Where is Helion headquartered?

Helion is headquartered in Everett, Washington. The company has a team of 101-500 people.

Helion operates in the AI in Climate / Energy sector. Helion is building the world's first fusion power plant using a pulsed, magneto-inertial fusion approach with direct electricity recovery. Zero-carbon, always-on, abundant electricity from nuclear fusion — designed for commercial deployment this decade with lower capital cost and complexity than other fusion approaches.

When was Helion founded?

Helion was founded in 2013. It is based in Everett, Washington.

Who is the CEO of Helion?

David Kirtley is the CEO of Helion. The company was founded in 2013.

Where is Helion located?

Helion is headquartered in Everett, Washington.

What funding stage is Helion at?

Helion is currently at the Growth Stage stage.

How many employees does Helion have?

Helion has approximately 101-500 employees.

Helion

Category: AI in Climate / Energy

Helion is building the world's first fusion power plant using a pulsed, magneto-inertial fusion approach with direct electricity recovery. Helion was founded in 2013. The company is led by David Kirtley. Based in Everett, Washington. Team size: 101-500. Total funding raised: $1.5B. Key investors include Thrive Capital, Sam Altman, Dustin Moskovitz (Good Ventures Foundation), Lightspeed Venture Partners, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Mithril Capital, Capricorn Investment Group, Lux Capital, Peak XV Partners, Y Combinator, Nucor, Bill Ford.

Founded: 2013
Headquarters: Everett, Washington
Team size: 101-500
Total funding: $1.5B

Value proposition

Zero-carbon, always-on, abundant electricity from nuclear fusion — designed for commercial deployment this decade with lower capital cost and complexity than other fusion approaches.

Products and solutions

Polaris (7th-gen prototype — first private fusion machine to demonstrate D-T fusion and reach 150M°C), Orion (first commercial fusion power plant, under construction in Malaga, WA, targeting 50MW), Trenta (6th-gen prototype — reached 100M°C), Venti (5th-gen prototype)

Unique value

Only fusion company with a commercial PPA (Microsoft, 50MW by 2028); direct electricity recovery (no steam turbine) via Faraday's Law; pulsed non-ignition design using D-He-3 fuel; compact, scalable machines built for factory-style deployment

Target customer

Utility-scale energy buyers, hyperscale data center operators (AI/cloud), industrial manufacturers with large baseload power needs

Industries served

Energy generation (utility-scale), AI data center power, Industrial manufacturing

Technology advantage

Field Reversed Configuration (FRC) with magnetic compression; direct magnetic energy recovery (>95% efficiency demonstrated); D-He-3 aneutronic fuel cycle (5% neutron energy fraction); pulsed operation at 1Hz; 7 prototypes built and tested in 12 years; in-house capacitor manufacturing for supply chain control

How they differentiate

Helion uses a pulsed FRC approach with direct electricity recovery (no steam cycle), D-He-3 fuel, and compact linear machines — vs. CFS (tokamak, superconducting magnets, steam cycle), TAE (field-reversed configuration but with neutral beam injection and different fuel cycle), and Tokamak Energy (spherical tokamak). Helion is the only private fusion company with a signed commercial PPA.

Main competitors

Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), TAE Technologies, Tokamak Energy

Key partnerships

Microsoft (PPA for 50MW fusion power starting 2028), Nucor (500MW fusion power plant agreement + $35M strategic investment), OpenAI (advanced talks for 5GW by 2030, 50GW by 2035 power deal; Sam Altman stepped down from Helion board March 2026 to facilitate), HERCULES program ($4M awarded to 20 research institutions), ARPA-E ALPHA program

Notable customers

Microsoft (50MW PPA starting 2028), Nucor (500MW fusion power plant agreement), OpenAI (exploring partnership)

Major milestones

2013: Founded, 2014: Y Combinator S14 batch, 2015: ARPA-E ALPHA contract, 2020: Trenta reaches 100M°C (first private company), 2021: $500M Series E led by Sam Altman, 2023: First-ever fusion PPA with Microsoft, Nucor partnership, 2024: Polaris construction completed, 2025: $425M Series F at $5.4B valuation, 2026: Polaris achieves D-T fusion and 150M°C, $465M Series G at $15.5B valuation led by Thrive Capital, Orion power plant construction begins in Malaga, WA

Growth metrics

7 fusion prototypes built in 12 years; 450+ employees (2025); Polaris achieved first private D-T fusion and 150M°C (Feb 2026); Orion power plant under construction; $15.5B valuation (June 2026)

Market positioning

Among the top 3 private fusion companies globally by funding and valuation; widely considered the most commercially aggressive with a 2028 target for first electricity delivery to Microsoft; valued at $15.5B post-money (June 2026)

Geographic focus

US (Washington state); competing globally with US, UK, and China-based fusion developers

Patents and IP

Multiple patents assigned to Helion Energy, Inc. including US9524802B2 (Apparatus and methods for fusion based power generation) and US20170011811A1 (Advanced fuel cycle and fusion reactors utilizing the same — D-He-3 fuel cycle with in-system helium-3 breeding from tritium decay)

About David Kirtley

Ex-MSNW (MSNW LLC) Fusion Lead / Principal Investigator; PhD Aerospace Engineering, University of Michigan; NSF/NASA/DOD Fellow

Official website: https://www.helionenergy.com