[20th Anniversary Project – 10] Leave a Nest Co., Ltd. Celebrated its 20th Anniversary on 14 June 2022 and Held a Party with over 360 Colleagues to Commemorate the Occasion

Leave a Nest Co., Ltd. celebrated its 20th anniversary on June 14, 2022. All of the executives and employees would like to express their sincere gratitude for your warm support and patronage.

On 14 June 2022, we held a commemorative party in two parts under the themes of “Marine: Setting Sail for the Future” (on the Tokyo Bay Cruising Restaurant Symphony Moderna) and “Station: Learning from History” (at Tokyo Station Hotel). Members of Leave a Nest Group, partner companies, investee ventures companies, school teachers, researchers, government agencies, etc. for a total of 360 participants gathered from around the world to discuss the projects for the next 10 years.

Marine

・Theme: Setting Sail for the Future – Toward 2032
・Place: Tokyo Bay Cruising Restaurant Symphony Moderna

Welcome Speech:  Dr. Yukihiro Maru
Representative Director and Group CEO
Leave a Nest Co., Ltd.

Dr. Maru, Group CEO and Representative Director, opened the event with his welcome speech in which he looked back on the transformation of the company since its establishment and spoke about the

 meaning of each of the 10-year milestones aboard the ship. Here is the content of his welcome speech.

“Since our founding, we have pursued our research to ‘Advance Science and Technology for Global Happiness’. The 15 graduate students who founded the company had no money or business experience at the time, and we started just as a limited liability company with 3.6 million yen in capital. Even though nine out of ten people would say: “I don’t get what you’re doing” or “Will this 

really work?”, we have continued increasing the number of children who love science and technology, believing that in order to make a contribution to the world we must not only invest money but also pass on our love of science and technology to the next generations. So, in the past 20 years, the company has conveyed to 200,000 children the passion for science and technology through its original science workshop business. In order to go global, we did not hesitate in changing our management structure, and in 2010 we started overseas expansion by establishing a joint representative system with Shuichiro Takahashi and launched subsidiaries in Singapore and other countries. In 2018, we expanded to a three-representative system with Joe Inoue, and in 2022 I became Group CEO to wave our banner globally over the next 10 years, while Takahashi and Inoue became Co-Presidents of Leave a Nest. They have expressed their commitment to further strengthen the management base in Japan, nurture venture companies from our country, allowing them to spread their wings to the world, and make every effort to create a new future for our children”.

“At Leave a Nest, we place the most importance on “with whom” we do what we do, following the motto ‘First Who, Then What’, as the title of the third chapter of Good to Great, an instruction manual on business administration from the same author of Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies. Together with those who share our philosophy and vision, we vow to drive the ship that is Leave a Nest, ensuring its continued voyage for another ten years.”

Congratulatory Speech: Mr. Shojiro Kobashi
President and Representative Director
Kobashi Holdings Co., Ltd.

Mr. Shojiro Kobashi, President and Representative Director of Kobashi Holdings Co., Ltd., made us realize that the power of small and medium-sized enterprises, which account for 99% of Japanese companies, and the resources of companies with more than 100 years of history are essential to realizing the philosophy of Leave a Nest. In his congratulatory speech, he said: “The root of Leave a Nest lies in Questions that strike at the essence and Passion of an order of magnitude. I am sure that Japan and the world will become a better place if Leave a Nest takes the lead and moves in the right direction. I am excited to be on this ship sailing into the future together with all of you on board”.

 

 

Congratulatory Speech: Mr. Kunio Yamada
Chairman and Representative Director
Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

Mr. Yamada started supporting us in 2014 when we launched the venture ecosystem Tech Planter and expanded our business from manufacturing to agriculture, biotechnology, and many other fields. He gave a congratulatory speech, saying: “I have been sympathizing with Leave a Nest from its beginning because of its idea that we cannot clear the way to the future unless we value science and technology, and its desire to pass on the love for science to the children who will lead the next era. It is impossible to predict what will happen 10 years from now, but I think we need to celebrate the achievement of the very unpredictable future that will begin here. I am happy to have been able to join you all at this wonderful event that is going to change Japan and the world”.

Toast Speech: Mr. Mitsuru Izumo
President and Representative Director
Euglena Co., Ltd.

Mr. Izumo offered a toast and conveyed his support by saying: “Ten years ago, I did not think that Leave a Nest would last long, but through the past 10 years so many people have joined and supported the company. It is destined to last for 144 years. I believe that Leave a Nest has worked very hard in the past 20 years, but in the next 10 years it will bring large flowers to bloom in Japan and Asia”.

 

 

 

 

Next 10 Years Vision

During the main presentation, Dr. Yukihiro Maru, Representative Director and Group CEO of Leave a Nest Co., Ltd., shared his vision for the next 10 years. His plan is to connect the world with Southeast Asia as the primary stage while focusing on entrepreneurship education. For the first time in three years, we were able to invite members of our overseas subsidiaries to Japan: a total of 22 members from Singapore, Malaysia, the UK, and the Philippines, where the subsidiary was established in 2021, gathered together. As all of them lined up on the stage, we reflected on the background of the establishment of each subsidiary with these young members sharing our entrepreneurial spirit. Dr. Yuko Ueno, General Manager of the Group Development Division of Leave a Nest Co., Ltd., shared the enthusiasm of the rapidly increasing global members and pledged to work with them to solve the issues and realize development in Southeast Asia.

 

 

 

Three partners of foreign government agencies in Japan who have provided tremendous cooperation in connecting Southeast Asia and Japan also took the stage to convey their messages of support.

From the first to the last:

Mr. Fabian Tan, Regional Group Director, Enterprise Singapore

 

 

 

 

Mr. Riduan Rahman, Regional Director (Japan, Republic of Korea, and Taiwan), The Malaysian Investment Development Authority

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ms. Rafaelita C. Castro, Director of Operations, The ASEAN-Japan Centre

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Afterward, Dr. Maru took the stage again and presented his second vision for the future: “Entrepreneurship Education”. Over the past 20 years, Leave a Nest has increased the number of children interested in science and technology through its science workshop. However, there is a lack of entrepreneurs that would bring science and technology to the world, and data shows that Japanese children are not familiar with the concept. Therefore, we have announced that we will introduce entrepreneurship education in 1,000 schools over the next 10 years. Mr. Sosei Saito, General Manager of the Education Development Division at Leave a Nest, welcomed 10 entrepreneurs in their 20s to the stage to promote this project together and emphasized the importance of having the will and attitude to continue creating new businesses and challenging deep issues in order to change the world. He declared that he and his fellow entrepreneurs will take the lead and light the way for the future of the next generation.

From left to right:

Mr. Takamasa Suchi, CEO of Zip Infrastructure Corporation
Mr. Shunya Chosokabe, CEO of FiberCraze Corporation
Mr. Yuki Ichikawa, CEO of HarvestX Corporation
Mr. Kei Isozumi, CEO of EvCare Inc.
Mr. Yoda Takakura, CEO of Innoqua Inc.
Mr. Shunsuke Tsuboi, CEO of Sagri Co., Ltd.
Mr. Yozan Takahashi, CEO of OUTSENSE Inc.
Mr. Seiya Ashikari, CEO of Ecologgie Inc.
Mr. Mizuhito Terashima, CEO of CuboRex Co., Ltd.
Mr. Yosuke Maeda, CEO of WOTA Corp.

 

Closing Speech

・Dr. Yukihiro Maru, Representative Director and Group CEO, Leave a Nest Co., Ltd.
・Mr. Kotaro Chiba, Co-founder/Managing Partner, DRONE FUND Co., Ltd.
・Mr. Akihiko Nagata, Chairman, Realtech Holdings Co., Ltd
・Mr. Masahiro Ikegami, Representative Director, Leave a Nest Capital Co., Ltd.

Closing remarks were made by DRONE FUND Co-founder and Managing Partner Mr. Kotaro Chiba, who has helped launch the fund as an ecosystem for entrepreneurs' development. He said: “I have devoted my entire life to not only investments in companies but also creating communities and nurturing entrepreneurs. I believe that if we combine IT startups, which have an explosive growth curve, with deep-tech communities, which dig deep into issues, we can bring about the fastest leading-edge way to solve global problems. I look forward to working with you to nurture and support gleaming startups that will take on the world's challenges in the next decade. Everyone on board today, let's join the forces of startups and large corporations to make this the best life possible”.

 

 

 

 

Station Section

・Theme: Learning from History, “Observe the Past to Understand the New”
・Place: The Tokyo Station Hotel

 

Welcome Speech: Mr. Joe Inoue
CKO, President and Representative Director
Leave a Nest Co., Ltd. 

Dr. Inoue gave opening remarks and talked about our goal of Creating a Venture Company That Will Last 144 Years and the mystery of the number 144. Dr. Inoue set forth that all of the board members have taken part in writing this book, which was published in December 2020. He greeted the participants by saying: “At Leave a Nest, we liken the growth of the company to the hands of a clock, with the startup, growth, transition, and renewal phases each lasting 12 years. Although our generation will provide leadership for the first 48 years, the next 48 years will be the time for the next generation. If this 48-year cycle is continued until our grandchildren's generation, in other words, three rotations, 144 years will have passed. We believe that only when we have succeeded to that point we can say that we made a  global contribution. We are in the process of completing a full circle of this clock, so the hands have passed the one o'clock mark after 12 years of operation. Now we are entering a period of growth, finally reaching the 20th year of the company, and in 4 years the hands of the clock will point to 2 o'clock. As we contemplate the next 144 years, we will spend these important four years growing together with you as we move toward our next milestone, which is our 24th anniversary. Together with the fellows here today, I hope to create many projects and build a venture company that will last for 144 years”.

 

Congratulatory Speech: Dr. Nobuo Hanai
Executive Director, Leave a Nest Capital Co., Ltd.

Nobuo Hanai, former Chairman of Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., Ltd., has been a long-time supporter of Leave a Nest since its establishment. We kept making enthusiastic offers to finally have him join Leave a Nest and finally welcomed him as an executive director of Leave a Nest Capital in 2020. Director Hanai too gave a speech to celebrate the event: “The founding members were still students when we met, and I had just founded my own antibody drug venture company in the United States, so they wanted to interview me for a book titled Koutai-Monogatari they were planning to publish. I had a slip of the tongue and ended up saying that their company would collapse in five years, but each year since then we have met, and it had grown, and I found myself becoming a member of Leave a Nest Group. When I joined the company, I realized that the laws of thermodynamics do not apply to Leave a Nest. The concept of human resource development was established, and development and training were steadily being performed internally. You have to go inside to see what is going on because, like entropy, wasted energy does not get out. Therefore, I launched Leave a Nest University to share with you the concept of science bridge communication that is being created inside Leave a Nest. I believe this company will continue to grow in the years to come”.

 

Toast Speech: Mr. Teruyuki Omote
Managing Executive Officer and Deputy General Manager of the Marketing Division
East Japan Railway Company

Mr. Omote offered a toast by enthusiastically telling: “Tokyo Station was built in 1914 through the skill of Japanese craftsmen, and is a station that we can be proud of in front of the whole world. Japan's railroad system started operation in 1872, and this year, 2022, marks the 150th anniversary of its opening. We should be grateful for the history our predecessors have left us, and we must take on new challenges with high aspirations so that the society of the next 150 years will be a wonderful one, full of dreams and hopes. We have created the JRE Station College in the station together with Leave a Nest in order to educate human resources in these difficult times of pandemics. From here, we would like to nurture the next generation of leaders that will carry the future 100 years into the future. Together with Leave a Nest, we will continue to take on new challenges that 100 years from now we will be proud of in front of the rest of the world, we will revitalize Japan and continue contributing to the world”.

 

Leave a Nest Chronological Table Project

A timeline of the history of Leave a Nest from 2002 to 2026, the 24th anniversary of the company, was placed at the venue. Each visitor was asked to write down what they would do in the next four years, creating a timeline for the future.

 

 

20th Anniversary Project: The Leave a Nest Clock

As part of the 20th anniversary projects, a special commemorative clock was unveiled. On the occasion of the 5th anniversary since the founding of Leave a Nest, back in 2007, a time capsule was buried in the family home of Dr. Maru. The paulownia tree planted there has finally grown large enough to be cut down, so it was used to make commemorative clocks to be handed out to party attendees. Each clock has a different shape and grain, but the DNA is the same. This was inspired by the concept of “Clock Building, Not Time Telling”, the dearly held idea that gives its name to the second chapter of Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies. This commemorative gift fully expresses the strength of Leave a Nest Group, which shares this philosophy and gives importance to diversity.

 

Surprise Present

In the Station Section, a large, impressive object had been placed at the front of the hall from the start of the event. It was a cube-shaped monument engraved with the new logo of Leave a Nest. This monument was created by Hamano Products Co., Ltd. of the Super Factory Group. Mr. Keiichi Hamano, CEO and Representative Director, also gave a few congratulatory words.

 

 

 

 

 

Congratulatory speech: Mr. Keiichi Mori
President and Representative Director
Focus Systems Co., Ltd.

Focus Systems Co., Ltd. is one of the companies that have collaborated with Leave a Nest to create new opportunities in all of the businesses that Leave a Nest was established upon, which are education, research, human resources, and new business creation. Mr. Keiichi Mori, President and Representative Director of the company, proffered his greetings. He said: “Since we met with Leave a Nest, new buds have continued sprouting, and existing projects have been going on forever. Above all, I am very happy that its employees are excited to be working with us. I would like its projects to steadily move forward, make this company a unicorn, and leave it to the next generations”.

 

Congratulatory speech: Mr. Akiyoshi Hiraoka
President & CEO, CHO
Biprogy Inc.

Mr. Akiyoshi Hiraoka, President, CEO, and CHO of Biprogy Inc., who has shared in our efforts in Japan and overseas and has worked with us to build a startup ecosystem, gave a congratulatory speech. He said: “Our company name, Biprogy, refers to the seven colors of the rainbow that appear when light reflects off the earth. I would like to create a better world by demonstrating the value of diversity with everyone here, and the name reflects our desire to shed some light on an era in which the future is not so clear. We believe that the important thing is not to succeed or fail, but to have the courage to continue. Leave a Nest was founded by young people and has shown us the courage to keep going on for another 144 years. When we were first approached by Leave a Nest, we decided to get on board even though we didn't know what it was, and to have the “courage to keep on being tricked”. For the next 10, 20, and 144 years, I hope you will have the courage to continue to believe in the future of Leave a Nest and keep getting tricked by it”.

 

Closing Speech: Dr. Shuichiro Takahashi
COO, President and Representative Director
Leave a Nest Co., Ltd.

Dr. Takahashi was joined by the seven members of the board of directors in giving the closing speech: “Seven is one of the most important numbers in Leave a Nest. The seven directors here are best friends who have continued working together since the company was founded. We have been running for 20 years, not because of our expertise or skills, but because we have gathered under the same ideals and continue to believe in them. I am happy to say thank you to every single person here today, with no exception, to you all who have supported our dream. We spend every day thinking about what we can do right now to ensure the continuation of our project for 144 years. The seven of us promise to take on all of the dreams and ideas for the future you have transcribed today on the blank chronological table. The mission of Leave a Nest Group is ‘to become the most effective group of knowledge manufacturing companies on the planet’. Over the next four years, we will continue to launch new projects and educate the next generation with you, so that you will come to believe that the Leave a Nest Group stands at the core of the knowledge manufacturing industry. In addition, we have moved to a Co-President structure starting in May 2022. In the past, there was a period when Maru was running alone, then I became co-president, and we have been running for 12 years with the hands of the clock completing a circle. I will run the next 12 years with 

Inoue, who is a completely different person from me. Inoue and I may probably have completely opposite ways of thinking, but if passion guides us and we look at the future ahead, we can make anything happen”.

Inoue concluded the event by saying: “Curiosity and world-firsts inspired me, I was fascinated by the idea of proving things with my own hands, and that desire alone has kept me going this far. Together with these fellows, I have been able to continue to test major hypotheses. In order to increase the number of curiosity-driven people and advance science and technology for global happiness, I will continue to push forward as a co-president with Takahashi”.