JC Btaiche

About

**JC Btaiche** is the Founder and CEO of Fuse Energy (also known as Fuse Energy Technologies), a U.S.-based fusion startup headquartered in San Leandro, California, that he established in 2019 at the age of 19. The company pursues magneto-inertial fusion (MIF) via an advanced pulsed power approach, developing high-power drivers like impedance-matched Marx generators and the TITAN system to enable efficient, repetitive energy delivery for fusion reactions—particularly targeting MagLIF Z-pinch configurations—while also generating revenue through radiation testing services for national security and defense customers, including collaborations with national labs such as Los Alamos. Born in Lebanon to a nuclear physicist father, JC developed an early passion for plasma physics and gained hands-on lab experience as a teenager. After immigrating to North America in 2016 and briefly founding an educational platform (Hestia Academy) in Canada, he relocated to Silicon Valley to launch Fuse. Under his leadership, the company has raised significant funding (including over $50 million reported in various sources), achieved a valuation in the hundreds of millions, and assembled a high-profile team featuring experts such as Iran's former top nuclear scientist Vahid Damideh as chief engineer, along with former Pentagon, CIA, and Department of Energy leaders on its advisory board. A frequent speaker at events like the Milken Institute Global Conference and FusionXInvest, JC has been profiled in outlets such as Forbes (30 Under 30 Energy), BBC, and major podcasts for his bold vision of accelerating the transition to practical, sustainable fusion power while addressing global energy and security challenges. He holds education from Marianopolis College and is based in the San Francisco Bay Area. His work exemplifies bridging youthful entrepreneurship with cutting-edge science to advance fusion commercialization.