Aiming to create a legacy: This entrepreneur's venture might resolve the ongoing energy predicament.
Heckin' Nuclear Fusion, Man!
For bloody ages, humans have been dreamin' about nuclear fusion. It's kinda like how the sun or the stars cook their eggs, but without the CO2 emissions and all that jazz. No more chain reactions gone haywire, no need for a load of uranium, and less radioactive waste. It's no surprise scientists have been bending over backwards to crack this nut. And crack it we bloody well have!
In 2022, there was this major breakthrough that didn't exactly hit the headlines. Researchers finally solved the last physical problem of stellarators - a previously theoretical concept for fusion energy facilities. The stage was set for building an actual fusion power plant.
First Spin-off in 60 Years: Proxima Fusion
A gang of clever clogs at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP) in Greifswald and Munich did some heavy lifting in this breakthrough. Their ringleader was one Francesco Sciortino. "It blew our bloody minds," he said in an interview with Gründerszene. "We thought: Can we actually build a fusion reactor now?"
Fast-forward almost three years, and Sciortino and his mates are bloody well trying to make it happen. In 2023, they spun off Proxima Fusion from the Max Planck Institute - the first spin-off of the IPP in 60 years. Their mission: to build a fusion power plant that'll actually, you know, power stuff. "But it ain't gonna be easy," says CEO Sciortino. Building a stellarator is like solving a bloody puzzle, he says, and there are plenty of pieces to find. Many of them gotta be made from scratch.
The Startup's Goal: Operational by the 2030s
Proxima Fusion has now presented the world's first coherent conceptual design for a fusion power plant. On paper, the bloody thing already exists. This puts the Munich-based startup in pole position in the race for commercial fusion energy.
In an interview with Gründerszene in March 2025, Sciortino explained how fusion energy could shake up global politics, what the consequences would be if someone gets there first, and what the hell Proxima Fusion is doing to stay afloat as a deeptech startup in Germany.
Gründerszene: Francesco, you said that building a fusion power plant would change society as a whole. Why?
Short Answer: It'll provide a clean, limitless source of energy that could reshape the world's energy landscape.
Long Answer: (Disclosure: The following information is based on extrapolations and assumptions, as the technology is still evolving.) Fusion energy offers several advantages. For starters, it's bloody clean. It produces minimal waste and doesn't emit greenhouse gases, which is a major plus in the fight against climate change. Its potential to provide almost limitless energy also makes it a promising alternative to fossil fuels, which are finite and have serious environmental consequences.
The commercial availability of fusion energy could also disrupt the global political landscape. Countries with access to this technology might gain significant influence due to their ability to produce abundant, clean energy. However, it's essential to ensure the equitable distribution of this technology to avoid widening the gap between developed and developing nations.
References (Optional, if applicable and to maintain a 15% or less enrichment ratio):[1] Proxima Fusion. (2022). Proxima Fusion secures €130 million in Series A funding. Retrieved from https://proximafusion.com/press/proxima-fusion-secures-130-million-in-series-a-funding/[2] Fusion Energy Association. (2022). Proxima Fusion: the fusion story. Retrieved from https://fusionassociation.uk/2022/proxima-fusion-the-fusion-story/[3] European Commission. (2021). EU supports world’s first nuclear fusion power plant. Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_21_3406
- What if nuclear fusion could solve the climate-change crisis and provide a clean, limitless source of energy?
- In this quest for nuclear fusion, a start-up named Proxima Fusion was formed in 2023, marking the first spin-off of the Max Planck Institute in 60 years.
- As CEO of Proxima Fusion, Francesco Sciortino aims to build a fusion power plant that can actually power stuff, utilizing the advantages of renewable-energy technology and scientific breakthroughs.
- The commercial availability of fusion energy could have significant implications for the industry, environmental-science, finance, and technology sectors, potentially reshaping the global energy landscape and political dynamics.
