HOME > > JAPAN > Leave a Nest, in collaboration with East Japan Railway Company, launching “TAKANAWA GATEWAY Link Scholars’ Hub” Lab, a shared lab for Deep Tech startups in the field of environmental and life sciences

Leave a Nest, in collaboration with East Japan Railway Company, launching “TAKANAWA GATEWAY Link Scholars’ Hub” Lab, a shared lab for Deep Tech startups in the field of environmental and life sciences

Leave a Nest, in collaboration with East Japan Railway Company, launching “TAKANAWA GATEWAY Link Scholars’ Hub” Lab, a shared lab for Deep Tech startups in the field of environmental and life sciences

Leave a Nest Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; Founder and Group CEO: Dr. Yukihiro Maru; hereinafter “Leave a Nest”)  and East Japan Railway Company(Head Office Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Mr. Yuji Fukasawa; hereinafter “JR East”) will open the “TAKANAWA GATEWAY Link Scholars' Hub” Lab, a shared laboratory centered on environmental and life sciences, covering the field of  environment, food, and healthcare, in the “TAKANAWA GATEWAY CITY”, a living lab   to create our better future that scheduled to be opened in late March 2025. The Lab will serve as a starting point for co-creation between Deep Tech startups and companies, and accelerate the development and implementation of sustainable businesses that connect to various regions of Japan and the world through proof of concept experiments and various R&D supports.

Aiming to create a laboratory environment that DeepTech startups lack to promote their initial R&D and boost their initial business, Leave a Nest has been focusing on developing facilities and programs that are fully equipped with experimental equipment to conduct research immediately. Since April 2018, we have jointly operated “Center of Garage”, one of Japan's largest incubation facilities specializing in manufacturing ventures, with our subsidiary Glocalink Co., Ltd. to provide commercialization and technical support. In addition, since October 2020, we have operated the Startup Creative Lab (SCL) together with the City of Kobe and Kobe Urban Promotion Service Co., Ltd.,  We have conducted our support not just  in terms of facility but also in the software, such as launching the SCL support team/desk, establishing an advisory board for fundraising, and holding recruitment events for their startups.

Under the group management vision “Move up 2027,” JR East works to build a broad startup ecosystem through “TAKANAWA GATEWAY CITY”, which is scheduled to open in late March 2025. The city will be one of Japan's largest large-scale experimental sites for the creation and social implementation of new solutions for approximately 100,000 visitors, with a focus on the environmental protection, mobility vehicles, and healthcare services. The city will support the creation of businesses by more than 100 startups in Deep Tech and other fields.

Leave a Nest and JR East have opened the “TAKANAWA GATEWAY Link Scholars' Hub” Lab, a shared lab for environmental and life sciences where R&D startups and companies will become members. Through proof of concept experiments in the city and co-creation with various companies, academia, and governments, we will support R&D in Deep Tech field, which takes time to be implemented into our society. The facility will be filled with the experimental equipment necessary for basic research on the fields of environment, food, and healthcare, making it possible to conduct activities with minimal initial investment. If you are interested in moving into this facility and supporting startups, please contact us.


Laboratory image courtesy of  East Japan Railway Company

Name of facility “TAKANAWA GATEWAY Link Scholars' Hub” Lab
(THE LINKPILLAR 1 NORTH, 6F)
Lab specification Base lab, specialized labs
(microbiology lab, hydrosphere lab, & lab for plant sciences)
This is a Deep Tech startup incubation facility with about 1000 square meters, consisted of shared lab for environmental life sciences, with a total of 15 private rooms.
Facility Specifications It consists of a base lab for general experiments dealing with proteins, DNA, and RNA, and specialized labs with equipment for microbial culture, plant culture and cultivation, and aquatic organisms.
Size/Equipment Approx. 1000 m2

Equipment: Clean bench, culture incubator, autoclave, centrifuge, freezer (-80°C, -30°C), 4°C showcase, ultrapure water system and pure water system, microscope, thermal cycler, real-time PCR, CCD imager, shaker culture system, artificial weathering station, plant culture rack, tanks for aquatic organisms, etc.

※1 Released on March 5, 2024
Startup Ecosystem in TAKANAWA GATEWAY CITY
“TAKANAWA GATEWAY Link Scholars’ Hub” will be created to support over 100 startups
https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/press/2023/pdf/20240305.pdf

※2Environmental and Life Sciences
“Environmental and Life Sciences” is a research field that aims to build a sustainable society through harmony between the living environment and the natural environment.

About Leave a Nest Co., Ltd.

Location: Iidabashi Miyuki Building 5F, 1-4 Shimomiyaibicho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
Representative: Yukihiro Maru, Founder and Group CEO
Year Establishment: 2002
Business Expertise: Knowledge Manufacturing
Website: https://global.lne.st/

For inquiries regarding this matter

Leave a Nest Co., Ltd.
Corporate Planning Office
Attn. to Saito, Matsubara
MAIL: [email protected]