Global Brain has invested in Starlight Engine Ltd. (Starlight Engine), a company engaged in the research, development, and commercialization of fusion energy plants, through its Global Brain Flagship Fund IX, MF-GB Fund 4 L.P. (Mitsui Fudosan & Frontier Fund), KDDI Open Innovation Fund V (KOIF V), TOKYU-CNST GB Innovation Fund L.P. (TCIF), and FUKOKU -THE MUTUAL for Next 100 Fund L.P. (TMN100), as the lead investor. This round of funding was joined by Sony Financial Ventures & Global Brain Frontier Investment Limited Partnership (SFVG Fund) managed by the joint venture between Sony Financial Ventures Inc. and Global Brain. In recent years, against the backdrop of growing international momentum toward decarbonization and energy security, fusion energy has attracted global attention as a next-generation energy source capable of replacing fossil fuels, and the influx of private capital and technological innovation in this field is accelerating. Starlight Engine was established with the goal of transitioning fusion energy from the experimental stage to practical energy systems for societal implementation. The company employs the tokamak-type plasma confinement method, which has the most extensive accumulation of research and experimental data, and, centered on the compactly designed FAST Project, is advancing power generation demonstration, the development of core technologies, and the establishment of an industrial infrastructure in an integrated manner. Starlight Engine’s competitive advantage lies in its proactive incorporation of cutting-edge reactor engineering technologies—such as high-temperature superconducting (HTS) coils and fuel-breeding blankets—that have not yet been put into practical use in previous fusion development efforts. Furthermore, while building an industry-academia collaboration framework through joint research with Tohoku University, Nagoya University, Kyoto University, Kyushu University, and Keio University, as well as through a public-private partnership course between the University of Tokyo and private companies, Starlight Engine is building a framework for industry-academia collaboration. At the same time, with the participation of companies such as Kyoto Fusioneering Ltd. and plant engineering firms, the company is concurrently working to establish an industrial supply chain for commercial reactors. Global Brain has decided to invest in Starlight Engine, highly recognizing its management and research structure—which brings together researchers and engineers from diverse fields to realize fusion energy—its unique reactor engineering approach that integrates cutting-edge technologies, and its end-to-end business vision that spans from power generation demonstrations to the development and sale of commercial reactors. Through this investment, Global Brain will actively support the early realization of fusion energy by Starlight Engine, in collaboration with a diverse range of industry partners, including Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd., KDDI CORPORATION, TOKYU CONSTRUCTION CO., LTD., Fukoku Mutual Life Insurance Company, and Sony Financial Ventures Inc.

About Starlight Engine

Location: Ota-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Representative: Kiyotaka Kikuchi
Founded: April 2025
URL: https://sle.energy/en/home/

About Mitsui Fudosan & Frontier Fund

Name: MF-GB Fund 4 L.P.
General Partner: Global Brain Corporation

About KOIF V

Name: KDDI Open Innovation Fund V
General Partner: Global Brain Corporation

About TCIF

Name: TOKYU-CNST GB Innovation Fund L.P.
General Partner: Global Brain Corporation

About TMN100

Name: FUKOKU -THE MUTUAL for Next 100 Fund L.P.
General Partner: Global Brain Corporation

About SFVG Fund

Name: Sony Financial Ventures & Global Brain Frontier Investment Limited Partnership
General Partner: Sony Financial Ventures & Global Brain Frontier Inc.

About Global Brain

Location: Tokyo, Japan
Representative: Yasuhiko Yurimoto
Founded: January 1998
URL: https://globalbrains.com

Global Brain has invested in Starlight Engine Ltd., a company engaged in the research, development, and commercialization of fusion energy plants, as the lead investor