Deep Tech Breakthroughs: Terrasense Crowned as Grand Winner at TECH PLAN Demo Day in Malaysia 2026

CYBERJAYA, MALAYSIA, 16th May 2026, Innovation hub, Center of Garage Malaysia was buzzing with forward-thinking energy this weekend as Leave a Nest Malaysia hosted its 12th edition of the deep tech pitching platform, TECH PLAN Demo Day 2026. Out of 56 nationwide applicants, nine outstanding finalists took the stage to pitch high-stakes solutions to some of the world's most pressing industrial, environmental, and medical challenges, with Terrasense ultimately taking home the evening's top honor.

A Network Built on Shared Vision

More than just a competition, the event served as a major convergence point for cross-border industry growth. This year's ecosystem was supercharged by local giants: Ajinomoto Malaysia Berhad, the Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC), the Selangor Information Technology & Digital Economy Corporation (SIDEC), and Malaysia Debt Ventures Berhad (MDV), alongside global champions JT Inc., UntroD Capital Asia Pte. Ltd., and Ezaki Glico Co. Keep-it-moving hospitality was provided by strategic partner Koppiku Sdn. Bhd., who kept energy levels high with premium coffee.

From Concepts to Reality: Pitch Highlights

The main arena saw rigorous, high-level presentations from a diverse finalist lineup: Innoveam Sdn Bhd, ALT Synergy Sdn Bhd, Terrasense, Materials In Works, Rich Tree Consultancy Sdn Bhd, Waste2watt, Engkala BioInnovators, GohLab, and TML Lab Sdn Bhd. Adding to the competitive spirit, five hand-picked Lightning Talk teams (Einstronic Enterprise Sdn Bhd, Reclimate Sdn Bhd, Microbiome Sdn Bhd, Pretech Global Sdn Bhd, and Enygma Technologies Sdn Bhd) pitched bold, early-stage ideas backed by corporate interest. Between the pitches, attendees explored interactive tech exhibitions and gained strategic insights from corporate sharing delivered by Ajinomoto, SDEC, SIDEC, and UntroD Capital Asia Pte. Ltd..

The 2026 Honor Roll: Celebrating the Winners

The judging panel faced tough decisions, ultimately rewarding the teams demonstrating the highest commercial viability and societal impact:

The Grand Winner Award | Terrasense

• The Innovation: Optical-based ground monitoring systems.
• The Reward: RM7,000 and a ticket to present at the TECH PLANTER Asia Finals 2026.
• Why they won: The judges praised the solution's immediate practicality, noting its potential to scale seamlessly from local infrastructure safety to global industrial applications.

[Photo: Terrasense celebrates their Grand Winner milestone alongside the 2026 judging panel.]

Leave a Nest Award | ALT Synergy Sdn Bhd

• The Innovation: Product Lifecycle Platform for Regulated Products, solving cross-border regulatory fragmentation.
• The Reward: a ticket to present at the TECH PLANTER Asia Finals 2026.
• Why they won: Recognized for systematically dismantling the complex, fragmented compliance barriers that stifle international trade.

[Photo: ALT Synergy accepts the Leave a Nest Award for their compliance-tech innovation.]

Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC) Award | ALT Synergy Sdn Bhd

• The Innovation: Product Lifecycle Platform for Regulated Products, solving cross-border regulatory fragmentation.
• The Reward: RM4,000.
• Why they won: Handpicked by SDEC for a robust architecture capable of strengthening supply chain logistics within Sarawak’s growing digital economy.

[Photo: SDEC representatives present honors to ALT Synergy.]

Ajinomoto Malaysia Berhad Award | Engkala BioInnovators

• The Innovation: Innovative Engkala Functional Drink Platform for Wellness and Hydration
• The Reward: RM4,000.
• Why they won: Honored for bridging indigenous natural ingredients with modern biotech, signaling high potential for future food security collaborations.

[Photo: Ajinomoto Malaysia representatives present honors to Engkala BioInnovators.]

UntroD Capital Asia Award | TML Lab Sdn. Bhd.

• The Innovation: Next-Gen Sequencing (NGS) for localized gut microbiome profiling.
• The Reward: RM4,000.
• Why they won: Selected for its strong scalability and localized healthcare data insights that can easily integrate into broader regional wellness ecosystems.

[Photo: TML Lab team receives the UntroD Capital Asia Award for healthcare technology.]

JT Award | GohLab

• The Innovation: GlutenDeTox – Tackling global gluten sensitivity
• The Reward: RM4,000.
• Why they won: Noted for its profound health implications and direct synergy with the Japanese consumer market through future potential partnerships with JT Inc.

[Photo: Dr. Goh Hoe Han from GohLab accepts the JT Award.]

Special Award | Terrasense

• The Reward: Official Admission & Exhibition passes for the Energy Transition Conference 2026.
• Why they won: Sweeping a second prize, their ground monitoring tech was lauded for a highly cost-effective, realistic deployment strategy.

[Photo: Mr. Muhammd Najmi from Terrasense accepting awards from one of the judges, Ts. Dr. Hassan Mohamed.]

Futaba Denki Award (Surprise Recognition*) | Innoveam Sdn. Bhd.

• The Innovation: Collaveo is a modular 3D DataOps platform that turns fragmented industrial data into shared operational understanding for faster, safer decisions in asset-heavy and complex environments.
• The Reward: RM4,000.
• Why they won: Awarded for bravely tackling the notoriously complex data silos inherent in heavy factory automation.

 

[Photo: Innoveam team receives the Futaba Denki Award.]

*The award was created and decided right on the spot during the event.

Next Stop: The Regional Stage

While TECH PLAN Demo Day in Malaysia 2026 has concluded, the journey for Malaysia’s top deep tech pioneers is just beginning. Leave a Nest Malaysia extends its deepest thanks to the visionary judges, partners, and innovators who came together to prove that science and technology are our best tools for global progress.

The momentum now shifts to the TECH PLANTER Asia Final 2026, scheduled for August 27, 2026, at MRANTI Park, Kuala Lumpur. There, Malaysia's finest will go head-to-head with the absolute best tech talent from across Asia and Japan.

Discover more about the teams and track their progress at: https://en.techplanter.com

Contact: 

Dr. Izwan ([email protected]), or Ms. Mahirah ([email protected])

Leave a Nest Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.