Beam for Fusion Raises ¥50 Million in Seed Round for Fusion Reactor "Heart" Heating Device

Beam for Fusion Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Kani City, Gifu Prefecture; Representative Director: Hiroshi Horiike), which aims for the early realization of fusion energy through key technologies such as beam heating, neutral particle injection, and liquid metal high heat load technology, has implemented a third-party allotment of shares totaling 50 million yen in its seed round, with Incuate Fund (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo) as the subscriber.

### Background
Currently, fusion energy is projected to become a market worth 100 trillion yen by 2040*1, and the construction of demonstration reactors is set to begin worldwide. To initiate fusion reactions on Earth, plasma, which serves as fuel, needs to be heated to approximately 100 million degrees Celsius. The "Neutral Particle Beam Injector (NBI)" for this purpose is one of the most critical components of a fusion reactor. However, the conventional "positive ion" method, which has been mainstream for NBIs, faced a challenge of significantly declining efficiency with increasing energy. A highly efficient "negative ion" method is indispensable for next-generation fusion reactors*2, but its stable generation has been extremely difficult, posing a long-standing technical bottleneck.

*1 Source: Deloitte Tohmatsu Group's "Future Potential of Fusion Energy - Bringing the Sun to Earth-"
*2 Positive ions become less likely to return to neutral particles (neutralization efficiency decreases) as their energy increases, whereas negative ions maintain high neutralization efficiency even at high energies, making them indispensable for next-generation fusion reactors.

### Business Introduction
Beam for Fusion Co., Ltd. is a startup that develops and designs "Neutral Particle Beam Injectors (NBI)" for fusion reactors, which inject high-energy particle beams into the reactor for heating. We possess a technical team that has implemented NBI devices based on negative ion beams at a practical reactor level (200kV-500kV, 5-10MW class) for the first time in the world. Engineers who have led national projects at the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST) and the National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS), the core of Japan's fusion research, will provide solutions indispensable for the "industrial implementation" of fusion beyond the research stage.

### Purpose of Fundraising
The development and transfer of NBI devices are large-scale projects that take a very long time due to their sheer size. The funds raised this time will be used to build a foundation for reliably completing these projects and for the inheritance and organizational development of world-class technology to the next generation.

* **Strengthening Organizational Structure:** Recruitment of next-generation key personnel, including technology successors, management members, and overseas BizDev professionals; training of young engineers and researchers, and transmission and development of fundamental technologies.
* **Promoting Domestic and International Projects:** Accelerating NBI device development projects with overseas companies and advancing system design and supervision work in domestic fusion projects.
* **Deepening Technological Development:** Reinvesting in R&D for the commercialization of next-generation NBI devices through in-house design. High-energy ion beam devices are comprehensive engineering devices that include various technological elements required for fusion. We will contribute to the technological development of fusion reactors while expanding our business.
* **Technology Transfer and Establishment of Organizational Foundation:** To preserve and develop the negative ion beam technology cultivated over many years of research not just as individual knowledge but as corporate assets, we will strengthen recruitment of next-generation technology successors, management members, and overseas business development personnel.
* **R&D for Next-Generation NBI Devices:** Reinvesting in R&D for the commercialization of next-generation NBI devices through in-house design to establish fusion heating solutions for industrial implementation.
* **Application to Other Industries:** Designing and manufacturing devices for general industries by combining ion beam and liquid metal technologies. Examples include therapeutic devices for refractory cancers and the production of rare elements.

### About Recruitment
With this funding, Beam for Fusion will fundamentally strengthen its management system to accelerate the social implementation of fusion power generation. The social implementation of fusion power is predicted to be from the 2030s onwards at the earliest, and the path to practical application is extremely long and arduous. In this grand timeline, to ensure that the world-class negative ion beam technology, indispensable for fusion realization, is passed on to society without interruption, we must reliably transfer the knowledge of engineers who have led national projects for many years to the younger generation who will bear the future, and establish intellectual property as an organization. We are currently seeking candidates not merely as "employees" but as next-generation management and leader candidates who will take over the baton of a business that will last 30 to 50 years and build the future energy infrastructure as stakeholders. We sincerely await contact from those who wish to join us in building an organization that can compete globally in the 100 trillion yen fusion market by realizing Japan's world-renowned technology through the power of business.

### Investor Comments

**Masahiko Honma, Representative Partner, Incu bate Fund Inc.**
"In the long-term theme of fusion, investing in Beam for Fusion is not just an investment in a startup, but also a VC's stance of investing in the construction of next-generation energy infrastructure. Starting from Japan's accumulated knowledge in the energy field, we believe they are in a position to play a crucial role within the global industrial ecosystem. Through this investment, we aim to contribute to the realization of a sustainable energy society."

**Founding Member Introduction**

**Hiroshi Horiike, Representative Director & CEO**
Professor Emeritus at Osaka University, former Chairman of the Atomic Energy Society of Japan, former researcher at the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute. Program Manager for the construction of JT-60U*3, and a promoter of fusion energy as a former steering committee member of the Fusion Energy Forum.

**Yasuhiko Takeiri, Director & CTO**
Professor Emeritus at the National Institute for Fusion Science, former Director of the National Institute for Fusion Science, former Chairman of the Plasma and Fusion Society. Expert in positive/negative ion beams. Demonstrated expertise in the construction and operation of the Large Helical Device (LHD)*4. First Japanese recipient of the NIBS award at NIBS (the most authoritative international conference on negative ion beam research) in 2016.

**Toru Chiba, Director & COO**
Former Director and General Manager of the Technology Division at Sharp Corporation. Engaged in R&D, standardization, and commercialization of software and network-related technologies. Involved in the founding of US AI ventures, drug discovery ventures, and media startups.

*3 JT-60U: A critical plasma testing device developed at the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute's Naka site, now updated and operational as JT-60SA.
*4 LHD (Large Helical Device): A world-class, large-scale superconducting fusion plasma experimental device, Japan's pride, possessed by the National Institute for Fusion Science, National Institutes of Natural Sciences.

### Contact Information
Contact: Secretariat
E-mail: service@beam4fusion.com

■ Beam for Fusion Co., Ltd.
Location: 73-18 Sakuragaoka 6-chome, Kani City, Gifu Prefecture
Established: September 20, 2023
Business Description: Design and manufacturing of ion beams and related equipment
HP: https://beam4fusion.com/
Keywords: Fusion, Fundraising, Incu bate Fund, Seed, National Institute for Fusion Science, NIFS