Marathon Fusion

#FusionIsHere :-) Fusion energy is the hardest, most capital intensive, and complex technology of the 21st century and one of the important breakthroughs of our lifetime. This week's Fusion event at SF Deep Tech Week covered leading technical approaches and strategies to continue the industry's growth. We heard fusion approaches from: Kyle Schiller, CEO at Marathon Fusion Darren Woulfe, Head of Magnet Business Commonwealth Fusion Systems David Gates, CTO at Thea Energy Robin Langtry, CEO at Avalanche Energy Derek Sutherland, Head of Fuze-Q Physics Zap Energy Andrea (Annie) Kritcher, Scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Designer of NIF shot (!) Alison Christopherson, Plasma Physicist at Xcimer Energy Corporation JC B. CEO at Fuse And policy, funding, and public-private partnerships perspectives from: Andrew Holland, CEO at Fusion Industry Association Sally Benson, Professor at Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability Ahmed Diallo, Director at ARPA-E Malcolm Handley, Fusion VC at Strong Atomics Thank you to everyone who attended. For those that missed it, subscribe for future updates here: https://lnkd.in/g5DgRa4n Special thanks to Gigascale Capital for sponsoring and @Andrew Cote for their leadership and enthusiasm for Fusion!

Last week, we had a wonderful time at SF Climate Week, where we engaged with the hard-tech community right in Activate Berkeley’s own backyard. It was great to see this event reach peak impact, with thousands of people filling venues to convene around the most important topics with scientists, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and others. Here’s a glimpse of the sessions we hosted: 🌎 On Tuesday, we kicked off with a vibrant reception at 9Zero HQ, where over 400 people joined us for networking and conversations. The evening was a celebration of innovation and included a panel discussion on critical strategies for transforming the built environment to combat carbon emissions amidst economic challenges. Panelists included Activate Chief Fellowship Officer, Brenna Teigler, PhD ; Berkeley Lab Associate Lab Director, Energy Technologies Area Mary Ann Piette; Brimstone Founder Cody Finke, Ph.D. (Cohort 2019); and Calion Technologies Co-Founder Drew Lilley (Cohort 2023). 🌎 Thursday’s partnership event at 9Zero HQ with Anglo American’s Decarbonisation Ventures explored the dynamics of early-stage startup potential through corporate venture capital. The dialogue included perspectives from TDK Ventures, Khosla Ventures, and TechEnergy Ventures, among others, showcasing successful investment strategies and the importance of corporate support in scaling new technologies. 🌎 To close the week, we enjoyed mingling with the Activate community at the Autodesk Gallery event space. Each event provided insights and strengthened our community in advancing climate solutions. We’re energized by the emerging partnerships and ideas and are excited to continue driving change. Thank you to our event participants, partners, and community for making this week not just successful, but inspirational. #SFClimateWeek