Announcing Partners and Esteemed Panel of Judges for Upcoming TECH PLANTER Singapore 2026 Demo Day

Singapore — Leave a Nest Singapore is proud to announce the official partners and distinguished panel of judges for the upcoming TECH PLANTER Singapore 2026 Demo Day, scheduled to take place on 23 May 2026 at the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT).

As one of Southeast Asia’s leading deep-tech acceleration platforms, TECH PLANTER Singapore continues its mission to empower researchers, startups, and innovators who are committed to solving deep societal issues through science and technology. The 2026 edition will bring together visionary entrepreneurs, industry leaders, investors, researchers, and ecosystem builders from Singapore, Japan, and across the region to foster meaningful collaborations and drive technological advancement.

This year’s Demo Day is made possible through the support of a strong network of local and global partners that share the vision of nurturing impactful deep-tech innovation and strengthening the region’s innovation ecosystem.

TECH PLANTER Singapore 2026 proudly welcomes the following organisations as partners for this year’s programme:

Global Partners

• TAISEI Corporation
• Glocalink
• Glico

Local Partners

• Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT)
• UCA
• ST Engineering Ventures
• Enterprise Singapore
• SGInnovate

These partnerships reflect the growing commitment from both Singaporean and international organisations to support emerging technologies, entrepreneurship, and cross-border innovation ecosystems across Southeast Asia and beyond.

Distinguished Panel of Judges

TECH PLANTER Singapore 2026 will feature an accomplished panel of judges comprising experts from academia, industry, venture capital, and innovation organisations across Singapore and Japan.

Mr. Shohei Michael Maekawa Managing Director, Leave a Nest Singapore

Born in the United States, raised in Italy, and educated in the United Kingdom, Shohei Michael Maekawa studied Zoology and Evolutionary Anthropology at UCL. Since joining Leave a Nest in 2013, he has supported deep-tech researchers and startups globally through TECH PLANTER, leading cross-border collaborations and ecosystem development across Asia and Europe. He currently serves as Managing Director of Leave a Nest Singapore, while also overseeing collaborations between Europe and Asia as Director of Leave a Nest UK.

Dr. Ichiro Nagashima CTO, TAISEI Corporation	Mr. Nagashima specialises in structural engineering, with expertise in seismic isolation, active and semi-active control systems, disaster prevention, and ZEB technologies. He contributed to the development of Japan’s first seismic isolation system using sliding bearings and has received numerous prestigious accolades, including the Architectural Institute of Japan Prizes and the MEXT Science and Technology Award. Beyond his professional achievements, Mr. Nagashima is also a distinguished croquet player, having won the Japan Open Croquet Singles Championship multiple times and represented Japan at the World Croquet Championships in the USA and France.
Ms. Shiori Yamashita Catalyzer, Glocalink Inc.	As a business development professional, Shiori explores consumer insights, develops new business hypotheses, and drives commercialization initiatives. At D-0, she connects technology seeds with social challenges and consumer needs. Drawing on overseas TECH PLANTER experience, she evaluates teams through novelty, feasibility, and potential world impact.
Mr Norio Asahara Regional R&D Director, Ezaki Glico Co.	Mr. Asahara is the Director of Research and Development at Glico Asia Pacific, where he leads new business initiatives across the region. Representing a company whose portfolio spans confectionery, ice cream, beverages, dairy, processed foods, and infant milk formula, he is seeking research partners and exploring opportunities for technical collaboration, investment, and ingredient sourcing to drive innovation and expand Glico’s presence in the Asia Pacific market.
Mr Henry Tao Executive Director, UntroD Capital Asia	Henry joined UntroD Capital Asia in 2023 and became a director in 2025. Currently leading investments across Southeast Asia, Japan, and global markets, his work focuses on supporting portfolio growth and advancing frontier technologies, including AI. Prior experience includes early- and growth-stage investments in industrial and agri-tech sectors, following roles at Bayer AG in Germany, the US, and Singapore. He has an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Mr. Rayner Ng Head, Design Factory, Singapore Institute of Technology	Rayner Ng is Head of Design Factory at SIT, the design-led innovation platform of the Singapore Institute of Technology. He is dedicated to bringing students, faculty, industry and community partners together to co-create solutions for real-world challenges.Through Design Factory at SIT, he leads initiatives in rapid prototyping, product development and innovation, drawing on his experience in engineering, technology commercialisation and industry collaboration.
Ms Charlotte Lee Director Startup Ecosystem and Community, Enterprise Singapore	Qiao Liang holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from the National University of Singapore, and began his career as an engineer at Micron Semiconductor Asia. He later transitioned into the public sector, joining the then SPRING Singapore, the current Enterprise Singapore. He contributed to initiatives supporting enterprise and ecosystem development in the Manufacturing, Logistics sectors, and the Innovation domain. Specifically, he was involved in the development and execution of industry plans, working closely with partners to grow enterprises, uplift sectors, and spur innovation-driven growth.
Mr. Aylwin Tan Chief Customer Solutions Officer, Capitaland	Mr Aylwin Tan is responsible for formulating and executing industry promotion and development strategies, as well as key customer engagement for CapitaLand. He is also the Chairman of AIRmaker, a co-innovation platform; Director of the Smart Urban Co-Innovation Lab, an industry platform that catalyzes smart cities solutions; and administers the CapitaLand Innovation Fund, a platform that promotes innovation culture and supports piloting of ideas within the Group.
Dr Jasmine Qiu Assistant Director, MedTech and BioTech, SG Innovate	Dr. Jasmine Qiu leads Medtech and Biotech Investments at SGInnovate, where she identifies and drives early-stage investments. An experienced venture builder, she also works closely with SGInnovate’s medtech and biotech portfolio companies to help them grow and scale, guiding them in areas such as commercialisation roadmap formulation and implementation, IP licensing negotiation, and product strategy.
Mr Malcolm Chua ST Engineering Ventures	Malcolm Chua is a corporate venture capital and innovation leader with over 20 years of experience in deep tech investment, startup incubation, and digital transformation across Asia, Israel, and China. He currently heads the Israel and China offices of ST Engineering Ventures, investing from a US$150M fund across AI/ML, robotics, cybersecurity, and green tech. He has previously held senior roles at Sumitomo Corporation, A*STAR, and ST Engineering’s Innosparks. Malcolm holds a CFA charter and a First Class Honours MEng from Imperial College London.

Together, the judges bring extensive expertise in biotechnology, digital innovation, energy systems, venture investment, food technology, corporate innovation, and cross-border business development. Their insights and mentorship will play an important role in identifying and supporting the next generation of deep-tech innovators in Singapore.