News Release
Cool Japan Fund Inc.
Tokyo, November 28, 2018

Investment in Spiber’s Apparel Business
Utilizing Next Generation Fiber Materials Developed in Japan- New Synthetic Protein Materials Based on Engineered Spider Silk DNA -Cool Japan Fund is pleased to announce the investment of approximately 3 billion yen inSpiber Inc. (headquartered in Tsuruoka, Yamagata; hereafter “Spiber”), a biotech venturecompany launched out of the Keio University Institute for Advanced Biosciences in 2007.
Spiber engages in the development and production of synthetic proteins based on engineeredspider silk DNA. Funds raised from this round, in which the Cool Japan Fund was the lead
investor, will be used to propel Spiber’s transition into the commercialization phase.
Spiber is engaged in business development endeavors across a range of fields, including thedevelopment of new materials for use in the fiber market using their proprietary technologies.
The successful establishment of the world’s first mass production process for this new material
has established Spiber as a leading candidate for success within the fiber industry. Taking
advantage of the material’s low environmental impact, Spiber intends to expand businessoperations through joint prototype development initiatives with outdoor apparel brands. Spiber
is widely anticipated to become a unicorn company; that is, an unlisted company with an equity
value of more than USD 1 billion.
Including the investment by Cool Japan Fund, Spiber has announced a total of 5 billion yen
raised during this round. These funds will be utilized for the planned construction of thecompany’s first mass-production plant, to be located in Thailand. This plant will allow for large
scale fermentation and purification of a variety of synthetic proteins for use in materials suchas fibers. Establishment of the plant represents Spiber’s latest step towards mass production
operations, and commercial production at the plant is expected to commence in 2021.
Through this investment in Spiber, Cool Japan Fund aims to increase global awareness ofJapan’s cutting-edge material and fiber development manufacturing initiatives and cultivate
new demand in the international fashion and apparel markets.

Established in 2007, Spiber Inc. is a biotech startup based in Yamagata, Japan. Spiber’s cofounders, Kazuhide Sekiyama and Junichi Sugahara, began researching spider silk protein
synthesis in 2004 at the Keio University Institute for Advanced Biosciences in Tsuruoka,
Yamagata. Their efforts led to the development of Spiber’s proprietary QMONOS® proteinmaterial, as well as the successful establishment of the world’s first mass production techniques
for its production, achievements which have positioned Spiber as a forerunner in the fiberindustry.

In addition to fibers, woven and knit textiles, and non-woven fabrics, Spiber’s molecularly
designed protein materials can also be processed into resins, films, gels, and composites. As
such, they have garnered wide attention for their potential to serve as sustainable mainstay
industrial materials, due to their low environmental impact, biodegradability, and non-relianceon traditional petroleum resources.
Taking advantage of their new material’s low environmental impact, Spiber intends to expand
business operations through joint prototype development initiatives with outdoor apparelbrands. Spiber is widely anticipated to become a unicorn company; that is, an unlisted company
with an equity value of more than USD 1 billion.
Cool Japan Fund is pleased to announce the investment of approximately 3 billion yen inSpiber Inc. Funds raised from this round, in which Cool Japan Fund was the lead investor, will
be used to propel Spiber’s transition into the commercialization phase. Including the investment
by Cool Japan Fund, Spiber has announced that a total of 5 billion yen was raised during thisround.
These funds will be utilized for the planned construction of the company’s first massproduction plant, to be located in Thailand. This plant will allow for large scale fermentationand purification of a variety of synthetic protein materials for use in materials such as fibers.
Establishment of the plant represents Spiber’s latest step towards mass production operations,and commercial production at the plant is expected to commence from 2021. The plant will beconstructed at The Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate in Raying(*), located approximately 120
km from Bangkok, and is expected to have a maximum annual production capacity of several
hundred tonnes. Proteins produced at the plant will be shipped to and spun into fibers at Spiber’s
Tsuruoka spinning facilities, which are also slated for upgrades and expansion. Furtherannouncements regarding Spiber’s plans and product development initiatives within the appareland other industries will follow at a later date.
Through this investment in Spiber, Cool Japan Fund aims to increase global awareness ofJapan’s cutting-edge material and fiber development manufacturing initiatives and cultivate
new demand in the international fashion and apparel markets. Cool Japan Fund hopes that thisinvestment will encourage widespread cooperation amongst the highly skilled enterprises
within Japan’s textile industry―companies specializing in areas such as spinning, processing,and sewing―and in so doing will contribute to the development of the textile industry as awhole.
* The Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate in Rayong is an exemplar of the Thai government’s Eastern
Economic Corridor initiative, which seeks to gather together both domestic and international advanced
technology enterprises to encourage economic and technological growth within Thailand. Located near Laem
Chabang, site of Thailand’s largest international port, the Estate is home to a variety of factories belonging
to both Japanese and other foreign manufacturers from the automotive and other industries. The estate wasestablished in 1996, and is developed by WHA INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT.

About Spiber Inc.
Founded:Headquarters:
Representative Executive Officer:
Business Domain:
URL:

September 2007
Tsuruoka, Yamagata, Japan
Kazuhide Sekiyama
New-generation biomaterial development
https://www.spiber.jp/en* Spiber has been selected for the the Cabinet Office’s Impulsing Paradigm Change through Disruptive
Technologies Program (ImPACT), as well as both the Industrial Technology Research and Development
Project, and the J-Startup project, offered by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

Contact for details regarding this document:
Cool Japan Fund (PR representatives: Yuge, Okuyama) Tel 03-6406-7500

(Reference)

Investment in Spiber’s Apparel Business
Utilizing Next Generation Fiber Materials Developed in Japan
Project Scheme:
FinancialInstitutions

Enterprises
Approximately
3 billion yen

Global development of apparel business utilizing synthetic structural protein materials

Gene synthesis room

The pilot fermentation plantat Spiber’s Tsuruoka headquarters

Filament yarn sample

Spun yarn sample

An improved MOON PARKA® prototype undergoing testing*Photos provided by Spiber Inc.