FOUNDER
DR. YUKIHIRO MARU CO-FOUNDER
Dr. Maru is the founder and group CEO of Leave a Nest, a company he established in 2002 together with several university and postgraduate students to tackle the issue of unemployment among science graduates as well as the declining interest in science. Armed with the vision of “Advancing Science and Technology for Global Happiness”, Leave a Nest has built a vast collaborative network comprising over leading Japanese corporations, investors & multi-disciplinary technologists globally. Dr. Maru holds a Ph.D. in Agriculture, and is also technical advisor to leading biotech firm Euglena Co.,Ltd., where he supported them from establishment to IPO. Through Germi8, Dr Maru aims to help budding innovators solve global food issues & build enduring firms.
SHOJIRO KOBASHI CO-FOUNDER
Mr Shojiro Kobashi is the President and CEO of Kobashi Industries Co., Ltd., Japan's industry leading agricultural equipment manufacturing and distribution company with over 100 years of illustrious history. Upon graduation from Aoyama Gakuin University Faculty of Economics, he worked for an IT company in Tokyo before joining Kobashi Kogyo Co., Ltd. in May 2008. Mr. Kobashi went on to become the Managing Director of the company, and assumed the post of President on October 17, 2016. Mr Kobashi is also the president of Kobashi Metal Co., Ltd. and Kobashi Warehouse Co., Ltd. He is an avid sports person while his favorite hobbies are golf and triathlon. Mr Kobashi holds an MBA from Waseda University Graduate School of Business Administration.
DR. KENGO SUZUKI CO-FOUNDER
Dr. Kengo Suzuki is one of the co-founders of Tokyo Stock Exchange listed Euglena Co., Ltd., Japan's leading biotech company that engages in the research, development, production and distribution of microalgae products across sectors such as Healthcare, Energy and Environment. A graduate of the Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the University of Tokyo and has a BSc in system engineering, he leads the company's R&D and has been engaged in the production and development of Euglena-derived biofuels. Dr. Suzuki is also the co-author of Bisaisorui no Tairyoseisan, Jigyoka ni muketa Baio-gijyutsu (in Japanese, “Culture Technology toward the Mass Production and Commercialization of Microalgae”) (Johokiko Co., Ltd.).
KELVIN ONG CO-FOUNDER
With over 15 years of experience in precision engineering & technology, Kelvin is the founder and CEO of FocusTech Ventures, a Singapore-based private investment firm. Kelvin served as the Executive Director of Focus-Tech Holding, leading shareholder of hard disk drive component maker Seksun Group. He is also Partner at early stage venture capital firm TNB Aura, where he advises on investment opportunities around advanced manufacturing & engineering. As an entrepreneur, active angel investor and advocate for hardware innovation, Kelvin co-founded OneMakers Group to develop the regional maker ecosystem and continues to support budding startups as an Accredited Mentor Partner of Enterprise Singapore. Kelvin currently serves as one of National Research Foundation's Central Gap Fund Technical Advisors.
DIRECTOR
SHU SHENG CHIA (Ambrose) DIRECTOR
Ambrose graduated with a Master degree in Technopreneurship and Innovation from Nanyang Technological University. He also holds a Bachelor degree in Human Factors in Safety from Singapore University of Social Sciences and a Diploma in Marine Engineering from Singapore Polytechnic. He is passionate about community building and ecosystem nurturing. During his master’s degree studies, he was an active member of his program’s student committee, proposing and executing various student-led activities. As a member of Leave a Nest Frontier Development Division and previously Human Development Division, Ambrose hopes to strengthen the science and deep technology startup ecosystem through partnership with Institutes of Higher Learning and other Innovation Ecosystem partners, working with researchers and founders to bring their innovation from ideation to the wider community. Creating a sustainable business model for the benefit of society.