DK
David Kirtley
Co-Founder & CEO
Helion Energy is developing magneto-inertial fusion generators that use a field-reversed configuration of deuterium-helium-3 plasma to produce electricity. Its seventh-generation prototype Polaris was completed in late 2024, and the company is building a commercial fusion power plant, Orion, in Washington State to deliver electricity to Microsoft beginning in 2028 under the world's first fusion power purchase agreement.
Helion Energy is developing magneto-inertial fusion generators that use a field-reversed configuration of deuterium-helium-3 plasma to produce electricity. Its seventh-generation prototype Polaris was completed in late 2024, and the company is building a commercial fusion power plant, Orion, in Washington State to deliver electricity to Microsoft beginning in 2028 under the world's first fusion power purchase agreement.
Helion Energy was founded in 2013 by David Kirtley, John Slough, Chris Pihl, and George Votroubek, who had worked together at MSNW in Redmond, Washington on plasma physics and space propulsion. Their work on pulsed plasmas suggested a commercially viable approach to fusion, and they spun the effort into Helion. The company joined Y Combinator in 2014, and Sam Altman later became board chair and a major investor.
TechCrunch coverage of Helion's 150M degrees C plasma temperature milestone and its push toward delivering power to Microsoft in 2028.
Helion reported that Polaris, its seventh-generation prototype, became the first privately developed fusion machine to achieve measurable deuterium-tritium fusion and reach plasma temperatures of 150 million degrees Celsius.
Helion began construction on Orion, said to be the world's first commercial fusion power plant, intended to deliver electricity to Microsoft in 2028.
Lightspeed Venture Partners led with SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Sam Altman, Mithril Capital, Capricorn, Good Ventures, and Nucor participating. The round brought total investment in Helion to over $1B.
Microsoft agreed to buy electricity from Helion starting in 2028, with a target of 50 MW or more in an agreed-upon ramp period. It is the first commercial fusion PPA.
Co-Founder & CEO
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$425M raised total
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