewed lunar lander concept, which looks and operates more akin to previous U.S. landers, and SpaceX’s approach to using a moon-specific version of its Starship rocket.

Beyond criticizing Starship’s complexity, Blue Origin emphasized that SpaceX’s facility in Texas has “never conducted an orbital launch.” Yet Musk’s company has launched more than 100 successful orbital launches with its Falcon 9 rockets, and Bezos’ company has yet to reach orbit at all.

SpaceX is also in the midst of final preparations for Starship’s first orbital launch attempt, having completed a high-altitude launch and landing of a Starship prototype in May.

Blue Origin made additional technical comparisons, noting that SpaceX’s plan requires more than 10 Starship launches to land once on the moon and needs to be refueled in orbit, “a process that has also never been done before.”

Lastly, Blue Origin compared the height of the astronaut exit hatches. Starship’s exit is 126 feet off the ground, and conceptually uses an elevator to bring astronauts to the surface, while the Blue Origin lander is 32 feet off the ground and requires crew drop down a long ladder.

One comparison that Blue Origin did not make was in regard to cost. NASA cited cost as a major factor in its decision to only select one winner under the Human Landing System, due to Congress granting the agency a fraction of its requested budget for the program. SpaceX bid $2.9 billion, while Blue Origin was roughly double at $5.99 billion.