Meet the Judges of TECH PLANTER Vietnam 2026 Demo Day
TECH PLANTER in Vietnam, a deep-tech acceleration program organized by Leave a Nest, is excited to announce the esteemed judges for its 2026 Demo Day. The Demo Day will be held at The Sentry C,Ho Chi Minh City on 11th July 2026 . The judges for the Demo Day are prominent figures in the tech industry and R&D. They bring a wealth of experience and expertise to the table and are well positioned to evaluate the innovative solutions presented by the finalists.
PARTNERS
Local Partners:
- InnoEx
- Capital JDI
- YS Design Vietnam
Global Partners:
- Kobashi Holdings
- Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation
- Teral Inc.
- UntroD Capital Asia Pte. Ltd.
- Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.
Ecosystem Partners:
- Van Lang University : Van Lang Incubation Center
- Vin University
The judges for the TECH PLANTER in Vietnam 2026 Demo Day are as follows:
Dr. Shuichiro Takahashi (Head Judge)
Representative Director COO, Leave a Nest
Dr. Shuichiro Takahashi received a Ph.D. in Life Science from the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences at the University of Tokyo. He is a founding member of Leave a Nest and has been building a foundation for R&D projects as the core of Knowledge Manufacturing. He has initiated unique business models such as the “LNest Grant” which is a research grant system with private corporate partners, and has led numerous projects involving industry, academia, and the education sector. He has been the Representative Director and COO since 2010. In addition, he is supporting a Japanese expansion project of a venture company from South East Asia. He is also involved in investment in seed stage deep-tech startups as a Representative Director of Leave a Nest Capital.
Ms. Tui Bui
Community Manager, InnoEx
Ms. Tui Bui is a Regional Ecosystem Leader, Entrepreneurship Lecturer, Executive Mentor, and International Fellow with over 17 years of experience spanning corporate, startup, and higher education ecosystems across Southeast Asia. Her career has evolved from scaling FMCG and retail brands as a Marketing Supervisor to co-founding the retail SME InFashion as Chief Marketing Officer, where she gained firsthand experience in cash flow optimization, supply chain management, and building resilient SMEs. This entrepreneurial foundation inspired her transition into ecosystem development, where she has spent the past seven years fostering high-impact public-private-academic partnerships through the Business Startup Support Centre (BSSC) and InnoEx. She currently leads strategic sustainable development initiatives with UNDP, SNV, and the Rabo Foundation, focusing on startup-corporate matchmaking, plastics circular economy, and green financing mechanisms for agribusiness SMEs. Ms. Bui also co-leads major corporate innovation programmes, including the Qualcomm Vietnam Innovation Challenge (2020–Present) and the SK Startup Fellowship (2020–2023), while supporting Vietnam's global startup ecosystem positioning through collaboration with StartupBlink and the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology. Committed to inclusive innovation and social impact, she serves as an Atlantic Fellow for Health Equity (Equity Initiative 2026–2027) and an IATSS Forum Fellow (Japan, 2024). She is an active industry expert, keynote speaker, mentor, and grand judge for organizations including USAID, Swiss SECO, UNIDO, UNICEF, Sunwah Innovation Center, New Energy Nexus, KOSME, and leading universities across Asia, Europe, and the United States. Leveraging her leadership experience as a former Area Director of Toastmasters International, Ms. Bui continues to champion cross-cultural communication, entrepreneurship, and innovation leadership throughout the region.
Mr. Khương Nguyễn Công Thành (Tommy)
Investment Associate, Capital JDI
Khương Nguyễn Công Thành (Tommy) is a distinguished professional with extensive expertise in business development and digital transformation. He holds a degree in Digital Business from RMIT and has completed advanced leadership programs from renowned institutions. Tommy has successfully spearheaded projects and initiatives in various sectors, contributing to significant organizational growth and innovation. His past roles include COO and Co-founder – Roscommon System, Reactor Venture, Scout – Reactor School, COO and Co-founder – GOVO. With over 2 years of mentoring, portfolio supporting, and investment analyzing to startups throughout Southeast Asia, Tommy is currently the Investment Associate at Capital JDI – a Singapore VC investing in pre-seed to seed stage SEA startups with the ticket size of from USD$50K to USD$100K.
Dr. Le Chi Thanh
Startup Advisor, Van Lang University
Dr. Thanh Le is a student startup coach at Van Lang University. He is also representing Center for Social Initiative Promotion in Ho Chi Minh city as an investment fellow. Previously, he was an investment officer at VinaCapital and an assistant to COO at Hoan My Medical Group. He is interested in supporting startups in edtech, medtech and agritech.
Mr. Toyohisa Yamada
Chairman, YS Design
Born in October 1979, he earned a Master of Engineering from the Department of Chemical System Engineering at the Graduate School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo. Having developed a strong interest in energy issues from an early age, he conducted research on fuel cells and combustion during his university years. He joined Yamada Shokai Co., Ltd., a gas engineering and construction company, in 2004. He became President and Representative Director in May 2020, and has also served as President and Representative Director of Yamada Shokai Holdings Co., Ltd. since May 2022. Leveraging the power of engineering, he is committed to enhancing resilience across four key sectors: energy, infrastructure, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, and the living environment.
Mr. Shojiro Kobashi
President & CEO, KOBASHI HOLDINGS Co., Ltd.
Shojiro Kobashi is the fourth-generation successor of a family-run agricultural machinery manufacturer founded in 1910. He officially took over the business in 2016. KOBASHI has long contributed to the mechanization of Japanese agriculture as an agricultural machinery manufacturer. In 2017, in line with a group restructuring, he established KOBASHI HOLDINGS Co., Ltd., assuming the role of President and CEO. Under the corporate philosophy of “Cultivating the Earth (make the world better)“, he has worked to address global challenges by leveraging the company’s century-long heritage of experience, knowledge, and technology. In 2020, he founded KOBASHI ROBOTICS Co., Ltd., and launched the “Manufacturing Booster” program to comprehensively support startups engaged in product development and manufacturing. Through this initiative, he has actively built partnerships with deep-tech startups in Southeast Asia. He sees it as his mission to accelerate the real-world deployment of technologies that tackle the most pressing global issues through the power of manufacturing. He holds an MBA from Waseda University Graduate School of Business Administration.
Ms. Nur Hartini binti Mardan
Manager Tech & Talent Transfer, Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation Berhad
Hartini is a Sarawak-born woman in technology and innovation who is actively shaping the state’s digital economy through her role as Manager, Tech & Talent Transfer at Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC). Her work focuses on advancing technology adoption, research commercialisation, and digital talent development across academia, industry, and government, supporting Sarawak’s transition towards a knowledge-driven economy. She plays a pivotal role in designing and executing structured, outcome-oriented programmes that translate digital research and innovation into tangible economic value, while strengthening Sarawak’s positioning within the national and global digital ecosystem.
Mr. Takumi Tanaka
New Business Exploration Section, TERAL Inc.
Joined Teral Inc. in 2020 and has since been engaged in technical proposal work for air-related equipment, including facility design and construction cost estimation. Assumed the current position in 2025. Currently promotes internal and external collaboration to create new businesses and expand into emerging markets beyond the industrial and building sectors in which Teral has traditionally been strong.
Mr. Daiki Kumamoto
Executive Director, UntroD Capital Asia Pte. Ltd.
Daiki Kumamoto is Director of UntroD Capital Asia, where he leads deep-tech investments across Southeast Asia and the firm’s second Global Fund. Since joining UntroD in 2019, he has played a key role in building the firm’s regional investment platform and expanding its presence across Southeast Asia. He has been involved in approximately 20 deep-tech investments across Japan and Southeast Asia, primarily in healthcare, energy, and advanced materials. In addition to investment execution, he supports portfolio companies through strategic partnerships, research collaborations, and market expansion initiatives connecting Southeast Asia and Japan. Beyond his investment activities, he has served as a non-executive director and startup founder in the healthcare and social welfare sectors. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Policy Management from Keio University, is a former President of AIESEC in Japan, and a Fund Management Representative recognized by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).
For the latest information on the Tech Plan Demo Day and TECH PLANTER in Vietnam 2024, visit our website at: https://techplanter.lne.st/vietnam/2026/
For any inquiries about TECH PLAN DEMO DAY in Vietnam, please contact: Dr. Takumi Jindo at [email protected]