Innovation Kyoto 2021 Investment Limited Partnership" ("KYOTO-iCAP Fund II"), managed by Kyoto University Innovation Capital Co.,Ltd. ("Kyoto iCAP") (Headquarters: Sakyo-ku, Kyoto; Representative Director: Ko Kusumi) as its general partner, has made a new investment in LA TERRA Inc. (Headquarters: Nishi-ku, Sapporo; Representative Director: Shinya Araiso), a startup commercializing research outcomes from Hokkaido University.

Overview of the investment
LA TERRA is a Hokkaido University spin-off startup developing artificial culture soil based on natural zeolite, utilizing the soil-improving effects of iron complexes.

In recent years, climate change and natural disasters have made open-field cultivation increasingly unstable, heightening the importance of “stable plant production in factories” from the perspective of food security. Currently, most plant factories rely on hydroponic systems; however, due to cost constraints and limitations in the types of crops that can be grown, their application has been limited to only a small number of vegetables.LA TERRA has developed an artificial culture soil named “Crystal Grain.” In proof-of-concept experiments involving certain root vegetables, the company has confirmed accelerated growth as well as increases in nutrient content. Going forward, LA TERRA aims to deploy this technology in plant factory settings.

Kyoto iCAP decided to make a new investment of JPY 50 million through a third-party allotment of new shares, based on the positive results obtained from laboratory-scale cultivation experiments of root vegetables, as well as the execution of an academic consulting agreement with Hokkaido University for further improvement and characterization of Crystal Grain. With this funding, LA TERRA will conduct large-scale demonstration experiments for mass production across multiple plant species and will advance the evaluation of the properties of its artificial culture soil in collaboration with Professor Hamamoto of Hokkaido University.

Overview of LA TERRA Inc.
Establishment : July 2015
Business Description: Development and manufacturing of sterile artificial culture soil
Head Office: SAKURA-KOTONI, 5-1-8 Nijuyonken 4-jo, Nishi-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido
Representative Director: Shinya Araiso
HP : https://www.crystal.farm/

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 FundⅡ (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