Insider Brief
- Hexium has launched from stealth with $12 million in funding to scale AVLIS-based lithium isotope enrichment for nuclear fuel and restore U.S. leadership in isotope production.
- The company is modernizing the historic Atomic Vapor Laser Isotope Separation (AVLIS) technology to produce enriched lithium-6 and lithium-7 at scale, reducing reliance on foreign isotope supply chains.
- Founded by experts in high-energy physics and industrial-scale tech, Hexium is rapidly advancing its demonstration facility and forming partnerships across the fusion, fission, and medical sectors.
Modernizing Laser-Based Separation Technology for National Impact
PRESS RELEASE — Hexium, a pioneering isotope separation technology company, has emerged from stealth with $12 million in funding to modernize Atomic Vapor Laser Isotope Separation (AVLIS) technology and reestablish U.S. leadership in isotope enrichment. The total includes an $8 million seed round co-led by MaC Venture Capital (Stoke Space, Pipe) and Refactor (Astranis, Solugen) with participation from R7 Partners, Overture VC, Humba Ventures, Julian Capital and more, plus an additional $4 million in primarily non-dilutive private financing.
Hexium is modernizing the historic AVLIS technology (Atomic Vapor Laser Isotope Separation) originally developed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), with an initial focus on the enrichment of both lithium-6 and lithium-7. With this funding and launch out of stealth, Hexium is rapidly moving towards demonstrating AVLIS as the most deterministic path to large-scale production of the enriched lithium needed to meet the aggressive roadmaps of the advanced nuclear sector.
Compact, Cost-Effective, and Scalable: The Case for AVLIS
Hexium is leading the charge to restore U.S. leadership in isotope enrichment by leveraging the breakthrough laser-based AVLIS technology, which was originally developed through a previous U.S. Department of Energy investment of nearly $2 billion.
By addressing bottlenecks in the production and sourcing of critical isotopes like lithium-6 and lithium-7, Hexium is helping reduce the U.S.’s reliance on foreign sources and ensuring a reliable, domestic supply of isotopes for energy, space, and medical applications. With this $12 million in funding, Hexium is advancing AVLIS to further scale the production of these key isotopes efficiently and cost-effectively.
Hexium’s patent-pending approach aims to significantly boost U.S. isotope production while keeping costs competitive for the future of clean nuclear energy. AVLIS is a proven, scalable technology capable of extracting high-purity isotopes quickly and at lower costs, including lithium. Its compact facility footprint and established supply chain make it ideal for large-scale production. In addition to lithium, AVLIS can be adapted to separate a wide range of other critical isotopes, further strengthening the U.S. position in the global market.
Expert Founders and Strategic Partnerships Drive Momentum
Hexium was founded in October 2023 by Charlie Jarrott, Ph.D., a computational physicist with 15+ years of experience in high-energy physics at LLNL, and Jacob Peterson, MBA, an executive with expertise in engineering and commercializing industrial-scale technologies. The two met at Focused Energy, where Charlie led computational physics and Jacob led global business operations and finance.
Together, they set out to address critical technology and supply challenges in the race for global decarbonization. They were later joined by Co-Founder Martin Griswold, Ph.D., an expert in fusion physics, and have since expanded the team with specialists in laser science and key contributors from the historic LLNL program, the largest laser-based isotope production operation in history.
Since emerging from stealth, Hexium’s team has made rapid progress. Funding has been deployed towards laboratory and machine construction, with demonstration of lithium separation imminent. In addition to its own development laboratory, Hexium is also working under strategic partnerships with LLNL and is engaged with many early customers across fusion, fission, and medical industries.
Scaling U.S. Enriched Lithium Supply for Clean Energy Leadership
“We’ve built our demonstration facility and have a clear roadmap towards proving the most straightforward and efficient pathway to produce enriched lithium at scale,” said Charlie Jarrott, Co-Founder and CEO of Hexium. “There is a global race to mass produce isotopes which are critical to the future of clean energy, and this funding positions Hexium as a leader in the race to accelerate enriched lithium supply in the United States.”
“Charlie, Jake, and Martin are making impressive progress on critical isotope supply chain challenges facing several key industries including nuclear fusion, fission, and medicine,” said Mike Palank, General Partner at MaC Venture Capital. “This team’s clear path to commercialization and obsession with execution should be an example for all hard tech founders seeking to change the world.”
Zal Bilimoria, Founding Partner at Refactor, added, “Refactor seeks outlier founders, and Hexium’s team is the ideal definition. Charlie’s computational physics work, his Lawrence Livermore background, coupled with Jake’s operational, engineering, and financial expertise make them the optimal team to commercialize AVLIS. The extensibility of Hexium’s platform will allow them to pursue dozens of isotopes in the coming years, starting with lithium.”
For more information, visit www.hexium.us.
