# Kieran Furlong

> Kieran Furlong is the Irish chemical engineer, former venture investor, and startup operator leading Madison-based Realta Fusion. His career has moved through global chemicals, algae fuels, a fully bio-based bottle project, waste-to-energy, agricultural technology, and university commercialization. At Realta, he is turning a University of Wisconsin-Madison magnetic-mirror experiment into a company aimed at supplying zero-carbon industrial heat and power, with commercial activity targeted for the early to mid-2030s.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder at Realta Fusion
- **Organizations:** Realta Fusion, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Rabo Food & Agri Innovation Fund, Finistere Ventures, Harvest Power, Virent, Solazyme, Johnson Matthey
- **Nationality:** Irish
- **Education:** Degree in Chemical Engineering, University College Dublin, MBA; Arjay Miller Scholar, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Winemaking certificate, University of California, Davis
- **Known for:** Co-founded Realta Fusion and helped raise a $9 million seed round, a $36 million Series A, and a $9.5 million growth capital facility., Helped move the WHAM university research program toward a commercial compact, scalable, modular fusion system., Opened Finistere Ventures' European office and led its Ireland Agtech Fund.

## Career timeline

- **1998-2007** — Worked in the global chemical industry, including roles at Johnson Matthey, after an initial posting in Argentina.
- **2008-2011** — Worked at algae biotechnology company Solazyme, including building its initial manufacturing supply chain and launching an early skincare product.
- **2011-2014** — Led chemicals business development at Wisconsin startup Virent and worked on a 100% bio-based PET bottle partnership with The Coca-Cola Company.
- **2014-2015** — Served as vice president of energy business development at waste-to-energy company Harvest Power.
- **2015-2020** — Joined Finistere Ventures, opened its European office in Dublin, and led the Ireland Agtech Fund.
- **2019-2021** — Worked in Discovery to Product at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, focused on research commercialization.
- **2020-2025** — Served as a venture partner with Rabobank's food and agriculture investment activities.
- **2022-present** — Co-founded and leads Realta Fusion, spun out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison's magnetic-mirror fusion research.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Realta Fusion and helped raise a $9 million seed round, a $36 million Series A, and a $9.5 million growth capital facility.
- Helped move the WHAM university research program toward a commercial compact, scalable, modular fusion system.
- Opened Finistere Ventures' European office and led its Ireland Agtech Fund.
- Worked on the manufacturing supply chain and first product launch at Solazyme.
- Helped develop Virent's partnership with The Coca-Cola Company on a 100% bio-based PET bottle.
- Holds patents related to biological crop protection and quantum computing.
- Was named an Arjay Miller Scholar while earning his Stanford MBA.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — Realta selected Madison's former Oscar Mayer complex for a planned headquarters and R&D facility, with up to $55 million in announced state and local incentives and a long-term expectation of more than 600 jobs.
- **2026-06** — Madison approved a $2.8 million tax-increment-financing agreement tied to investment, property value, and job milestones for Realta's proposed facility.
- **2026-02** — Realta announced a $9.5 million growth capital facility from Silicon Valley Bank to continue derisking its CoSMo fusion system.
- **2025-06** — Furlong discussed Realta's magnetic-mirror approach and mid-2030s commercial target on the Earthlings 2.0 podcast.
- **2025-05** — Furlong discussed the management and stakeholder challenges of a university deep-tech spinout on The Tech Trek podcast.

## Links

- Website: https://realtafusion.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kieranfurlong/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/kieran-furlong
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-26