The following is an English version of the official Japanese announcement, which has been given to the Tokyo Stock Exchange and the media in Tokyo, Japan.

December 6, 2021

For Immediate Release

SPARX Group Co., Ltd.

President and Group CEO Shuhei Abe

(TSE1: 8739)

Mirai Creation Fund II Invests in Atomis,

a Provider of Gas Solutions Using Next-Gen Porous Materials

-Helping realize carbon neutrality using new materials-

TOKYO-December 6, 2021-SPARX Group Co., Ltd. (SPARX; TSE1: 8739) today announced that its Mirai Creation Fund II-established in July 2018-has invested in Atomis Inc. (Atomis). The firm promotes solutions to social problems through the development of next-generation porous materials. Atomis intends to use this fundraising round to strengthen its R&D capabilities to help realize carbon neutrality. Its efforts will include installing mass-production equipment for next-gen porous materials and accelerating the development of next-gen gas containers and carbon dioxide (CO2) separation and conversion techniques.

Portfolio Company Outline

Atomis operates under a management vision of "generating new value by promoting the wide-spread use of next-gen porous materials (PCP/MOFs)." Porous coordination polymer (PCP)/metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are new materials, first discovered by Kyoto University's Distinguished Professor Susumu Kitagawa. These materials exhibit a variety of functions that were not possible with existing porous materials. They can selectively store CO2 and methane gas, the causative agents of global warming, and separate and convert CO2. In the future, it aims to create a business model for safely storing hydrogen, a clean energy source, to help realize a hydrogen supply chain. It intends to realize the global goal of carbon neutrality by further enhancing the new material R&D capacity it has cultivated so far.

■ Mirai Creation Funds I, II, and III Summaries

The Mirai Creation Fund I began operations in November 2015 with financing of JPY 13.5 billion from three companies: Toyota Motor Corporation, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, and SPARX, the Fund's general partner. Ultimately, the Fund received contributions from 20 companies, including the above three. Casting intelligent technologies, robotics, and hydrogen-economy technologies as vital to the future, Fund I has invested in approximately 50 companies and projects-from the US, the UK, Israel, Singapore, and Japan-that possess innovations in these fields. In H2 2018, SPARX began managing the Mirai Creation Fund II, which targets the three existing Mirai Creation fields along with the two additional areas of electrification and new materials. In October 2021, SPARX launched the Mirai Creation Fund III, adding carbon neutrality to its investment focus. As of October 31, 2021, the combined AUM for Funds I, II, and III were JPY 103.1 billion.

Mirai Creation Fund investment track record: https://mirai.sparx.co.jp/en/investment/

  • For inquiries related to this release, contact: Public Relations, SPARX Group Co., Ltd.
    Tel: +81-3-6711-9100 / Fax: +81-3-6711-9101 pr_media@sparxgroup.com

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Sparx Group Co. Ltd. published this content on 06 December 2021 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 06 December 2021 07:31:07 UTC.