Insider Brief
- TAU Systems raised $20 million in extended seed funding to open the first privately operated laser-plasma accelerator center in Carlsbad, California, aimed at commercial space radiation testing and advanced research applications.
- The new TAU Labs facility will serve satellite manufacturers, defense agencies, and public institutions by offering Beamtime-as-a-Service for radiation testing, x-ray imaging, metrology, and medical research.
- TAU’s technology, based on decades of laser-plasma physics research and recent advances in ultrafast lasers and AI control, seeks to deliver compact, cost-effective, high-energy particle beams for sectors such as aerospace, semiconductors, and biomedical imaging.
PRESS RELEASE — TAU Systems, the company pioneering next-generation ultra-fast compact laser-plasma accelerators, today announces raising $20 million in extended seed funding, bringing its total to $35M. The round was led by Quantonation, with participation from original seed investor, Team Global. Other participating parties include Alumni Ventures, Impact Ventures, UT Seed Fund and a group of private investors.
This new funding round enables TAU Systems to open the doors of the first privately owned and operated laser-particle accelerator in Carlsbad, California, and to begin work with its first customer – a major satellite manufacturing company. The new TAU Labs center will be available for commercial customers as well as public institutions, with first applications focusing on radiation testing for space electronics and other environments, as well as other applications using ultrahigh power laser, electron, or x-ray beams.
TAU’s groundbreaking technology promises to unlock unprecedented access to ultrafast, high-energy particle beams in a compact form, offering transformative potential for applications across advanced imaging, materials science, and high-energy physics.
“This investment is a major step forward for TAU and for advancing the future of radiation testing for space applications,” said Bjorn Manuel Hegelich, CEO and Founder of TAU Systems. “With the launch of TAU Labs in Carlsbad, CA, our first private laser accelerator center, we can now offer Beamtime-as-a-Service specifically tailored for space radiation testing, as well as x-ray imaging, metrology, and medical research. Our laser-driven accelerator technology enables precise, repeatable, and customizable radiation environments that help aerospace companies, satellite developers, and defense agencies and space centres, such as DARPA and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, to validate and harden their systems. We’re excited to provide the space industry with faster, more flexible access to the radiation testing capabilities they need, without the wait times of traditional facilities.”
“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,” said William Zeng, Partner at Quantonation. “We’re thrilled to partner with Manuel and the TAU team as they launch their first commercial facility.”
“Laser Plasma Accelerators, a cutting-edge frontier technology, holds vast potential to spark new industries and advance human scientific discovery,” added Team Global’s Lukasz Gadowski.
TAU Systems’ technology builds on decades of research in laser-plasma physics and leverages recent breakthroughs in ultrafast lasers and AI-based control systems. Its goal is to create a commercially viable, compact, and cost-effective accelerator capable of delivering beams that previously required massive, billion-dollar infrastructure.
The new funding will also support the company’s upcoming trailblazing research programs with academic and industry partners including DARPA and NASA’s JPL, laying the groundwork for real-world use cases in radiation-testing-as-a-service, semiconductor metrology, biomedical imaging, and materials testing.
Matt Swayne
With a several-decades long background in journalism and communications, Matt Swayne has worked as a science communicator for an R1 university for more than 12 years, specializing in translating high tech and deep tech for the general audience. He has served as a writer, editor and analyst at The Space Impulse since its inception. In addition to his service as a science communicator, Matt also develops courses to improve the media and communications skills of scientists and has taught courses.
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