Announcing the Judges and Partners of TECH PLANTER in Thailand 2025

TECH PLANTER in Thailand, a deep-tech acceleration program organized by Leave a Nest, is excited to announce the esteemed judges and partners for its 2025 Demo Day. The Demo Day will be held at the Chulalongkorn School of Integrated Innovation in Bangkok, this Saturday, 19 Jul 2025, and will showcase the innovations of nine finalists selected from a pool of 35 applicants. innovations of nine finalists selected from a pool of 35 applicants.

The judges for the Demo Day are prominent figures in various industries and academia. They bring a wealth of experience and expertise to the table and are well positioned to evaluate the innovative solutions presented by the finalists.

The judges for TECH PLANTER in Thailand 2025 are as follows: The judges for TECH PLANTER in Thailand 2025 are as follows

Dr. Kihoko Tokue, Managing Director, Leave a Nest Singapore Pte.

Raised across five countries, she earned a Ph.D. in ecology and joined Leave a Nest in 2011. After launching the International Development Division, she led global expansion efforts, establishing Leave a Nest Malaysia in 2013 and becoming its Managing Director. In 2019, she signed an MoU with Enterprise Singapore to support startups. TECH PLANTER program in Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand, and actively fosters international collaboration through bilingual communication, holding a Grade A in the UN English She leads the TECH PLANTER program in Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand, and actively fosters international collaboration through bilingual communication, holding a Grade A in the UN English Proficiency Test.

Dr. Dieter Trau, Founding Director , AIT Entrepreneurship Center, Asian Institute of Technology

Prof Trau holds an engineering degree (Dipl. Ing. FH) from the Aachen University of Applied Science, 1994 in Chemical and Bioengineering and a PhD from the From 1994 to 1998 he worked as a Research Engineer at the Institute of Bio- and At that time he also started his entrepreneurial activities with the foundation of the biotechnology companies At that time he also started his entrepreneurial activities with the foundation of the biotechnology companies Xantec (1995), 8sens biognostic (2000) in Germany, AYOXXA Pte Ltd (2010), Tip Biosystems Pte Ltd (2014) and E3A Healthcare Pte Ltd (2019) in Singapore. He was a Research Fellow, Assistant Lecturer/Assistant Professor at HKUST from 2001 to 2004. 2004 he joined the Division of Bioengineering and the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS) as an Assistant Professor. In July 2019 he was hired as the Dean of Engineering by the Asian In July 2019 he was hired as the Dean of Engineering by the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) as a full Professor and also took over the role of the Founding Director of the new AIT Entrepreneurship Center. he completed his 4 year tenure as Dean and continues as a full Professor at the Department of Industrial Systems Engineering (ISE) teaching medical engineering and bio-nanotechnology.

Dr. Santhaya Kittikowit, Head, Business Incubator, Chulalongkorn University

Dr. Santhaya Kittikowit is a recognized lecturer in the Department of Commerce, Chulalongkorn Business School, where she also serves as an Associate She's highly regarded for her expertise in innovation, international business management, and entrepreneurship development.
Notably, she is deeply passionate about driving the development of university spinoffs and shaping related policies. She played a crucial role in advocating for and establishing frameworks to facilitate the commercialization of university research through spinoff companies. Her work significantly contributed to creating a supportive environment for these ventures.
Currently, Dr. Santhaya also heads CUBI (Chulalongkorn University Business Incubator), playing a pivotal role in nurturing and supporting startups Dr. Santhaya also heads CUBI (Chulalongkorn University Business Incubator), playing a pivotal role in nurturing and supporting startups.

Mr. Varis Charoenvaravoot, Partner, ExpresSo NB

He manages portfolios and leads direct investments in the new energy, sustainability, and decarbonization sectors. Prior to this, Varis spearheaded numerous initiatives at PTT, including the development of the Prior this, Varis spearheaded numerous initiatives at PTT, including the development of the New Energy business master plan that resulted in the formation of several new subsidiaries, as well as the PTT Smart Energy platform that utilizes AI/ML Varis holds a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering from Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology and an MBA from London Business School.

Mr. Daiki Kumamoto, Executive Director, UntroD Asia Capital Pte.

Daiki joined UntroD Capital Japan, which manages Real Tech Fund, in 2019 as the first new graduate hire and served as a Growth Manager, mainly investing into deep-tech startups in Southeast Asia. He invests in startups that bring solutions to care / welfare, serving as a director of aba; developing sensors for excretion detectors for elderly care. For investments in Southeast Asia, he is in charge of NDR Medical, Austrianova, Karana, ceEntek and many more. He was appointed as Executive Director of UntroD Capital Asia in 2023.

Before joining the company, he was the president of the AIESEC, the largest NPO in Japan that commits in supporting young entrepreneurs globally.

Graduated from Keio SFC University with a bachelor in management.

Mr. Charawut Ruangthon, Assistant Manager for Global Service, Fuji Electric Co.

Charawut Ruangthong has extensive experience in engineering and management. he worked as an Instrument Engineer at TTCL Public Co. (2009-2018), then served as General Manager at GoodDay Engineering (2019-2024), and currently holds the position of Assistant He values innovation, efficiency, customer-centricity, and sustainability. He is particularly interested in expert planning, execution, and ensuring customer satisfaction in his projects.

Ms. Shiori Yamashita, Manager, Japan Tobacco Inc.

Shiori Yamashita is a manager of D-LAB, the innovation hub of Japan Tobacco Inc. She is dedicated to finding partners who align with JT's purpose: "Fulfil Moments, Enrich Life.

Since 2024, she has been co-leading the incubation programme "D-0." with Leave a Nest, focusing on ventures in Southeast Asia. with Leave a Nest, focusing on ventures in Southeast Asia that shape future actions, values and lives.

Mr. Koushi Hasegawa, Deputy General Manager, Health Science Business Division, Kirin Holdings Co.

Licensed pharmacist with experience in pharmaceutical sales, marketing, and product lifecycle management in the renal field at Kyowa Kirin Co. After being seconded to Kirin Holdings Co., Ltd., engaged in new business development for patients with chronic kidney disease.
Currently leads innovation in the health science domain.

Mr. Akihiro ISUMI, Senior Technology Strategist, Soken Chemical & Engineering Co.

Soken Group is a research-driven polymer manufacturer, specializing in a wide range of technologies from plant design to polymer development, including adhesives, particulates, coatings, and biomass materials. They actively seek collaboration opportunities such as technical partnerships and investments to leverage their diverse manufacturing technologies. They actively seek collaboration opportunities such as technical partnerships and investments to leverage their diverse manufacturing technologies.
Mr. Akihiro ISUMI, a Senior Technology Strategist, has extensive experience in material development for regenerative medicine within the pharmaceutical industry. He primarily focuses on biotechnology, medical, and materials development. In addition, drawing from his experience as the General Manager directing international business at a medical device venture, he explores startups with scalable business models.

Mr. Norio Asahara, Regional R&D Director, Ezaki Glico Co.

Glico manufactures not only confectionery and ice cream, but also a wide range of food categories such as beverages, dairy products, processed foods and baby milk powder. Mr. ASAHARA is the director of research and development in Glico Asia Pacific. He is responsible for new business in Asia Pacific. He is responsible for new business in Asia Pacific.

We are also pleased to announce the partners of TECH PLANTER in Thailand 2025, and warmly thank them for their support in making this program possible.

Our partners are:.

To see the list of Finalists and Lightning Talk speakers, please see this link: https://global.lne.st/news/sg/2025/06/29/tpfinalist_thailand2025/

For more information about TECH PLANTER in Singapore 2024, please visit the program's website at:: TECH PLANTER in Singapore 2024 https://techplanter.lne.st/thailand/thailand2025/

For queries, please contact ambrose "at "lne.st (replace "at" with @).

See you at the Demo Day!