realta-fusion

ORGANISATION dossier

Realta Fusion

ORGANISATION Fusion Physics Also: Realta Fusion, Realta

01 Executive_Summary

Magnetic mirror fusion startup, spun out of University of Wisconsin-Madison (~2022). Technology: compact, scalable, modular magnetic mirror with HTS magnets — 'fusion in a bottle.' WHAM experiment (Wisconsin HTS Axisymmetric Mirror): 17 Tesla HTS magnets (world record for magnetic confinement), first plasma July 15, 2024. Initially $10M ARPA-E grant (2020) to UW-Madison, MIT, and CFS. Now public-private partnership with Realta. $36M Series A (May 2025) led by Future Ventures. Previous: $9M seed from Khosla Ventures. 18 employees. Building CoSMo prototype and 'Realta Forge' facility. CEO: Kieran Furlong. DOE Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program recipient. Lineage: Project Sherwood (LLNL, magnetic mirror/Richard Post) → WHAM → Realta Fusion.

03 Deep_Dive_Intelligence

Overview

Entity Type: Organization — Realta Fusion operates as an institutional actor in the defense/aerospace ecosystem.

Network Relationships

Realta Fusion connects to 3 entities in the intelligence network:

Organisations (1):

→ Commonwealth Fusion Systems: CFS supplied 17T HTS magnets for WHAM

Programs (2):

← DOE Milestone Program: Recipient (magnetic mirror)
← ARPA-E ALPHA: Funded WHAM predecessor ($10M, 2020)

Source Documents

Intelligence derived from 5 source documents:

TechCrunch — $36M Series A (May 2025)
UW-Madison News — WHAM first plasma (July 2024)
wham.physics.wisc.edu
Realta Fusion press release — DOE Milestone agreement (June 2024)
PR Newswire — Series A announcement

05 Related_Entities (3)

DOE Milestone Program

program ←

Recipient (magnetic mirror)

ARPA-E ALPHA

program ←

Funded WHAM predecessor ($10M, 2020)

Commonwealth Fusion Systems

organisation →

CFS supplied 17T HTS magnets for WHAM

05b Related_Topics (1)

Directed Energy

usa → russia → china → israel → uk → germany → france → japan →

07 Key_Findings

▸ Entity Type: Organization — Realta Fusion operates as an institutional actor in the defense/aerospace ecosystem.
▸ → Commonwealth Fusion Systems: CFS supplied 17T HTS magnets for WHAM
▸ ← DOE Milestone Program: Recipient (magnetic mirror)
▸ ← ARPA-E ALPHA: Funded WHAM predecessor ($10M, 2020)
▸ TechCrunch — $36M Series A (May 2025)

09 Timeline_Mentions (4)

2020

ARPA-E BETHE program launches as ALPHA successor

Broader scope: magnets, novel concepts, materials. Funds WHAM (Realta) and CFS-NM. FIRE Collaboratives follow ($180M).

fusion-research

2023

DOE announces 8 Milestone-Based Fusion Development recipients

$46M for 8 companies. Inspired by NASA COTS. 5-10 year timeline for pilot plant designs.

fusion-research

2024

WHAM magnetic mirror experiment achieves first plasma

17T HTS magnets (world record). Revives Project Sherwood magnetic mirror concept. CFS supplied magnets.

fusion-research

2025

Realta Fusion raises $36M Series A

Led by Future Ventures. Building CoSMo prototype and Realta Forge facility. Modular magnetic mirror design.

fusion-research

View Full Timeline → View on Network Graph →

10 FAQ

What is Realta Fusion? ▾

What role does Realta Fusion play in the research network? ▾

Realta Fusion is classified under the "Fusion Physics" category. Magnetic mirror fusion startup, spun out of University of Wisconsin-Madison (~2022). Technology: compact, scalable, modular magnetic mirror with HTS magnets — 'fusion in a bottle.' WHAM experiment...

What evidence supports the Realta Fusion assessment? ▾

The intelligence assessment for Realta Fusion is supported by 4 primary sources. Key sources include "About Realta Fusion - Team and Mission", "Realta Fusion - Homepage", and "Federal grants to 2 Wisconsin startups highlight UW's leading role in fusion energy - UW-Madison". These documents provide the evidentiary basis for the analysis.

How does Realta Fusion connect to other entities in the network? ▾

Realta Fusion is connected to 3 entities in the intelligence network, including DOE Milestone Program (program), ARPA-E ALPHA (program), and Commonwealth Fusion Systems (organisation). Key relationships: DOE Milestone Program: Recipient (magnetic mirror), ARPA-E ALPHA: Funded WHAM predecessor ($10M, 2020), ; Commonwealth Fusion Systems: CFS supplied 17T HTS magnets for WHAM.

What is Realta Fusion's mission and strategic role? ▾

What programs or projects does Realta Fusion oversee? ▾

Realta Fusion is connected to 2 programs/projects: DOE Milestone Program (Recipient (magnetic mirror)) and ARPA-E ALPHA (Funded WHAM predecessor ($10M, 2020)).

What are the alternative names or aliases for Realta Fusion? ▾

Realta Fusion is also known as: Realta Fusion and Realta. These alternative names appear across different source documents and may reflect codenames, abbreviations, or historical references.

What external sources document Realta Fusion? ▾

Realta Fusion is documented by 4 external sources, including 2 official page and 2 news article. Notable references include "About Realta Fusion - Team and Mission", "Realta Fusion - Homepage", and "Federal grants to 2 Wisconsin startups highlight UW's leading role in fusion energy - UW-Madison".

What is the historical timeline for Realta Fusion? ▾

Realta Fusion is referenced across documents spanning 2020–2025, with activity noted in 2020, 2022, and 2024. This temporal range is derived from the primary source documents in the research archive.

What documents should I read to learn more about Realta Fusion? ▾

To learn more about Realta Fusion, review the 4 primary sources, and related research finding linked in the source documents section of this dossier.