Focused Energy Closes $240M Series A — Largest in ICF Startup History — to Build Laser Fusion Plant in Germany

Germany-based Focused Energy announced a $240 million Series A on May 27, 2026 — the largest fully secured Series A in global fusion history — led by German utility RWE, with participation from Germany's Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovation (SPRIND), Prime Movers Lab, and the European Innovation Council Fund. The new round brings total private capital to $300 million, supplemented by $200 million in grants. Focused Energy is developing direct-drive inertial confinement fusion (ICF), shooting laser pulses directly at a fuel pellet without the gold hohlraum intermediary used at NIF — targeting 10 shots per second versus NIF's ~400 per year. The company will construct its 'Lighthouse' demonstration system at RWE's decommissioned Biblis nuclear fission plant in Hesse, Germany, using existing cooling and grid infrastructure. Debbie Callahan, former NIF lead target designer, joined as Chief Strategy Officer in December 2025. If successful, Biblis would become the blueprint for industrial laser fusion plants in the 2030s.