By Kyoto Fusioneerin,The Bridge

Copyright thebridge

On September 9, Kyoto Fusioneering, a company engaged in fusion energy plants, announced that it has raised ¥1.45 billion as an extension of its Series C round. The investors include Kyocera Venture Innovation Fund No. 1 (Global Brain), JERA, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, and one other company, totaling four entities.

Additionally, the company secured ¥5.3 billion in debt financing (including credit lines) from Japan Finance Corporation, Japan Bank for International Cooperation, Mitsubishi UFJ Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, and Kyoto Bank, bringing the total amount raised in this round to ¥9.38 billion. The company’s cumulative equity funding has reached ¥16.26 billion.

The company is a startup engineering essential peripheral technologies for fusion power generation, such as the “Fusion Heat Cycle System,” which converts thermal energy extracted from fusion reactors into electricity, and the “Fusion Fuel Cycle System,” which circulates tritium, the fuel. With bases in the UK, the US, and Japan, it is advancing the provision of technology to research institutions and private companies globally.

The simulated power generation facility “UNITY-1,” which uses a liquid metal loop, is in the final stage of demonstrating power generation technology, and the world’s only integrated demonstration of a fuel circulation system, “UNITY-2,” is scheduled to begin in Canada in 2026. Furthermore, the “Gyrotron System” for plasma heating has successfully demonstrated the world’s first output of five frequencies from a single unit and is being adopted in multiple projects, including Tokamak Energy (UK), accumulating international achievements in both technology and business.

The new funds will be allocated to scaling up the development of UNITY-1/UNITY-2, advancing the private-sector-led power generation demonstration project ‘FAST,’ overseas business expansion and personnel strengthening, and securing working capital associated with acquiring large-scale projects.

Since 2024, the company has already raised funds in its Series C extension through a first close (April 2024) of 1.56 billion yen 〈led by 31VENTURES-Global Brain-Growth I LLC〉 and a second close (July 2024) of 1.07 billion yen 〈led by In-Q-Tel (IQT), Marubeni, and Nichicon〉. Including this current round of 1.45 billion yen, the cumulative extension total reaches 4.08 billion yen.

via PR TIMES