Fusion Futures at The UW Foster School of Business
Fusion Futures: When Does Fusion Become a Commercial Reality?
Washington State is a central component of the next stage of Fusion Energy development. Helion has broken ground on a 50 MW prototype in Malaga tied to a first-of-its-kind Microsoft PPA. Zap Energy is advancing a magnet-free Z-pinch approach out of Everett. Avalanche Energy is building a neutron-source test facility in the Tri-Cities with state backing. And globally, private fusion funding has crossed $9.7B, with $2.6B raised in the last twelve months alone.
The risk has shifted. This is no longer a physics question. It's a question of supply chains, capital structures, regulatory timelines, and commercial execution — and the next 24 months will sort the leaders from the rest.
Join founders, investors, operators, and the next generation of strategy and venture talent for an expert panel and networking mixer at UW Foster.
Program
2:00 – 2:30 PM — Arrival & Registration
2:30 – 2:45 PM — Welcome & Opening Remarks: Dr. Phillip Bruner, UW Foster School of Business
2:45 – 3:45 PM — Expert Panel + Audience Q&A
Moderator: Dr. Phillip Bruner
Panelists: Dr. Greg Van Dyk, Altrusion · Matt Trevithick, Leitmotif · Bibake Uppal, Kyoto Fusioneering
3:45 – 4:30 PM — Networking Mixer
What the Panel Will Cover
The Investable Timeline — Pilots are happening now (2026–2028). First contracted power attempts follow (~2028–2030). Meaningful scale is post-2030. What that sequencing means for where capital goes today.
Diligence That Actually Works — PPAs and MOUs are signals, not bankability. How to evaluate what matters: physics milestones, system availability, burn intensity, and customer learning loops with data centers and industrials.
Where the Risk Really Lives — HTS magnets, pulsed-power manufacturing, tritium constraints. Which supply chain chokepoints are true timeline risks and which are solvable with capital.
Who Writes the Checks — Venture-led stacks with strategic co-investors from cloud, industrial, and energy bringing more than money. What milestone-based round structures look like at this stage.
Careers & Deal Flow — Where MBAs and operators fit in: venture, corporate strategy, supply chain, and the enabling technologies — power electronics, materials, QA, test services — creating durable opportunities alongside the reactor builders. A note for aerospace-adjacent attendees: near-term fusion applications in ground energy, e-fuels, and launch infrastructure are part of this conversation too.
Washington State Fusion Snapshot
Helion Energy (Everett/Malaga) — 50 MW "Orion" prototype under construction in Malaga. Microsoft offtake target: 2028. Nucor collaboration targeting a 500 MW industrial plant around 2030.
Zap Energy (Seattle/Everett) — ~$330M raised. Compact Z-pinch design requires no superconducting magnets, offering a potentially faster and cheaper path to pilot scale.
Avalanche Energy (Seattle/Tri-Cities) — $10M WA state grant to build the FusionWERX test facility in Richland. Targeting nearer-term neutron-source and component markets while the path to grid power matures.
Who Should Be in the Room
This event is designed for a mixed room: VCs and family offices tracking the energy transition, corporate development and strategy teams at industrials and tech companies, fusion and adjacent startups, and MBAs building toward venture, infrastructure, or ops roles. All are welcome!
Hosted by UW Foster Aerospace Association & the UW Climate Risk Lab