# Marvel Fusion

Canonical page: https://technooptimist.io/companies/marvel-fusion
Munich laser-fusion company founded in 2019. It hits nanostructured fuel targets with ultrashort, ultra-intense laser pulses, and is building the ATLAS laser facility with Colorado State University.

## In brief

- About €385 million raised, €170M of it private; investors include EQT, Siemens Energy and the EIC Fund (its first fusion stake).
- ATLAS, a 7-petawatt laser facility at Colorado State University, is due for completion in December 2026.
- Targets a prototype reactor in 2032 and commercial plants from 2036; Siemens Energy designs the power-plant side.

## Facts

- Founded: 2019
- Headquarters: DE, US
- Status: private
- Raised: $54M
- Website: https://marvelfusion.com
- Frontiers: [Energy](https://technooptimist.io/energy.md) (Inertial fusion)

## Programs

- [ATLAS fusion demonstrator](https://technooptimist.io/energy/atlas-fusion-demonstrator.md) (Energy): Research; next: ATLAS facility substantially complete (Dec 2026). ATLAS building due for substantial completion Dec 2026; fusion test runs 2027-2031.

## Technical approach

- **Short pulses: Femtosecond lasers, not big compressors**: Pulses of about 100 femtoseconds deliver extreme intensity at once instead of first compressing a fuel pellet, as NIF-style lasers do.
- **Nano targets: Structured fuel absorbs the light**: Targets with nanoscale structures absorb laser energy efficiently and accelerate fuel nuclei before the target blows apart.
- **Lasers as products: Revenue before fusion**: Plans to sell industrial laser systems and neutron sources first; spun out Caelora in 2026 to market high-energy lasers.

## Open problems

- **Physics still contested** (open): Getting fusion gain from targets that are not compressed first runs against mainstream inertial-fusion thinking; it is undemonstrated.

## Upcoming

- **Dec 2026**: ATLAS laser facility substantially complete (ATLAS fusion demonstrator)
- **2027**: First fusion demonstration runs at ATLAS (ATLAS fusion demonstrator)

## Latest updates

- **12 Aug 2026**: Marvel Fusion, Colorado and Siemens Energy sign a letter of intent on laser fusion; ATLAS due December 2026. Marvel Fusion signed a letter of intent with the State of Colorado and Siemens Energy covering joint research, supply chains and training. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/marvel-fusion-colorado-and-siemens-energy-sign-a-letter-of-intent-on-9e0ebd36.md) · [original source](https://www.neimagazine.com/news/transatlantic-alliance-advances-laser-fusion/))
- **28 Mar 2025**: Marvel Fusion extends its Series B by €50 million to €113 million, with EQT, Siemens Energy and the EIC Fund. Marvel Fusion added €50 million to its Series B, bringing the round to €113 million and total funding to €385 million, €170 million of it private. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/marvel-fusion-extends-its-series-b-by-50-million-to-113-million-with-d2a0713e.md) · [original source](https://world-nuclear-news.org/articles/germanys-marvel-fusion-raises-further-eur113-million))
- **28 Oct 2024**: Colorado State begins building the laser facility that will host Marvel Fusion's demonstrator. Construction began at Colorado State University's Foothills Campus on a laser facility funded by a public-private partnership: $150 million from Marvel Fusion, committed in August 2023, and $12.5 million from DOE's Office of Fusion Energy… ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/colorado-state-begins-building-the-laser-facility-that-will-host-marvel-91cf2b7e.md) · [original source](https://ans.org/news/article-6519/colorado-state-begins-constructing-laser-lab-as-publicprivate-research-hub))

## Funding

| Date | Round | Amount | Post-money | Leads |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Mar 2025 | Series B extension (total €113M) | $54M |   | EQT Ventures, Siemens Energy, EIC Fund |

## Partners, customers and investors

- Colorado State University (partner): Co-builds and hosts ATLAS, the laser facility for Marvel's demonstrator.
- Siemens Energy (partner): Investor and partner; designs turbines, grid link and storage for a Marvel fusion plant.
- State of Colorado (partner): August 2026 letter of intent with Colorado and Siemens Energy on R&D, supply chain and training.
- EIC Fund (investor): EU fund's first equity investment in fusion (2025).

## People

- Moritz von der Linden, Founder and CEO
- Jan Heye Buss, Chief Technology Officer

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