Seattle-based fusion startup Avalanche Energy has secured $29 million in new funding. The round was led by RA Capital Management, with full participation from existing backers Congruent Ventures, Founders Fund, Lowercarbon Capital, and Toyota Ventures. New investors such as 8090 Industries and Overlay Capital also joined.
The capital fully matches the $10 million Washington State Department of Commerce Green Jobs Grant, awarded in mid-2025. With this match secured, Avalanche now has the runway to scale its operations while advancing breakthroughs in compact fusion technology.
Scaling FusionWERX into a commercial powerhouse
A major share of the new funding will fuel the expansion of FusionWERX, Avalanche’s commercial-scale fusion test facility in Richland. Launched in April 2025, FusionWERX is the first site built specifically to serve the emerging fusion ecosystem—from technology testing to workforce development.
The facility is expected to operate under a broad-scope radioactive materials license with advanced tritium-handling capabilities by 2027. Once fully operational, it will support materials research, fusion-component validation, and Avalanche’s own Q>1 deuterium-tritium test program aimed at demonstrating the world’s first net-energy compact fusion system.
Beyond infrastructure, Avalanche will use the funding to grow its team, procure long-lead equipment such as superconducting magnets, and accelerate work on next-generation devices for applications ranging from material irradiation to mobile power generation and grid support.
Compact fusion built for real-world demands
Founded in 2018 by Robin Langtry and Brian Riordan, Avalanche’s technology is designed for settings where conventional energy systems fall short. The company’s modular, stackable fusion units promise high energy density for defense, space, and commercial use cases, from powering remote installations to enabling advanced propulsion and supporting operations in grid-challenged environments.
Its flexible architecture makes it suitable for applications such as space propulsion, underwater UAVs, data centres, and military bases. By combining a compact footprint with stable neutron production and scalable power output, Avalanche is positioning itself as a practical pathway to clean, reliable energy that works in austere conditions where traditional power sources cannot deliver.
Pushes the frontier forward
Avalanche’s momentum is grounded in steady engineering advances. In 2025, the team achieved a major vacuum high-voltage breakthrough, operating a fusion machine at 300 kV, equivalent to 5,000 kV per metre, a record-setting field strength that unlocks more efficient magneto-electrostatic fusion.
The company has also been publishing extensively, with three peer-reviewed papers detailing its Orbitron fusion plasma confinement scheme, and more research planned for release in 2026. These achievements reflect Avalanche’s rapid-iteration model, where design cycles move in days instead of years, giving the company unusual speed in refining its compact modular fusion machines.
“We’ve achieved significant breakthroughs on the plasma physics side that have kept us intensely focused on advancing our technology over the past six months,” said Robin Langtry, CEO and co-founder of Avalanche Energy. “The new funding will enable us to accelerate the company to the next phase – achieving licensing for commercial-scale fusion operations and preparing for our Deuterium-Tritium Q>1 test program. The strong support from both existing and new investors validates the technical progress we’re making toward practical fusion energy.”
“Avalanche is unique among companies in the fusion space in its ability to rapidly iterate to improve and advance its compact modular technology as well as its ability to generate near-term revenue prior to energy break-even,” said Kyle Teamey, Managing Partner, Planetary Health at RA Capital Management. “We’re excited to support the Avalanche team as they move efficiently towards crucial mobile, stationary, and space power-generation markets with massive potential.”
“What drew us to Avalanche is their focus on commercial systems, not just experiments, said Rayyan Islam co-founder and General Partner of 8090 Industries. “FusionWERX, modular fusion machines, isotopes and rapid iteration — this is a team building commercial infrastructure from the beginning. They are creating the industrial backbone that fusion has always needed to move out of the lab and into the real economy and they have a clear path from physics to commercial product. We are excited for Avalanche’s future and equally excited for how they will accelerate the commerciality of the fusion market at large.”
