Every fusion startup that has raised over $100M | TechCrunch

"It doesn't hurt that, at the end of 2022, a U.S. Department of Energy lab announced that it had produced a controlled fusion reaction that produced more power than the lasers had imparted to the fuel pellet. The experiment had crossed what's known as scientific breakeven, and while it's still a long ways from commercial breakeven, where the reaction produces more than the entire facility consumes, it was a long-awaited step that proved the underlying science was sound."

"The technology may be challenging to master and expensive to build today, but fusion promises to harness the nuclear reaction that powers the sun to generate nearly limitless energy here on Earth. If startups are able to complete commercially viable fusion power plants, then they have the potential to upend trillion-dollar markets."

Fusion power has shifted from a distant joke to a credible, well-funded technology with potential to produce nearly limitless terrestrial energy. The field remains technically difficult and capital-intensive, but could disrupt trillion-dollar energy markets if startups deliver commercially viable plants. Recent progress stems from faster computer chips, more sophisticated AI, and high-temperature superconducting magnets, which enable improved reactor designs, simulations, and control systems. A late-2022 Department of Energy experiment achieved scientific breakeven, demonstrating the core science. Private founders and investors have leveraged that milestone to accelerate fundraising and development of first-of-a-kind fusion power plants.

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