corporate venture capital

EX-Fusion Completes Series A Funding Round of

Norbert Gehrke

Norbert Gehrke

— 3 min read
EX-Fusion Completes Series A Funding Round of

EX-Fusion has completed its Series A funding round totaling approximately 2.6 billion yen. This round consisted of 2.3 billion yen in equity financing and 300 million yen in debt financing. EX-Fusion has previously raised 3 billion yen in funding, bringing the total cumulative funding to 5.6 billion yen with this latest round.

Company Focus: EX-Fusion is developing laser fusion technology as a clean energy solution
Funding Structure: 2.3 billion yen in equity + 300 million yen in debt financing
Major Goal: Demonstrate "continuous operation" of 10 nuclear fusion reactions per second
Timeline: Targeting "1-hour continuous neutron generation" by fiscal year 2027
Applications: Beyond energy, their technology has potential applications in manufacturing, medical, and space industries

1. Background

Currently, expectations for nuclear fusion technology are rapidly growing from both decarbonization and energy security perspectives, as it can produce unlimited energy domestically without emitting carbon dioxide.

EX-Fusion took its first step in the challenging field of laser fusion in 2021, driven by the strong desire to "create future energy with Japanese-originated technology."

Laser fusion has the characteristic of flexibly handling everything from peak power to baseload power, making it an indispensable technology for Japan's future power infrastructure, given the country's limited energy resources.

Among various nuclear fusion methods, laser fusion is the only one that has experimentally achieved net energy gain, moving beyond the demonstration phase and entering the full-scale commercialization phase.

EX-Fusion accurately captures these social needs and technological trends, steadily building up component technologies such as optical control, target supply, and high-power lasers to realize commercial reactor technology that Japan can be proud of worldwide.

2. Purpose

This funding round is positioned as extremely important for integrating component technologies and demonstrating "continuous operation" - generating 10 nuclear fusion reactions per second continuously. EX-Fusion's challenge extends beyond merely developing power generation technology. High-power lasers and precision optical control technologies have the potential to expand into diverse fields such as processing, medical, and space applications. Starting with laser fusion, EX-Fusion will create new optical industries and transform the very nature of global energy and industry. The Series A funding round represents a major step toward these challenges.

3. Investors

  • Osaka University Venture Capital Co., Ltd.
  • MPower Partners
  • Chushin Venture Capital Co., Ltd.
  • Shoko Chukin Bank
  • Mitsubishi UFJ Capital Co., Ltd.
  • Ikeda Senshu Capital Co., Ltd.
  • Kiyo Capital Management Co., Ltd.
  • Osaka Shoko Credit Union
  • Mizuho Capital Co., Ltd.
  • SMBC Venture Capital Co., Ltd.
  • Hamamatsu Iwata Credit Union
  • Fujikura Co., Ltd.
  • Shizuoka Capital Co., Ltd.
  • EQT Foundation

4. Future Plans

EX-Fusion will pioneer diverse advanced technology fields including clean energy creation and maximize the potential of laser fusion energy. Particularly, utilizing the optical control technology, continuous target supply devices, and high-power laser technology cultivated through previous development, the company will expand its business around the following three axes:

(1) Construction of Laser Fusion Demonstration Reactor in Japan

Setting "1-hour continuous neutron generation" demonstration in fiscal year 2027 as a milestone, the company will work on the design, manufacturing, and testing of demonstration reactors that integrate component technologies. Particularly, they aim to become a hub for laser fusion technology in Japan by integrating their proprietary development technologies as the core.

(2) Building Social Implementation Framework through Domestic and International Collaboration

By strengthening collaboration with domestic and international national research institutions, universities, and private companies, the company will enhance the added value of their proprietary technologies and build a sustainable ecosystem for deployment in real society.

(3) Industrial Application Development of Optical Technology

The company will deploy optical-related technologies obtained through fusion development to industrial areas requiring high-power and high-precision technology, such as laser processing. Some collaborations with major companies for applied technology system development are already underway.

Read more