North America · USA · Founded 2022
Thursday, October 29, 2026
Realta Fusion
Magnetic confinement — HTS tandem magnetic mirror
Magnetic
Deuterium-Tritium (D-T)
≈ $36M (Series A, 2024) + ARPA-E
TBD
Executive Summary
Spun out of the University of Wisconsin–Madison with ARPA-E backing, Realta Fusion is reviving the magnetic mirror concept using high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets. Founded by UW physicist Cary Forest and Kieran Furlong, the company is building an advanced tandem mirror targeting zero-carbon industrial heat first, then electrical generation.
Latest coverage — Realta Fusion
- IndustrySep 13, 2026Fusion sector
Madison utility, energy startup to explore new fusion power plant
Realta Fusion has initiated a collaboration with a southern Wisconsin utility to evaluate potential sites for a 200 MWe commercial fusion power plant based on a compact mirror confinement concept.
- FundingAug 15, 2023Fusionhub
Fusion Startup Spotlight: Realta Fusion
Realta Fusion, a University of Wisconsin-Madison and MIT spin-off, has secured ARPA-E funding to develop high-field, compact stellarators using second-generation high-temperature superconducting tapes.
Strategic Thesis
HTS magnets finally make the simple, linear mirror geometry economic — sell process heat to industry as a near-term wedge before electricity.
Engineering Bottlenecks
- End-loss suppression in a tandem mirror configuration
- HTS magnet fabrication at production scale
Milestone Timeline
2022
Founded; ARPA-E BETHE program award
2024
$36M Series A led by Khosla Ventures
2024
WHAM (Wisconsin HTS Axisymmetric Mirror) first plasma
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Citations & Sources
Academic & financial rigor- [01]
The Global Fusion Industry in 2025
Fusion Industry Association · Jul 2025
- [02]
Company disclosures and press releases
Realta Fusion
- [03]
Peer-reviewed plasma physics literature
Journal of Plasma Physics / Nuclear Fusion