Green Bay-based venture capital firm TitletownTech has made an undisclosed investment in Realta Fusion, a Madison startup working to create scalable fusion energy solutions to power AI-driven infrastructure and other industrial applications.
“Fusion energy is not just an exciting possibility, it’s a necessary part of our energy future,” said Craig Dickman, TitletownTech managing director. “Realta stands at the intersection of clean energy innovation and the growing energy demands of AI, showcasing how Wisconsin can lead in creating solutions to global challenges. We’re thrilled to partner with Kieran, Cary, and the Realta team as they chart their path forward.”
Fusion energy works by recreating the same process that powers the sun, in which hydrogen atoms fuse together under extreme heat and pressure to release massive amounts of energy.
Unlike nuclear fission, which splits heavy atoms apart to produce energy, fusion doesn’t create long-lived radioactive waste or carry the same safety risks. Fusion also uses fuel that is practically limitless, hydrogen, and produces only helium as a byproduct, making it a cleaner and safer energy solution.
Realta Fusion is developing modular, compact magnetic mirror fusion energy generators. This technology delivers clean, reliable energy while addressing the need for scalable, zero-carbon solutions as industries embrace AI and cloud computing.
Realta Fusion is partnering with the University of Wisconsin-Madison to develop its fusion technology through the Wisconsin High-field Axisymmetric Mirror (WHAM) project. WHAM recently achieved its first plasma, a major milestone in demonstrating the potential of high-field magnetic mirror technology to create commercially viable fusion energy.
Realta Fusion is also one of eight companies selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to help advance research and development for fusion power plants. The startup launched with a $12 million seed round in 2023.
“Our mission at Realta is to deliver clean energy solutions that are both scalable and practical,” said Kieran Furlong, co-founder and CEO of Realta Fusion. “The support from TitletownTech and others not only validates our approach but also provides us with the strategic resources needed to address one of AI’s biggest challenges: energy consumption.”
