Leave a Nest and IGNYSIA Invest in Philippine EV Charging Startup CHRG
From left to right: Representatives of Leave a Nest, CHRG, and IGNYSIA during the Strategic Investment and Partnership Ceremony at UP Diliman on September, 2026
Building New Business Through Philippine Technology and Japan–Philippines Co-Creation
September 26, 2026
Leave a Nest Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan; Group CEO: Dr. Yukihiro Maru; hereafter “Leave a Nest”) and IGNYSIA Co., Ltd. (formerly Yamada Shokai Holding Co., Ltd.; Group CEO: Toyohisa Yamada; hereafter “IGNYSIA”) have invested in CHRG Electric Vehicle Technologies Inc. (Quezon City, Philippines; Founder and CEO: Leo Allen Tayo; hereafter “CHRG”), a University of the Philippines Diliman spin-off developing locally designed electric vehicle charging technologies.
A commemorative investment ceremony was held on September 24, 2026, at the UPSCALE Innovation Hub in UP Diliman, bringing together CHRG, Leave a Nest, IGNYSIA, and members of the Philippine university and innovation ecosystem.
The investment demonstrates how Philippine technologies can become starting points for new business when local innovators are connected with the right industrial, investment, and international partners. For Leave a Nest Philippines, it also reflects its role in identifying promising technologies, understanding local needs through field engagement, and connecting them with organizations that can help create sustainable businesses.
From University Research to Business Creation
CHRG traces its roots to CharM® (Charging in Minutes), a DOST-supported research project developed at the UP Diliman Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute. What began as university research on faster EV charging grew into CHRG, established to commercialize locally developed charging technologies.
Leave a Nest PH and industry partners during an earlier engagement with CHRG in September 2022
Today, CHRG develops EV charging systems while strengthening local capabilities in design, installation, operation, and maintenance. This is increasingly relevant as e-tricycles and e-jeepneys expand in the Philippines, creating demand not only for chargers but also for maintenance, batteries, mobility services, and reliable local support.
The investment did not emerge from a single introduction. Leave a Nest continued engaging CHRG as its technology developed, creating opportunities for field visits, technology discussions, and introductions to industry partners. A major turning point came through Leave a Nest’s Philippine business exploration activities with IGNYSIA, which allowed the company to directly understand the local EV ecosystem and CHRG’s potential as an infrastructure partner.
Leave a Nest and IGNYSIA representatives during a Philippine EV infrastructure exploration visit in March 2026
IGNYSIA brings 120 years of infrastructure experience across areas including gas, water, and power, while CHRG contributes locally developed EV technology and implementation experience under Philippine conditions. Through this investment, CHRG, IGNYSIA, and Leave a Nest will explore EV charging infrastructure and related businesses in the Philippines and beyond.
The Philippines as a Field for Co-Creation
The CHRG story reflects a broader opportunity across Philippine universities, startups, industries, and communities, where technologies and unresolved issues can become the foundation of new businesses.
Leave a Nest Philippines works across these sectors to connect local technologies with companies, universities, investors, and ecosystem partners. Its role goes beyond introductions by helping partners understand local conditions, identify areas of mutual value, enter the field, and develop opportunities toward collaboration.
Leave a Nest Philippines welcomes partners interested in technology scouting, pilot projects, new market exploration, and business creation in the Philippines.
The next opportunity may already exist in a Philippine laboratory, startup, university, or community. Our role is to help find it, connect the right people, and move it toward society.