Leave a Nest and Malaysian Deep Tech Startup ADA Biotech Form Research Capital Alliance ~ Strengthening R&D and Market Expansion into Japan to realise a Circular Economy ~
Leave a Nest Co., Ltd. (Tokyo Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director & Group CEO: Yukihiro Maru; hereafter “Leave a Nest”) formed a Research Capital Alliance with Malaysian circular economy startup, ADA Biotech Sdn. Bhd. (Headquarters: Butterworth, Penang, Malaysia; Co-founder & Chairman: Tan Yeow Chuan; hereafter “ADA Biotech”). A signing ceremony to commemorate the partnership was held on October 15, 2024.
Since 2023, Leave a Nest has been working on a new form of investments into deep tech startups called “Research Capital Alliance”. While common investments are generally initiated to realise business synergies, Research Capital Alliances aim to generate synergies between the startup and the R&D capabilities of Leave a Nest Group, to accelerate the social implementation of technologies of starting from R&D to commercialization. This investment in ADA Biotech is the second case of such research capital alliance, following the investment in Philippine education startup Wela Online (※1).
ADA Biotech aims to solve the problem of plastic waste by developing products such as the 100% biodegradable “ADA Straw,” cutlery, and pet urine litter products using agricultural waste such as industry discards from the processing of rice and coffee beans. ADA Straw has already partnered with the emerging Malaysian coffee chain “ZUS Coffee,” having presence in over 566 stores in Malaysia and 52 stores in the Philippines.
Leave a Nest's first contact with ADA Biotech was in November 2023 through the Global Market Fit Program, a Japan market access program initiated by MRANTI, a Malaysian government agency under the Ministry of Science and Technology (※2). Through this program, Leave a Nest provided the mentoring and facilitation of corporate partnerships in Japan, and since then ADA Biotech expanding into Japanese market with the support from Leave a Nest.
From left: Mr. Akmal Amir, CEO of ADA Biotech Sdn. Bhd., Mr. Tan Yeow Chuan, Chairman of ADA Biotech Sdn. Bhd.,
Mr. Yukihiro Maru, Group CEO of Leave a Nest Co., Ltd., and Ms. Iiman Zulkifli of Leave a Nest Capital Co., Ltd
In addition to the investment into ADA Biotech by Leave a Nest Capital, a subsidiary of Leave a Nest (※3), a strategic partnership was signed between ADA Biotech and Leave a Nest to initiate this research capital alliance. This marks Leave a Nest Group and ADA Biotech’s commitment to collaborate in pursuing R&D such as improving the water resistance of ADA Straws as well as the product development of other product lines and commercialisation into Japan. Through this research capital alliance, Leave a Nest will utilize its technology platform and R&D capabilities to realize a world free of plastic waste issues with ADA Biotech.
Leave a Nest Group will continue to engage in new alliances that exchange not only capital but also knowledge, further accelerating the knowledge manufacturing efforts for the advancement of science and technology for global happiness.
■Related Links
※1 [Philippine Education Venture Wela Online and Leave a Nest Co., Ltd. Implement Research Capital Alliance: Accelerating Knowledge Production in Education in Southeast Asia and Japan]
https://lne.st/2023/06/05/rcp/
※2 [Leave a Nest and MRANTI Foster Cross-Border Collaboration with Global Market Fit Programme (GMP) Japan]
https://global.lne.st/news/my/2023/11/22/gmpjapan_validationtrip/
※3 [Leave a Nest Capital Invests in ADA Biotech]
https://www.lnest.capital/en/release/leave-a-nest-capital-invests-in-ada-biotech/
◼︎Media Links
UtusanTV：https://utusantv.com/2024/10/17/ada-biotech-ubah-sisa-makanan-jadi-penyedut-minuman-terbiodegradasi-meterai-mou-guna-teknologi-jepun/
NNA ASIA：https://www.nna.jp/news/2717247
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Leave a Nest
Manufacturing Development Division: Sakurai
TEL : 03-5227-4198 MAIL : info “at” lne.st