As we welcome 2026, we step into a new year filled with renewed possibility.
The global landscape continues to shift at remarkable speed: technologies evolve, markets realign, and societies face challenges that demand bold, collaborative solutions.

Amid this momentum, one truth stands out: innovation has never been more essential, nor more global. Cross‑border expansion is no longer just a pathway for business growth but also a means to ensure progress is shared, communities are strengthened, and new systems take shape for a better future.

In 2026, we reaffirm our mission to help innovators navigate cross-border expansion complexity with clarity, agility, and purpose. Whether it’s crafting and executing culturally resonant market strategies, forging commercial engagements, or building strategic partnerships, we remain dedicated to enabling companies to spread their innovative products, solutions or services internationally and create net‑positive impact wherever they operate.

Together, let’s build a brighter and more inclusive future.
Happy New Year 2026.
​
Bruno & Brian
encognize G.K. Cross-Border Innovation Partners

As 2025 draws to a close, we’re taking a moment to reflect on how far we’ve advanced the frontier of cross‑border innovation together.

Even amid a global VUCA landscape, APAC continued to stand out as a compelling destination for innovators pursuing regional or global growth. This year, we had the privilege of supporting 35 pioneering companies from 8 European and Asian countries, through both government‑backed programs and tailored fractional support, as they navigated their expansion journeys. Japan and ASEAN once again emerged as top destinations for ambitious founders looking to scale.

Two‑thirds of the companies we engaged with this year were focused on building an initial understanding of their target markets. We supported them through strategic market entry preparation, combining contextual and industry‑specific insights delivery, GTM assumption and hypothesis development, and organization‑level stakeholder mapping, with on‑the‑ground exploration and validation through targeted meetings.

Another 11 companies had already pre‑validated their target markets and partnered with us to de‑risk and accelerate their entry. Through deeper, higher‑intensity engagements with several of them, we helped deliver tangible outcomes within 3 to 6 months, ranging from identifying business, technological, and commercial partners to finding validation projects.

We extend our sincere thanks to the many startups, scale‑ups, corporations, and government organizations that entrusted us throughout 2025 to support their international expansion and innovation journeys.

We look forward to continuing to push the boundaries of global innovation together in 2026.

Bruno & Brian
encognize G.K. Cross-Border Innovation Partners

As Impact Ecosystem Builder for TOY8, a support activity delivered under our hyumpact ventures service line, we are delighted to announce the publication of the research project report 「Advancing Inclusive Education from the early ages in ASEAN using AI and digital technologies」 realized in collaboration with the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA).

​The research project report explores inclusive early childhood care and education in Malaysia, with a particular focus on integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies into developmental screening and intervention for preschool-aged children.

The research project report available for download at the ERIA Publications centre here is co-authored by Bruno Abrioux Takano, TOY8 Impact Ecosystem Builder, hyumpact ventures at encognize G.K., Chui Yee Chong, TOY8 Child Development Support Manager and Masaki Ishibashi, TOY8 Co-Founder and CEO.

Report Abstract
(source: ERIA Publications Research Project Reports)

This report explores inclusive early childhood care and education in Malaysia, with a particular focus on integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies into developmental screening and intervention for preschool-aged children.
While Malaysia has established a strong policy foundation for inclusion, significant challenges remain. Access to screening and intervention services is still limited, fragmented, and uneven, particularly for children aged three to six.
To help address these systemic gaps, TOY8 proposes an Inclusive Education 2.0 model that leverages AI-powered, mobile-based developmental screening tools and a digitalised Individual Education Programme (IEP). This model is designed to enable early identification of developmental delays, streamline individualised intervention, and strengthen collaboration amongst stakeholders.
Initial pilot studies in Sarawak have shown promising results, including improved detection rates, shorter delays in intervention, and strengthened inclusive practices.
The report concludes by calling for strategic policy reforms, cross-sectoral collaboration, and investment in scalable, ethically grounded digital solutions to accelerate the development of inclusive education systems in Malaysia.

【About TOY8】
By leveraging AI, digital tools and structured pathways to facilitate the early identification of developmental delays, provide targeted intervention support, and ensure smooth transitions into inclusive learning environments for preschoolers, TOY8 aims to address critical gaps and challenges that governments often encounter in implementing inclusive education systems for the early ages, starting in Malaysia and now expanding to other countries in the APAC region.

【About ERIA】
ERIA is an international organisation established in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 2008 through a formal agreement amongst the leaders of 16 East Asian countries. Its mission is to conduct research and provide policy recommendations to advance economic integration across the region.

【About hyumpact ventures】
hyumpact ventures is the encognize G.K. service line dedicated to helping innovative companies that can make a net positive impact to our world amplify their impact globally through ecosystem building and fractional expansion support services.