SEA Deep Tech Venture of the Year 2025 Winners Announced: Revolutionizing Industries Across Southeast Asia
Leave a Nest is proud to announce the winners of the SEA Deep Tech Venture of the Year 2025 award which recognizes innovative startups using advanced technologies to solve global challenges and drive meaningful impact to society. This year, four groundbreaking startups – Qarbotech from Malaysia, Alternō from Vietnam, AniTech from the Philippines, and Hydroleap from Singapore were selected as the winner for this prestigious award. These trailblazers are redefining the future of sustainability, agriculture, and environmental technology, making a profound impact on industries across Southeast Asia and beyond.
Qarbotech, based in Malaysia, is transforming agriculture with its revolutionary QarboGrow™ nanotechnology. Using nanocarbon materials derived from agricultural waste, this photosynthesis enhancer boosts crop yields by up to 60% while reducing dependency on chemical fertilizers. Qarbotech first joined Leave a Nest’s ecosystem in 2021 where they were crowned as the Grandwinner of Tech Planter Malaysia and then became the first winner of Tech Planter Asia Final 2022 representing Malaysia. Qarbotech also received the first seed investment from 144 Ventures (Previously known as Glocalink Singapore) in 2021 which led them to start the first site trial of their product. Since then, Qarbotech grew to become one of the prominent startup companies that received multiple prestigious awards and strong backers from notable Venture Capitals in the region. With this award, Leave a Nest hopes to further support Qarbotech to solve more agriculture issues in the region and globally.
Alternō leads the charge in clean energy innovation with its pioneering sand battery technology. As Vietnam’s first provider of thermal energy storage solutions, Alternō empowers industrial, agricultural, and residential sectors to reduce carbon emissions and energy costs. By integrating AI and IoT into its systems, Alternō’s sand batteries are setting new benchmarks for efficiency and scalability in the global clean energy transition. Alterno was the grand winner of Tech Planter in Vietnam 2023 and also became the first Vietnamese team to win Tech Planter Asia Final 2023. After that, they received investment support from Leave a Nest Group through 144 Ventures and just recently finalised the investment deal with Untrod Capital. Through this award, Leave a Nest hopes to further support Alterno to expand their market to more countries in the region, especially first to Malaysia. This partnership will bring more value to industries that require low cost and efficient technology to store energy thus helping to solve the energy crisis in the region.
AniTech from the Philippines is reshaping farm management with sensor and platform technologies. By optimizing operations across the agri-value chain, AniTech supports tech-enabled agriculture and envisions sustainable food production for Filipino farmers. Their journey from startup competitions to successful partnerships showcases their resilience and determination. When they first joined Tech Planter Philippines in 2021, they only had a demo sensor kit that was made in a small tupperware box. But with their strong passion to help improve the agriculture industry, they were crowned as the Grand Winner of Tech Planter Philippines 2021. From there, Leave a Nest provided further support to refine their products and expand their business which included a seed investment from Leave a Nest Capital back in 2023. With their commercialised ready products, they are ready to transform the Agriculture supply chain in the Philippines and the region. Through this award, Leave a Nest recognised their strong contributions and to further support their growth and expansion.
Hydroleap, Singapore’s deep-tech champion, specializes in eco-friendly water treatment solutions. Their chemical-free, electrical water treatment technology serves industries like manufacturing, oil & gas, and data centers, reducing water consumption and environmental impact. Hydroleap first joined and was crowned as the grand winner of Tech Planter Singapore 2021.They then secured the series-A investment from Untrod Capital in 2023 which aided them to further expand to additional Asia-Pacific markets like Australia, Japan and Indonesia. This Deep Tech Venture of the Year Award recognised Hydroleap’s efforts in solving most crucial issues related to water treatment not only in Singapore but throughout the region.
Through mentorship, funding, industry networking, and research collaborations, Leave a Nest has been instrumental in supporting these startups to overcome challenges, scale their technologies, and make transformative impacts. These ventures exemplify Southeast Asia’s growing influence in deep tech innovation, showcasing visionary leadership, transformative technologies, and a commitment to sustainability. Together, they inspire a future where technology and impact drive economic growth while addressing global challenges and shaping a sustainable future. Deep Tech Venture of the Year will continue to recognise and celebrate Deep Tech Ventures companies that have strong passion, unique innovations and deliver meaningful impact to the society.