Past Events
Invited Speakers
Ahmed Diallo
Program Director · ARPA-E
Dr. Ahmed Diallo is a Program Director at the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), where he spearheads high-risk, high-reward initiatives to accelerate the commercialization of fusion energy through transformative R&D, overseeing portfolios that bridge innovative diagnostics, materials, and power plant technologies to enable grid-scale electricity from fusion. A Distinguished Research Fellow and Principal Research Physicist at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) since 2009—where he previously headed the Advanced Diagnostics Development Division and served as Deputy Director of the Innovation Network for Fusion Energy (INFUSE) public-private partnership—Diallo has pioneered laser-aided, X-ray, and other cutting-edge diagnostic tools advancing magnetic fusion plasmas, high-energy-density physics, microelectronics, and quantum computing. Born in Burkina Faso and inspired by the quest for abundant clean energy in underserved regions, he earned a PhD in physics from the University of Iowa after earlier studies in Burkina Faso and Montana, followed by postdoctoral work at the Swiss Plasma Center and Australian National University; honored with the DOE Early Career Award, Oppenheimer Fellowship, and over 140 publications, Diallo passionately drives the fusion ecosystem toward rapid milestones for a sustainable energy future.
Andrew Holland
CEO · Fusion Industry Association
Andrew Holland is the founding Chief Executive Officer of the Fusion Industry Association (FIA), a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit trade organization representing over 40 private fusion companies and 100 affiliates worldwide, dedicated to accelerating the commercialization of fusion energy through advocacy for supportive policies, public-private partnerships, regulatory certainty, and equitable treatment alongside other clean technologies to deliver abundant, safe, carbon-free power in the coming decades. With more than two decades at the nexus of energy policy, climate change, national security, and international strategy—including prior roles as Chief Operating Officer of the American Security Project (where he authored a seminal 2013 report outlining a 10-year plan for U.S. fusion leadership) and legislative aide on energy and environment for Senator Chuck Hagel—Holland has been instrumental in shaping fusion's rise from government-led research to a vibrant private industry, influencing milestones like separate NRC regulations for fusion, increased federal funding, and global collaborations. A holder of an MSc in International Strategy and Economics from the University of St. Andrews and member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, he frequently speaks on fusion's transformative potential at forums like the IAEA and pens op-eds urging infrastructure-scale investment to secure American leadership in this revolutionary energy frontier.
Andrew Ryan
President · Far
Andrew Ryan is the President of Faraday 1867 Holdings LLC, the world's largest producer of high-temperature superconductor (HTS) tape. Through its subsidiary Faraday Factory Japan, the company has delivered over 7,000km of HTS tape to fusion projects worldwide, supporting tokamaks, stellarators, levitating dipoles, and magnetic mirrors. In 2023, Faraday partnered with Coherent Corp. to scale HTS tape manufacturing for mass deployment of nuclear fusion reactors. The company has been recognized in the Financial Times Awards and Nikkei Top-500 rankings for high-growth companies in Asia-Pacific.
Ara Knaian
CEO and co-founder · Acceleron
Ara Knaian is the CEO and co-founder of Acceleron, a company focused on advancing fusion energy technology. With a background in engineering and physics, he has played a key role in developing innovative solutions for sustainable energy. Under his leadership, Acceleron aims to bring fusion power to commercialization.
Brian Riordan
Co-Founder & COO · Avalanche Energy
Brian Riordan is the Co-Founder and COO of Avalanche Energy, building micro-fusion reactors (Orbitron) that you can hold in your hands—free of high-powered magnets or lasers, designed to be easily manufacturable and transportable. Brian and co-founder Robin Langtry met at Blue Origin, where both worked on rocket propulsion systems. Brian started his career in deep subsea oil and gas, pivoting to aerospace with side hustles along the way. Motivated by climate change and receding glaciers in his home state of Alaska, Avalanche has raised $45M+ and focuses on mobile power for space and underwater applications.
Bud Vos
CEO · MetOx
Bud Vos is the founder and CEO of MetOx International, a company established in 1989 that specializes in advanced materials, particularly high-temperature superconductors. He has a background in physics and has led the company in developing innovative technologies for various applications. In his current role, he oversees the strategic direction and commercialization efforts of MetOx's materials science initiatives.
Caroline Anderson
Head of Public Affairs and Communications · Fusion Industry Association
Caroline Anderson serves as the Head of Public Affairs and Communications at the Fusion Industry Association, where she leads efforts in advocacy, policy communication, and public engagement for the fusion energy sector. She has spoken at events such as the Fusion Energy Landscape, demonstrating her expertise in promoting fusion technology and its potential impacts. Her role focuses on bridging the gap between the fusion industry and broader audiences through strategic communications.
Clea Kolster
Partner · Lowercarbon
Clea Kolster is a Partner at Lowercarbon Capital, a venture capital firm focused on investments in climate technology and decarbonization efforts. She works on identifying and supporting innovative companies that address environmental challenges, particularly in reducing carbon emissions. Her role involves strategic investments in the energy and sustainability sectors.
Darren Woulfe
Head of Magnet Business · Intel
Darren Woulfe is an American energy sector executive and engineer best known as the Head of Magnet Business at Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), a leading MIT spinout developing commercial fusion energy through revolutionary high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets. Joining CFS in 2021, he oversees the critical magnet program essential for compact tokamaks like SPARC and ARC. Previously, Woulfe served as CFO at Makani (an Alphabet X moonshot for airborne wind energy), led procurement in solar firms like Sungevity and Recurrent Energy, and started his career as a process engineer at Intel. He holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota and an MBA from UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business.
Jordan Kanis
Managing Director, Climate Technology and Sustainability · Silicon Valley Bank
Jordan Kanis is the Managing Director for Climate Technology and Sustainability at Silicon Valley Bank, where he leads investment strategies and advisory services for innovative climate-focused ventures. With a background in finance and environmental policy, he has previously held roles in banking and sustainability consulting, advising on green initiatives and capital raising. Among his notable achievements, Kanis has facilitated funding for renewable energy projects and contributed to industry discussions on sustainable finance. His expertise includes climate technology, green investments, and energy transition strategies.
Liam Corrigan
Head of Finance · Fuse Energy
Liam Corrigan is the Head of Finance at Fuse Energy, where he leads supply chain operations and capital structuring for the fusion energy company building TITAN, the world's most efficient pulsed power generator for magnetized-liner inertial fusion. Liam graduated magna cum laude from Harvard with a degree in Physics and Astrophysics and holds a Masters of Financial Economics with Distinction from Oxford. He represented the United States in rowing at two Olympic Games, winning gold in Paris 2024. Prior to Fuse, he worked at Alpine Investors and helped scale Tesla.
Malcolm Handley
Fusion VC Pioneer · Strong Atomics
Malcolm Handley is an American venture capitalist and former software engineer best known as the founder and managing partner of Strong Atomics, a San Francisco-based firm established in 2017 that specializes in investing in nuclear fusion startups to accelerate the development of clean, abundant, and commercially viable energy. Transitioning from a 17-year tech career—including roles as a senior engineer at Google, the first employee at Asana, and early work in virtual worlds—Handley pivoted to climate solutions, concluding fusion held unique promise. After serving in tech-to-market roles for fusion at ARPA-E, he continues to advise and back innovative approaches, with portfolio companies including Zap Energy, Commonwealth Fusion Systems, and NearStar Fusion.
Matt Aubuchon
Director of Pulsed Power Component Development · Zap Energy
Matt Aubuchon is the Director of Pulsed Power Component Development at Zap Energy, where he leads the team developing Zap's pulsed power components for their sheared-flow-stabilized Z-pinch fusion reactor. Previously, he worked at EPC Power Corp, helping grow the company from a 35-person San Diego startup to a 200+ person international manufacturing company with locations in Greenville SC, Raleigh NC, and Helsinki Finland. Matt is based in San Diego and joined Zap Energy in 2023.
Robin Langtry
CEO · Avalanche Energy
Robin Langtry is a Canadian-German aerospace engineer and fusion energy innovator best known as the co-founder and CEO of Avalanche Energy (also referred to as Avalanche Fusion), a Seattle-based startup developing compact, modular Orbitron electrostatic fusion reactors for applications in mobile power, defense, space propulsion, and distributed energy. Inspired by science fiction like The Expanse, Langtry invented the Orbitron concept in 2020 after years of self-directed research, leveraging his expertise in computational fluid dynamics and turbulence modeling (with over 6,000 citations). Previously, he spent 15+ years in aerospace at Boeing and Blue Origin, leading New Glenn rocket development. Avalanche has achieved milestones like sustaining 300kV in compact devices, raised significant funding including a $40M Series A, and is building the FusionWERX neutron testing facility.
Will Regan
President and Cofounder, Pacific Fusion · Pacific Fusion
Will Regan, Ph.D., is the co-founder and President of Pacific Fusion, a Fremont, California-based startup founded in 2023 to deliver the world's most affordable, on-demand clean energy through pulser-driven inertial fusion—leveraging fast-rising high-current pulses to magnetically compress deuterium-tritium fuel targets, aiming for net facility gain (more fusion energy out than electricity in) by 2030 via a Demonstration System promising 1,000x better price-performance than NIF's laser approach. A UC Berkeley alumnus who previously catalyzed the private fusion boom as co-developer of ARPA-E's ALPHA program supporting low-cost plasma heating, Regan later led moonshot energy and climate projects at Google X—including founding Alphabet's Mineral agricultural tech division—before assembling Pacific Fusion's elite team of national lab veterans to rapidly prototype scalable systems amid a $900M+ milestone-based Series A from General Catalyst and others. A congressional witness on fusion's promise for U.S. energy leadership, prolific communicator on podcasts and technical papers, and advocate for pragmatic paths to gigawatt-scale power, Regan is driving an ambitious roadmap toward pilot plants in the 2030s to meet exploding demand from AI, electrification, and global prosperity.