Focused Energy

Focused Energy is a Deep Tech startup that has raised $255M in venture capital. The company reached Series A stage in September 2021 with a $15M round led by Prime Movers Lab. Focused Energy's investor base includes 7 institutional funds, with Prime Movers Lab leading the most recent equity round.

Focused Energy is a German-American laser fusion company headquartered in Darmstadt, Germany, with additional offices in Berlin, San Francisco, and Austin. Founded in July 2021 as a spinout from the Technical University of Darmstadt, the company employs over 160 scientists, engineers, and operators drawn from world-leading institutions including the National Ignition Facility (NIF), the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE), and ASML. Its co-founders include CEO Thomas Forner and Chief Science Officer Prof. Dr. Markus Roth, a laser plasma physicist who was part of the team behind the 2021 fusion ignition breakthrough at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Focused Energy pursues direct-drive inertial confinement fusion using high-power pulsed lasers to compress and ignite fusion fuel — the only fusion approach for which a scientifically verified net energy gain has been demonstrated. The company's roadmap targets the delivery of the first grid megawatt-hour from laser fusion by 2037, with a commercial-scale pilot plant to be built at the former RWE nuclear power plant site in Biblis, Hesse. This facility will serve as a blueprint for industrial laser fusion deployment. In May 2026, Focused Energy closed a $240 million Series A — the largest fully secured Series A in the global fusion industry to date. Investors include RWE (contributing $60 million as a strategic industrial partner), Prime Movers Lab (the repeat lead from earlier rounds), the Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovation SPRIND, the European Innovation Council Fund, and additional backers from Germany, Europe, Asia, and the Gulf region including prospective energy buyers and long-term capital providers. Prior to the Series A, the company had raised approximately $82 million across its seed and early-stage rounds, including a $15 million seed in September 2021 led by Prime Movers Lab with participation from Alex Rodriguez, Marc Lore, and Tony Florence, as well as government grants from the U.S. Department of Energy ($3 million), the German Federal Agency for Disruptive Innovation SPRIN-D ($50 million), and the state of Hesse ($3 million). The $240 million Series A positions Focused Energy as the most valuable fusion company in Europe.

Lead investors

Co-investors

• FundingFocused Energy Raises $240M for Fusion PowerMay 2026