Leave a Nest Group’s 144 Ventures and Toyo Seikan Group Holdings, Ltd. Invests in Singapore Cultivated Fish Fat Startup ImpacFat — Launching the BioGarage Initiative to Bridge the Biotech Ecosystem Between Japan and Singapore—
144 Ventures Pte. Ltd. (Head office: Singapore; Director: Ambrose Chia, hereinafter “144 Ventures”), a Singapore-based investment group company of Leave a Nest Co., Ltd. (Head office: Shinjuku, Tokyo; Group CEO: Yukihiro Maru, hereinafter “Leave a Nest”), has invested into ImpacFat Pte. Ltd. (Head office: Singapore; CEO: Mandy Hon, hereinafter “ImpacFat”), a cultivated fish fat startup originating from A*STAR in Singapore, together with the Toyo Seikan Group Holdings, Ltd (Head office: Tokyo, Japan; President and Representative Director: Takuji Nakamura, hereinafter “Toyo Seikan Group”).
Additionally, Leave a Nest has launched the “BioGarage Initiative” in collaboration with Singapore-based biotech company Esco Aster Pte. Ltd.(Head office: Singapore; CEO: Xiangliang Lin, hereinafter “Esco Aster”), with the aim of nurturing startups like ImpacFat that leverage the biotech infrastructure of both Japan and Singapore to accelerate commercialization.
■ Background of the Investment in ImpacFat
ImpacFat is pioneering the future of nutrition through the world’s first cultivated fish fat enriched with omega-3 fatty acids, using proprietary stem cell technologies. Positioned as a sustainable, functional alternative to traditional fish oils and animal fats, the company is leading the charge toward a healthier, more resource-efficient future.
With this strategic investment from 144 Ventures, ImpacFat has now entered Japan, establishing its first overseas base at the TAKANAWA GATEWAY CITY Link Scholars’ Hub Lab (LiSH Lab) — Tokyo’s largest shared wet lab, jointly operated by East Japan Railway Company (hereinafter “JR East”) and Leave a Nest. This launch marks the beginning of deep collaboration of ImpacFat with Japan’s research institutions, corporates, and government, with the aim of delivering high-quality, safe, and sustainable omega-3 ingredients for food, supplements, and cosmetics.
The relationship between Leave a Nest Group and ImpacFat began in 2014 when Dr Yukihiro Maru, Founder and Group CEO of Leave a Nest, visited A*STAR and met Dr Shigekii Sugii, founder of ImpacFat. At the time, Dr Sugii was working as Scientific Advisor at Celligenics Pte. Ltd., focusing on stem cell commercialization. In 2016, he was selected as a finalist in TECH PLANTER Singapore 2016 (August 2016) and the 3rd Biotech Grand Prix in Japan (September 2016).
In March 2022, Dr Sugii founded ImpacFat to commercialize cultured fish fat. In 2023, the company was again selected as a finalist at TECH PLANTER Singapore 2023, where they were connected with JR East, a participating corporate partner of TECH PLANTER Singapore 2023. Following this relationship and the opening of LiSH Lab in May 2025, 144 Ventures and Toyo Seikan Group jointly invested in ImpacFat to further support its expansion into Japan.
■ About the BioGarage Initiative
Biotech startups face daunting hurdles towards social implementation: scale-up challenges, strict regulations, long commercialization timelines, and limited access to infrastructure. Recognizing these pain points, Leave a Nest and Esco Aster have jointly launched the “BioGarage Initiative” — a cross-border platform designed to overcome these bottlenecks in biotech incubation.
ImpacFat is the first flagship case. Using cell culture equipment developed by Esco Aster, they built their production foundation in Singapore and now bring their vision to Japan through LiSH Lab.
Esco Aster, based in Singapore, operates the world’s first and only GMP-certified CDMO for cultivated meat. In addition to contract manufacturing, it also operates a shared biotech lab where startups can rent equipment and advance their R&D. Now, in August 2025, Esco Aster has opened a counterpart lab in LiSH Lab outfitted with cell culture bioreactors and other core equipment which can be rented by startups. This enables experiments to be replicated in high fidelity in both countries, synchronizing the biotech ecosystems in Japan and Singapore to operate in unison whilst utilising the strengths of its local ecosystem.
Through this BioGarage, Leave a Nest and Esco Aster aim to create a cross-border research engine designed for ventures ready to leap from discovery to real-world impact.
■ Press Conference
This initiative was announced at a press conference hosted by ImpacFat on October 1, 2025, at the TAKANAWA GATEWAY CITY Link Scholars’ Hub (LiSH).
Event Overview
- Date & Time: Wednesday, October 1, 2025, 10:00–12:00 (Doors open at 9:30)
- Venue: TAKANAWA GATEWAY CITY Link Scholars’ Hub (LiSH) Studio 1 – Workshop Room 1
- Address: 6F, THE LINK PILLAR 1 NORTH, 2-21-1 Takanawa, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Speakers:
- Ms. Mandy Hon, CEO & Co-founder, ImpacFat
- Dr. Shigeki Sugii, Co-founder, ImpacFat
- Mr. Takuji Nakamura, President, Toyo Seikan Group
- Mr. Ambrose Chia, Director, 144 Ventures
- Dr. Yukihiro Maru, Group CEO, Leave a Nest
- Representatives from Esco Aster, Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Enterprise Singapore, JETRO, JR East, and others
Announcements:
- ImpacFat’s First Base in Japan
— Launch of its Tokyo office and lab at LiSH Lab, with a focus on collaborative research and commercialization of cell-cultured biotech products. - Strategic Investment Secured
— Backing from Toyo Seikan Group, 144 Ventures, and Esco Aster CEO Xiangliang Lin. Beyond capital, this brings new industrial insight, commercialization pathways, and ecosystem alignment. - BioGarage Initiative: A New Model for Biotech Incubation
— ImpacFat becomes the first showcase case in the BioGarage platform — a model that unites Japan’s scientific depth with Singapore’s implementation power, to redefine biotech incubation across borders.
Media Coverage:
- Strait Times: Sashimi from a lab? S’pore’s ImpacFat, a global pioneer in cultivated fish fat, launches in Japan
- Nikkei Inc
Inquiries:
Leave a Nest Co., Ltd. (Contact: Haruka Sakurai)
Tel: 03-5227-4198
Email: [email protected]