Leave a Nest Releases “144 Years – A Story of Long Lasting Venture Creation” ~Chronicles of Leave a Nest’s First 12 Years: Bringing the Founding Spirit to a Global Audience~
Leave a Nest Co., Ltd. has released “144 Years – A Story of Long Lasting Venture Creation” [Founding Period], written by Representative Director and Group CEO Yukihiro Maru PhD, and edited and translated by Kihoko Tokue PhD. The book tells the story of Leave a Nest’s first 12 years following its founding on June 14, 2002. In addition shares the ideas and experiences that shaped the company with readers around the world.
Sharing Leave a Nest’s Roots with Partners around the World
Leave a Nest was established on June 14, 2002, by 15 science and engineering graduate students driven to address global challenges through research. Guided by the vision of “Advancing Science and Technology for Global Happiness,” the company views its growth in 12-year cycles, equating each cycle to one full turn of a clock hand. By completing 12 revolutions, Leave a Nest aims to build an enterprise built to last 144 years.
On June 14, 2026, Leave a Nest celebrated its 24th anniversary, completing its second 12-year cycle. As the company begins its third cycle, it is also entering a new stage in its development.
Today, Leave a Nest works not only in Japan but also across Southeast Asia and other parts of the world, together with researchers, educators, entrepreneurs, companies, and local communities. As more people from different countries and backgrounds become involved in its activities, it has become increasingly important to share an understanding of where Leave a Nest came from, what it values, and why it works the way it does.
The English edition gives international team members and partners an opportunity to learn about the experiences that shaped Leave a Nest in its early years. By sharing the decisions, challenges, and thinking behind the company’s development, the book provides a common starting point for people working together to expand the “Knowledge Manufacturing Industry” around the world.
Inside the First 12 Years: Challenges, Decisions and Lessons Learned
“144 Years – A Story of Long Lasting Venture Creation” [Founding Period] covers the period from 2002 to 2014. It follows Leave a Nest from its earliest days, when its members ran hands-on science workshops in schools, through the development of a sustainable business and the expansion of its activities across Japan and Southeast Asia.
This is not a book about management theory. It is a record of what actually happened: the problems the team encountered, the decisions they made, the changes they had to make along the way, and the ideas that gradually became part of Leave a Nest’s way of working.
In addition to reflections from CEO Yukihiro Maru, the book includes accounts from members who were involved during the company’s early years. Their different perspectives offer a fuller picture of how Leave a Nest developed, rather than telling the story solely from the founder’s point of view.
Editor and translator Kihoko Tokue joined Leave a Nest in 2011 and experienced the final years of the period covered in the book firsthand. Rather than translating the Japanese text word for word, she has sought to convey the background, intentions, and context behind the events described so that readers unfamiliar with Leave a Nest can understand their significance.
The book shows how a group of researchers with an idea and little business experience gradually built an organization capable of generating revenue and continuing its activities. In doing so, it offers a firsthand account that may be useful to entrepreneurs, corporate innovators, educators, researchers, and others working to bring science and technology into society.
Publication Details
- Title: 144 Years – A Story of Long Lasting Venture Creation [Founding Period]
- Original Title: 『144年続くベンチャーをつくる。［創業期］』
- Author: Yukihiro Maru, PhD (Representative Director & Group CEO, Leave a Nest Co., Ltd.)
- Editor & Translator: Kihoko Tokue, PhD (Institute Head, Educational Research Institute, Leave a Nest Co., Ltd.)
- Publisher: Leave a Nest Publishing
- Language: English
- Publication Date: June 14, 2026
Media Contact
Leave a Nest Co., Ltd.
Global Research Integration Center (Attn: Kihoko Tokue)
Email: [email protected]