Esco Aster is featured in the latest edition of Leave a Nest Group, marking a significant milestone with the investment of 144Ventures Pte Ltd into ImpacFat, Singapore’s global pioneer in cultivated fish fat. This achievement was celebrated alongside the announcement of the inception of BioGarage Esco Aster Japan, hosted at the TAKANAWA GATEWAY Link Scholars' Hub Lab (LiSH Lab).

Through BioGarage, Esco Aster and Leave a Nest are building a cross-border platform to nurture biotech startups—providing innovators with access to markets, networks of accredited investors, and acceleration pathways. The first case study is ImpacFat’s expansion into Japan, as featured in The Straits Times article: “Sashimi from a lab: Singapore’s ImpacFat launches in Japan.”

Beyond cultivated fat, ImpacFat’s proprietary Secretomes—of which exosomes can potentially be further isolated—open exciting applications in extracellular vesicle (EV) research and therapeutics. This creates a natural synergy with the focus of the Japanese Society for Extracellular Vesicles (JSEV), making ImpacFat’s case study especially relevant to the upcoming JSEV Meeting in Osaka.

These innovations also extend into Cosmeceuticals & Skin Care, where next-generation stem-cell conditioned media (SCCM) and exosome-based active ingredients are being developed for skin repair, anti-oxidation, and anti-aging formulations.

Working seamlessly with BioGarage in Singapore, this initiative aims to bridge Singapore innovators seeking entry into Japan, while empowering Japanese startups through Esco Aster Singapore as an accelerator at JTC Launchpad. From there, pathways extend into South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Australia/New Zealand—fast-growing regions with a combined GDP of ~USD 10.5 trillion (~10% of global GDP) and a population of ~2.63 billion (~33% of the world).

This joint effort embodies the shared vision of Dr. Yukihiro Maru (Japan) and Xiangliang (XL) Lin (Singapore)—biotech leaders and science bridge-builders—uniting deeptech biosolutions, bioindustry expertise, and entrepreneurship across borders.

Visit Esco Aster Japan at the JSEV Meeting in Osaka: https://jsev.jp/ (October 14–15)

Full feature: Leave a Nest NG Vol. 26 https://lnkd.in/gMt9Kb9N 
Read more about Esco Aster in Leave a Nest NG Editions: 
Vol. 26 (2025): “BioGarage: A New Cross-Border Platform Empowering Deep Tech Startups” https://lnkd.in/gG3jZU3Y
Vol. 23 (2024): “Singapore’s Esco Aster Accelerating Biotech Startups through Global Collaboration” https://lnkd.in/ge95cncd
Related coverage: The Straits Times – “Sashimi from a lab: Singapore’s ImpacFat launches in Japan” https://lnkd.in/g5vgG52y

References: 

1. World Bank (2024), South Asia Regional Data: GDP ~USD 4.51T, Population ~1.92B — World Bank Data
2. Council on Foreign Relations (2024), ASEAN Overview: GDP ~USD 3.9T, Population ~678M — CFR
3. IMF / World Bank (2024), Australia & New Zealand: GDP ~USD 2.1T, Population ~31M

About Esco Aster
Esco Aster is a contract research, development, and manufacturing organization (CRDMO) founded by scientists to enable the translation of bench work into diagnostics, medicines, therapies, cosmeceuticals, and cellular agriculture at affordable prices. Through best-in-class continuous manufacturing platforms, Esco Aster delivers scalable and reliable outcomes. Learn more at www.escoaster.com and connect with us on LinkedIn.