Austin-based startup TAU Systems has secured $20 million in an extended seed funding round, bringing its total to $35 million. The fresh funding will enable the startup to build a commercial laser-plasma accelerator facility: TAU Labs, as Vestbee was told.
- Founded in 2021 by Bjorn Manuel Hegelich, TAU Systems develops compact laser-plasma particle accelerators and specialized X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) for scientific and industrial use.
- Using high-power lasers and AI-based control systems, TAU accelerates electrons by making them ride plasma waves, achieving very high energies over short distances.
- The firm claims that in 2023, in collaboration with the University of Texas, it generated a 10 GeV electron beam within just 10 centimeters.
- TAU’s technology enables applications in medical imaging, semiconductor development, materials analysis, fusion research, radiation testing, and nuclear waste reduction.
Details of the deal
- The investment was led by Quantonation, a Paris-based venture capital firm that supports deep physics startups with a focus on the emerging and disruptive field of quantum technologies.
“TAU is a fantastic example of what we look for in physics tech. The team has deep scientific know-how that builds for customers today in space radiation, and can grow to solve civilization-level challenges in next-generation semiconductor manufacturing,” claims William Zeng, Partner at Quantonation.
- The fresh funding round also saw support from Berlin-based VC Team Global, Alumni Ventures, a Manchester-based VC firm, Impact Ventures, UT Seed Fund, and various business angels.
- The fresh funding round will be used to complete TAU Labs, the company’s new laser-plasma accelerator facility in Carlsbad, California. It will also support work with TAU’s first customer, a satellite manufacturer, and help launch commercial services such as radiation testing, x-ray imaging, and medical research.
- In addition, the funding will back research projects with DARPA and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and further development of applications in semiconductor testing, materials analysis, and imaging.
