Cepton, Inc. Announces Closing of $100 Million Investment from Koito Manufacturing
Cepton, Inc. (“Cepton”) (Nasdaq: CPTN), a Silicon Valley innovator and leader in high performance lidar solutions, announced today the completion of its previously announced $100 million investment (the “Investment”) from its long-term automotive Tier 1 partner and current shareholder, Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (“Koito”) (TSE: 7276) on January 19, 2023. The Investment, in the form of convertible preferred stock, was approved at a special meeting of Cepton stockholders on January 11, 2023, and is convertible, beginning on the first anniversary of the issue date, into shares of Cepton’s common stock at an initial conversion price of $2.585 per share.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230120005052/en/
(Graphic: Business Wire)
“We’re happy to announce the closing of the preferred stock investment as we deepen our partnership with Koito,” said Dr. Jun Pei, Cepton’s Co-Founder and CEO. “We plan to deploy the additional capital to help fund our next stage of growth, continue series production execution, and expand our collaboration efforts towards winning additional automotive OEM programs.”
“We’re excited to have completed our third investment in Cepton, which solidifies our commitment to lidar and increasing automotive safety for drivers worldwide,” said Mr. Michiaki Kato, Koito’s President. “This is an important year for us as we work towards commercialization and scale manufacturing of our lidar products. We have a strong track record with Cepton as a partner and look forward to achieving our mutual goal of becoming the leader within lidar.”
Additional details regarding the close of the Investment will be included in a Form 8-K to be filed by Cepton with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Advisors
ICR Capital LLC served as exclusive financial advisor to Cepton and O’Melveny & Myers LLP served as legal counsel to Cepton. SMBC Nikko served as exclusive financial advisor to Koito and Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP and Nishimura & Asahi served as legal counsel to Koito.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as “estimate,” “objective,” “plan,” “project,” “forecast,” “intend,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “seek,” “target,” “milestone,” “designed to,” “proposed” or other similar expressions that predict or imply future events, trends, terms and/or conditions or that are not statements of historical matters. Cepton cautions readers of this press release that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond Cepton’s control, that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the expected results. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the potential benefits of the Investment, including with respect to Cepton’s financial position and ability to execute on commercialization and mass market deployment goals. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Cepton’s assessments as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed upon the forward-looking statements. Cepton undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
About Cepton
Cepton is a Silicon Valley innovator of lidar-based solutions for automotive (ADAS/AV), smart cities, smart spaces, and smart industrial applications. With its patented lidar technology, Cepton aims to take lidar mainstream and achieve a balanced approach to performance, cost and reliability, while enabling scalable and intelligent 3D perception solutions across industries.
Cepton has been awarded a significant ADAS lidar series production award with Koito on the General Motors business. Cepton is also engaged with all Top 10 global OEMs.
Founded in 2016 and led by industry veterans with decades of collective experience across a wide range of advanced lidar and imaging technologies, Cepton is focused on the mass market commercialization of high performance, high quality lidar solutions. Cepton is headquartered in San Jose, CA and has a center of excellence facility in Troy, MI to provide local support to automotive customers in the Metro Detroit area. Cepton also has a presence in Germany, Canada, Japan, India and China to serve a fast-growing global customer base. For more information, visit www.cepton.com and follow Cepton on Twitter and LinkedIn.
About Koito
Under the corporate message, “Lighting for Your Safety”, Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (Koito) has been marking a history of leadership in automotive lighting since its establishment in 1915. Today, the Koito Group consists of 31 companies located in 13 countries worldwide and provides products and services to customers all over the world, through the global network led by five major regions (Japan, Americas, Europe, China, and Asia). Its products, recognized for its high quality and advanced technology, are widely used by automotive makers worldwide. The company is responding to the future transformation of mobility through the development of next-generation lighting technologies and related equipment, control systems, and environmentally friendly products, materials, and production methods. For more information, please visit www.koito.co.jp/english.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230120005052/en/
Contact information
Cepton, Inc. Contacts
Investors: InvestorRelations@cepton.com
Media: Faithy Li, media@cepton.com
Koito Manufacturing Contacts
Public Relations Department, kouhou@koito.co.jp
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Allianz Achieves Record Results and Expects a Full-Year Operating Profit of at Least 17 Billion Euros14.11.2025 08:16:00 EET | Press release
3Q 2025 This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251113803211/en/ Oliver Bäte, Chief Executive Officer of Allianz SE Double-digit growth in operating profit and shareholders’ core net incomeTotal business volume rises 5.21 percent with contributions from all segments Operating profit increases 12.6 percent to 4.4 billion euros, with particular strong contribution from the Property-Casualty segment Shareholders’ core net income advances by 12.7 percent and reaches 2.9 billion euros 9M 2025 Continued strong and diversified growth across our businessesand record operating profitTotal business volume rises 8.5 1 percent and reaches 141.2 billion euros with contributions from all segments Operating profit increases 10.4 percent to 13.1 billion euros, our highest nine-month operating profit ever, reaching 82 percent of our full-year outlook midpoint Shareholders’ core net income advances 10.5 percent to 8.4 billion euros. Ad
Galderma Completes Successful Placement of CHF 175 Million Bond14.11.2025 08:00:00 EET | Press release
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES OR IN ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE RESTRICTED BY APPLICABLE LAW OR REGULATION. Galderma Group AG (SIX:GALD), the pure-play dermatology category leader, today announced the successful placement of a single-tranche CHF 175 million Swiss franc-denominated bond. The bond has a maturity of 5 years and carries a fixed-rate annual coupon of 0.9425%. Net proceeds from the transaction will be used to partially refinance Galderma’s existing bank term loan issued at its initial public offering (IPO) in March 2024, as well as for general corporate purposes. This marks the company’s third CHF-bond issuance since listing. The new bond will be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange, with the settlement date expected on December 10, 2025. BNP Paribas and UBS jointly led the transaction. Galderma is rated BBB (stable outlook) by Fitch. The same rating is also expected to be assigned to the new bond. The successful issuance is leverage-ne
Leading e-wallets adopt Ant International's generative AI innovation platform to elevate customer experience14.11.2025 07:58:00 EET | Press release
Ant International, a leading global digital payment, digitisation, and financial technology provider, has announced that it is collaborating with e-wallet operators TNG Digital, the operating company of TNG eWallet, and easypaisa, Pakistan’s first digital bank, to deliver better customer experiences with AI, supported by Ant International's AI-as-a-Service platform for fintechs and superapps. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251113098837/en/ Ant International’s AI-as-a-Service platform equips fintech partners with tools to build a wide range of agentic solutions, from customer-service assistants to sales copilots. Alipay+ GenAI Cockpit is an AI innovation platform designed to help financial services businesses build generative AI-driven agentic applications, backed by Ant International’s deep domain excellence in financial services, and proven know-how in helping merchants and e-wallets digitalise operations. W
The Estée Lauder Companies Makes Strategic Minority Investment in Mexican Luxury Fragrance Brand XINÚ13.11.2025 23:50:00 EET | Press release
The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE: EL) today announced a minority investment in XINÚ, a Mexican luxury fragrance brand inspired by the abundance and exoticism of the American continent. This investment marks the first time The Estée Lauder Companies has invested in a Latin American brand, underscoring the company’s commitment to championing local entrepreneurship and innovation. Since its founding in 2017, XINÚ has created a distinctive universe where fragrance, design, and storytelling converge. The brand is celebrated for its sensorial retail spaces, sustainable design ethos, and products that honor heritage while reimagining modern luxury. “Fragrance excellence and craftsmanship are at the heart of The Estée Lauder Companies, and they drive our passion for discovering new voices in beauty,” said Stéphane de La Faverie, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Estée Lauder Companies. “Mexico has become a vibrant hub of fragrance innovation — a place where craftsmanship and cult
Stage Set for World’s Largest Autonomous Race as A2RL Reaches Full Fan Capacity at Yas Marina Circuit13.11.2025 20:02:00 EET | Press release
The world’s largest autonomous car race will take place in Abu Dhabi on the 15th of November, as 11 teams from across the globe compete at the frontier of robotics, autonomy and AI for a US$2.25 million prize pool. A2RL Season 2 has been 18 months in the making, with the six fastest teams making it through the tough qualification process to the Grand Final. Ticket allocation for the Yas Marina Circuit event has once again reached full capacity of the main grandstand, as motorsport and technology enthusiasts excitedly prepare to witness an AI competition unlike any other. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251113967122/en/ EAV-25 autonomous racecars from finalist teams line up on the grid at Yas Marina Circuit. (Photo: AETOSWire) Grand Final: Front row seat to AI history The A2RL Grand Final will mark the first time that six fully autonomous racecars will compete wheel-to-wheel on track. The six teams – TUM, Unimo
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom