LiSTie

LiSTie Inc., established on July 6, 2023, is a Japanese deep-tech startup focused on addressing the world's growing lithium demand. The company originated from the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST) and was founded by Tsuyoshi Hoshino, a serial entrepreneur with a Ph.D. in Engineering who has previously led multiple ventures and successfully raised approximately 2 billion JPY. LiSTie was created to commercialize a proprietary lithium recovery technology called LiSMIC (Lithium Separation Method by Ionic Conductor).

The core of LiSTie's business is the LiSMIC technology, which utilizes a special ionic conductor membrane developed at QST that allows only lithium ions to pass through at high speed. This process enables the efficient extraction of high-purity (99.99%) lithium from various sources, including salt lakes with high impurity levels and used lithium-ion batteries. Unlike conventional methods, LiSMIC can directly produce lithium hydroxide without the intermediate step of creating lithium carbonate, presenting a more efficient, lower-cost, and less environmentally burdensome solution. The company's primary clients are expected to be in the resource recovery, recycling, and eventually, lithium production industries.

LiSTie's business model involves the research, development, and eventual sale and maintenance of its LiSMIC technology. The company is developing container-sized, modular implementation units called "LiSMIC Units," which will be sold to clients. Revenue will be generated from the sale of these units, ongoing maintenance contracts, and potentially, technology licensing. In July 2024, the company secured 150 million JPY in a seed funding round led by Universal Materials Incubator (UMI). Concurrently, it was selected for a significant government grant under the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's SBIR program, with a potential value of up to 1.5 billion JPY to advance its technology for applications in nuclear fusion. The company aims to achieve domestic demonstration by 2026, implement its first mass-production units in salt lake and battery recycling applications by 2029, and reach profitability by 2032.

Keywords: lithium recovery, LiSMIC, ionic conductor membrane, high-purity lithium, battery recycling, cleantech, deep tech, resource recovery, sustainable technology, circular economy, salt lake brine, lithium hydroxide, energy materials, QST spin-off, Tsuyoshi Hoshino, Universal Materials Incubator, nuclear fusion materials, critical minerals, direct lithium extraction, green technology