Germany-based fusion startup Focused Energy has raised a $240M oversubscribed Series A led by utility RWE, bringing total funding to approximately $500M including grants. The company is commercializing inertial confinement fusion using a 'direct drive' laser approach inspired by the NIF's historic 2022 net energy gain experiment. Key innovations include eliminating the hohlraum component to improve efficiency and simplify fuel target manufacturing — critical for scaling from ~400 shots/year at NIF to 10 shots/second commercially. The demonstration reactor, called Lighthouse, will be built at a decommissioned German fission plant. The company faces significant engineering challenges, including achieving net energy gain against total system input rather than just fuel input, and competes with well-funded rivals like Commonwealth Fusion Systems and Inertia Enterprises.
