Malaysian Startups Visit in Okayama and Kagawa Prefecture to Foster International Collaboration and Innovation
Leave a Nest hosted a visit by three leading deep tech startups from Malaysia and Japan in Okayama and Kagawa Prefectures, welcoming them as Hyper Interdisciplinary Conference Kagawa Forum 2023’s panelists. This initiative aimed to bridge the realities of local Japanese innovation with the South East Asian startup ecosystem, fostering new collaborations between two seemingly distant worlds that are, in fact, highly synergetic.
The protagonists of this visit were three startups: Alphaswift, Move Robotic, and Closer, each with their own unique focus and expertise, and pre-existing synergies among themselves.
Alphaswift, a Malaysian startup, is dedicated to the development and production of large-scale drones to achieve human transportation. Their team of skilled engineers is constantly striving to push its boundaries, spearheading the creation of a promising future. Alphaswift was also the first company to enter Center of Garage Malaysia, the incubation ecosystem from Leave a Nest Group opened in Cyberjaya on the 16th of January, 2024.
Move Robotic, also from Malaysia, specialized in autonomous robots for the warehousing environment. Their aim is to revolutionize industries by improving efficiency and reducing the reliance on human labor for mundane tasks. They first joined Leave a Nest’s deep tech ecosystem by participating in TECH PLAN DEMO DAY in Malaysia 2023 as a finalist.
Finally, Closer is a startup originating from Tsukuba University committed to creating compact, versatile, and user-friendly factory robots for the food industry. With Japan and other countries facing declining population and labor shortages, Closer's innovations have the potential to reshape the industry and enhance productivity.
The visit started at Kobashi Holdings, one of the most renowned companies in Okayama. Founded in 1910 and incorporated in 1960, Kobashi Holdings exemplifies Japanese Monozukuri – the art of manufacturing with attention to detail. The participants had the opportunity to tour the production facilities, learning more about the Company’s history and vision, and later enjoyed a delicious lunch at the company's cafeteria. Kobashi Holdings has been a long-term partner of Leave a Nest at events such as the Hyper Interdisciplinary Conference and the acceleration program TECH PLANTER, and actively supports new startup prototyping and projects.
The hosts and participants in front of Kobashi Holdings In Okayama.
The next stop was at Mirai Kikai, a startup specializing in the production of solar panel cleaning robots. Guest startups sought inspiration from Mirai Kikai's cutting-edge technologies and witnessed its progress from a small startup to an internationally expanding company.
The hosts and participants around the solar panel cleaning robot at Mirai Kikai, in Takamatsu, Kagawa.
The final stop was KEN-ROBOTECH, a startup with the vision of “Creating the World’s Most Human-Friendly Worksite”. The participants had the opportunity to witness firsthand the charm of TOMOROBO, an innovative robot solution that reduces the burden on workers in the construction industry. The welcoming company environment and an English pitch from the host left a lasting impression and opened doors for potential collaborations.
The hosts and participants around TOMOROBO at KEN-ROBOTECH, in Takamatsu, Kagawa.v
To cap off the day, the participants were joined by hosting companies and Hoxin’s CEO to indulge in a delightful dinner featuring Kagawa's specialty, Udon, accompanied by an array of tempura, fostering camaraderie and bridging science and technologies in a more casual environment.
On the following day the three guest startups participated in the Hyper Interdisciplinary Conference Kagawa Forum 2023 as panelists, where they were able to interact with more local startups, institutions, companies, researchers and students.
The theme of the guest startup’s panel discussion at the Hyper Interdisciplinary Conference Kagawa Forum 2023.
During the event, the three startups expressed sincere gratitude to Leave a Nest and the companies in Okayama and Kagawa for their warm welcome and hospitality. They valued the insights into the Japanese local industries and appreciated the opportunity to pitch their way into the Japanese market. Through their feedback and exchanges with local companies, the visit successfully bridged hosts and guests towards advancing science and technology for global happiness.
Leave a Nest is committed to continue expanding its existing deep tech ecosystem in Japan and Southeast Asia. To bridge the two realities towards each other and promote knowledge manufacturing worldwide, we welcome anyone interested in expanding towards the Southeast Asian and Japanese deep tech ecosystems, and we will strive to support and help them in their endeavors.
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