Innovation Kyoto 2021 Investment Limited Partnership" (hereinafter "KYOTO-icap No.2 Fund"), with Kyoto University Innovation Capital Corporation (hereinafter "Kyoto iCAP") (Head office: Sakyo-ku, Kyoto; Representative Director: Ko Kusumi) as the general partner, has made a new investment in LEP Co. (Head office: Osaka City, Osaka; CEO: Takeharu Takamoto), a start-up company that utilizes the research results of national universities.

Overview of the investment
LEP is a startup utilizing technology developed by Professor Kenji Nagai of Osaka University and Professor Taku Demura of Nara Institute of Science and Technology, and is developing plants that emit light on their own without using electricity (self-luminous plants).

It is said that lighting accounts for about 15% of the world's energy consumption and about 5% of CO₂ emissions, and there is a need to create new means of lighting that are not overly dependent on electricity. LEP aims to deliver to society a new lighting culture that is not overly dependent on electric power-derived lighting, healing and wellbeing brought about by the flickering light of life, and "light with attachment" that grows together with plants.

LEP possesses (1) genetic technology to introduce multiple genes necessary for bioluminescence into plants, (2) technology to increase the intensity of luminescence, and (3) technology to control luminescence colors. These technologies enable a wide variety of plant species, including ornamental plants such as cut flowers and potted flowers, as well as roadside trees and green plants, to self-luminesce at the world's highest luminous intensity and in multiple colors (20 colors).

LEP's self-luminous plants have already shown the potential for creating new markets, as evidenced by the great response they have received both in Japan and abroad from the "display of self-luminous plants in a tea ceremony room space" at the Osaka Expo in Kansai. With this financing, LEP will accelerate the hiring of human resources for business expansion, develop new varieties of self-luminous plants, and launch an exhibition service utilizing self-luminous plants.

President Takeharu Takamoto worked with the Kyoto iCAP's part-time employment visiting entrepreneur program (ECC-iCAP) on entrepreneurship.

Kyoto iCAP expects that LEP technology will make a significant contribution to mitigating climate change and establishing a new lifestyle that brings excitement and healing to people's lives. Ltd. and Plug and Play Japan Co.

Company Profile:LEPCo., Ltd.
Establishment : September 2023
Business : Development of next-generation light source LEP (Light Emitting Plant)
Head office: Kita-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture
Representative Director: Takeharu Takamoto
HP : https://www.start-lep.jp/

About Kyoto University Innovation Capital , Co. Ltd. (Kyoto iCAP):
As a wholly owned subsidiary of Kyoto University, KYOTO-iCAP provides investment and other business support to companies that utilize research results generated by Kyoto University and other national universities. KYOTO-iCAP currently operates the Innovation Kyoto 2016 Investment Limited Partnership ("KYOTO-iCAP FundⅠ") (established in January 2016) with a total value of 16 billion yen and the KYOTO-iCAP 2 Fund (established in January 2021) with a total value of 18.1 billion yen. The KYOTO-iCAP FundⅠ has a maturity of up to 20 years, and the KYOTO-iCAP FundⅡ has a maturity of up to 17 years, making it possible to provide long-term support for the practical application of research results from Kyoto University, which has strengths in basic research. In addition, KYOTO-iCAP FundⅡ will invest a portion of the funds in ventures originating from national universities other than Kyoto University.

Contact information for inquiries
Kyoto University Innovation Capital, Co. Ltd.
36-1 Yoshida Honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8317, Japan
Osami Kono, Senior Officer, Business Development Department
TEL: 075-753-7588 FAX: 075-753-7592
E-mail: info@kyoto-unicap.co.jp