Report on “The Pai Chai Global Tech Bridge Program 2025” in Japan Co-Organised by The Pier and Company (South Korea) and Leave a Nest

From August 26th to 29th, 2025, Leave a Nest organized the Pai Chai Global Tech Bridge Program in Japan co-hosted with The Pier and Company, and welcoming Pai Chai University from South Korea. Looking back history, Leave a Nest has collaborated with biotech startups to support their expansion into Japan which strengthened our researchers support services back in early years. Building on this experience of connecting innovators across borders included, this program marked the first time trainees from Korea were formally welcomed. Participants representatives from government organizations, startups, and Pai Chai University students. The program aims for participants to explore Japan's deep-tech ecosystem and build bridges between Korea and Japan by visiting deep-tech startups, university researchers and big corporations related to the IT and AI field.

Program Highlights

Day 1 : 26th August <Introduction>

The program began at the Leave a Nest Tokyo office, where participants introduced themselves and interacted with members of the Leave a Nest team. Dr. Shuichiro Takahashi , President & COO: gave welcoming remarks, and Mr. Yuji Kawasaki, Director, Leave a Nest Knowledge Co., Ltd., presented their services and activities. This first session allowed participants to understand the vision and mission of Leave a Nest—“Advancing Science and Technology for Global Happiness”—and to be introduced to the program's core concept of bridging. Over four days, Leave a Nest aimed at fostering the bridging mindset among participants by connecting people, countries, and stakeholders, enabling participants to exchange knowledge with Japanese companies while learning from them, building mutual understanding that can spark future new ideas to develop technology or business ideas.The lively exchanges created an open atmosphere and set the tone for the following days.

Day 2 : 27th August <VCs and Startups>

On the second day, participants joined a Demo Day at the Innovation Design Studio (INDEST) , Science Tokyo, where they pitched their ideas and exchanged views with leading Japanese venture capital firms including Mobile Internet Capital, Inc., UntroD Capital Japan, Inc., Archetype Ventures, and Leave a Nest Capital Co., Ltd.

 

In the afternoon, the group divided (Group A&B): A group stayed to continue in-depth discussions with venture capitalists, while group B visited AI, IT and IoT related companies. At Ridge-i Inc. , participants had the opportunity to learn about the company's strategy or AI application such as in satellite image analysis or municipality works directly from the CEO, Takashi Yanagihara . At Innoqua Inc. , Shiki Takeuchi, Director and COO and Aiko Kakehashi hosted the session, sharing their original passion in coral and newly developed technology of environment transfer. At MEMORY LAB , participants were introduced to cutting-edge approaches in AI-driven research and development support. These visits offered first-hand insights into how Japanese deep-tech startups from diverse fields are united by the same mission—turning their knowledge and skills into businesses that provide solutions to social challenges.

Day 3 : 28th August <Big corporate and University>

The third day focused on collaborations with institutions established. Participants visited BIPROGY Technology Research & Innovation , one of Japan's leading ICT companies.The participants were welcomed by Aiko Korin, CTO and Head of the Research Center. This visit enlightened participants with the insights into how large corporations conduct advanced R&D and translate it into commercialization. Later, they visited the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT) , where they engaged with Professor Hideki Hayashida, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the Department of Industrial Technology and Innovation, Graduate School of Engineering. Through his lecture, participants learned how existing technologies can be developed into businesses, and how organizational structures, supportive cultures, and networks within companies and ecosystems play a crucial role in making innovation sustainable.

Day 4 : 29th August <Final Presentation>

The program concluded on the fourth day back at Leave a Nest office at Tokyo, where participants reflected on their experiences and presented their takeaways. They highlighted lessons learned from engaging with venture capitalists, startups, corporates, and universities, and shared how they planned to apply these insights to their own activities back in Korea. Through this process, the program not only deepened understanding of Japan's innovation ecosystem but also strengthened ties between Korean and Japanese partners, laying the groundwork for future collaboration in science and technology.

[About Leave a Nest Co., Ltd.] Leave a Nest aims to develop science and technology and contribute to the world. With this vision, Leave a Nest is expanding support for accelerating deep tech around the world through science bridge communication that connects researchers, startups, companies, and government agencies. Through support programs such as TECH PLANTER, Leave a Nest helps startups transform research into impactful businesses and expand internationally. One example is Liberaware Co., Ltd., (Listed on the Tokyo Stock market since 2024) a Japanese deep-tech startup that was continuously supported by Leave a Nest's and has already expanded to Korea. 

[About Pier and Company] The Pier and Company is an international commercialization organization in Korea that accelerates the overseas expansion of startups. Built on three pillars—business development, market entry, and global collaboration—the company has established a network of 57 partners across the United States, the Middle East, South Africa, and Europe. Its expert team provides end-to-end support, from business model development to investment and R&D.

[About Pai Chai University] Founded in 1885, Pai Chai University   is one of Korea's oldest private comprehensive universities, located in Daejeon with around 14,000 students. Known for strengths in engineering, computer science, AI, and software convergence, the university emphasizes both research excellence and practical collaboration with industry and international partners. Its Graduate School of AI & Software Creative Convergence fosters talent in fields such as computer science, information security, robotics, drones, and smart energy, while also supporting startup creation and technology transfer.