Fusion CEOs to Talk Grid Power at Disrupt 2026

Two of the most closely watched names in fusion energy will share a stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026. Brandon Sorbom, co-founder and chief science officer of Commonwealth Fusion Systems, and David Kirtley, founder of Helion, will speak on the Smart Systems Stage in a session titled "Bringing Fusion to the Grid."

CFS is building SPARC, a demonstration fusion machine intended to pave the way for its first commercial power plant, ARC. Sorbom co-founded the company in 2018 and was lead author of the paper proposing the original ARC design while earning his Ph.D. in nuclear science and engineering at MIT.

Helion is developing Orion, a 50-megawatt fusion power plant intended to supply electricity to Microsoft beginning in 2028. Kirtley, an NSF and NASA Advanced Concepts Fellow, has led the company through a series of technical and regulatory steps: in February, Helion announced that its Polaris prototype had heated plasma to 150 million degrees Celsius, and in June it announced a key regulatory milestone on the path to building and operating its plant.

Both companies have drawn significant backing. In April, CFS became the first fusion company to apply to PJM Interconnection, the largest U.S. wholesale electricity market, and in July it raised another $1 billion, bringing total funding to $4 billion. Helion's Series G round, initially announced at $465 million in June, closed at $500 million in September.

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 runs October 13-15 at Moscone West in San Francisco, with more than 10,000 attendees, 250+ speakers and 300+ exhibiting startups across 200+ sessions expected, according to techcrunch.com.