The 100-Year Quest for Fusion Energy with Sir Steven Cowley (PPPL) | SOSV Deep Tech LIVE

Plasma Beyond Fusion: Powering Next-Gen Semiconductor Fabrication & Materials | SOSV Deep Tech LIVE

At our latest SOSV Deep Tech Live [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFP90YAdRPFzTZBPrUuar7691O3DS6ID_], we sat down with a panel of world leaders in plasma to explore how plasma is quickly becoming one of the most important…and misunderstood..forces shaping the future of semiconductors, clean manufacturing, advanced materials, and of course, clean energy. While much of today’s AI conversation centers on LLMs that help us write and design, the truly transformative frontier is Physical AI. To bring intelligence into the physical world, we require a new generation of semiconductors – the “picks and shovels” that provide the necessary compute power and advanced sensing without draining the world’s energy reserves. This is where plasma technology becomes indispensable. As a primary tool for semiconductor fabrication, plasma allows us to manipulate materials at an atomic level, creating the high-performance chips that Physical AI demands. However, this relationship has created a challenging cycle: we need better chips to run AI, but we now need AI to design better plasma processes. Because the “experimental space” for plasma chemistry is nearly infinite and incredibly complex, traditional trial-and-error methods are no longer sufficient. By leveraging ML and AI-driven modeling, we can now navigate this complexity with high precision, discovering “impossible” materials and optimizing multi-phase plasma environments in ways that were previously unimaginable. This synergy is precisely what will define the future of high-performance compute. How Can Deep Tech Startups Win in an Industry Defined by Massive Capital Costs & High Risk? Enter The HAX Plasma Forge. There is a notorious Valley of Death where breakthrough research often stalls before reaching the market. To overcome this – and to bring a secure supply chain back to the U.S. – we cannot simply copy existing manufacturing models. We must leapfrog the competition through a radical merger of fundamental research, applied science, and early-stage funding. This is why we are launching HAX Plasma Forge [https://hax.co/introducing-the-hax-plasma-forge-a-new-era-for-plasma-in-nj/], a 10,000-square-foot lab and co-working space in Princeton, NJ, designed to help founders commercialize plasma-based breakthroughs. The HAX Plasma Forge combines: SOSV’s proven model for startup commercialization, world-class plasma physics expertise and resources from PPPL, and $51 million in dedicated funding from SOSV, the New Jersey Economic Development (NJEDA), and PPPL to make it all possible. Apply to the HAX Plasma Forge today [https://sosv.com/apply/hax/]. Find the live recording on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/37XhjCCOFLbgylflGNG1q0], Apple Podcasts, [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sosv-deep-tech-live/id1797122637] YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFP90YAdRPFzTZBPrUuar7691O3DS6ID_], or wherever else you get your podcasts. 📍Broadcast live from our SOSV NY event space in Manhattan, SOSV Deep Tech LIVE is our monthly video podcast series exploring the frontiers of deep tech with leading founders, researchers, and technologists.

The 100-Year Quest for Fusion Energy with Sir Steven Cowley (PPPL) | SOSV Deep Tech LIVE

Fusion energy has long been called the “holy grail” of clean power because in theory it’s cheap, abundant, clean, and safe. Yet despite 100+ years of scientific research and billions in investment, the profound engineering challenges associated with fusion-based power are far from settled.𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐮𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐢𝐫 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐲, 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔.𝐒. 𝐃𝐎𝐄’𝐬 Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL).Sir Steven is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading authorities on nuclear fusion, having spent decades at the forefront of fusion energy. Since 2018, he has been the Director of PPPL, one of the U.S.’s flagship fusion energy research centers, after having been CEO of the UK Atomic Energy Authority and head of the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, where he led the UK’s national fusion research program. Sir Steven has shaped not only the science of plasma, but also the engineering strategies and global policy discussions around fusion power. For his services to fusion research, he was knighted by Her Majesty the Queen.In this conversation, moderator Duncan Turner (General Partner, SOSV & Managing Director, SOSV HAX) and Sir Steven will explore:🔹 Fusion’s hardest problem: why controlling plasma is so difficult & what’s finally changing🔹 The role of AI: how AI is accelerating reactor design & plasma stability🔹 From lab to grid: what stands between experiments & commercialization🔹 Plasma beyond fusion: how plasma physics is transforming semiconductors, advanced manufacturing & quantum devices🔹 The role of national labs: how institutions like PPPL & the HAX Plasma Forge are partnering with startups, investors, and industry to bring this tech to market📡 Broadcast live from our SOSV NY event space in Manhattan, this is the next installment of SOSV Deep Tech LIVE, our video podcast series exploring the frontiers of deep tech with leading founders, researchers, and technologists.--SOSV is the most active deep tech venture capital firm globally. We support visionary founders intent on making a profound impact on human and planetary health.We have three deeply resourced locations for founders in New York, Newark, and San Francisco. Each year, SOSV makes roughly 60 pre-seed investments of up to $550K each, as well as another 150 follow-on investments in deep tech companies. The pre-seed founders spend 4–6 months working side-by-side with SOSV General Partners and the broader team of experts in science and engineering, design and product development, supply chain and product-market fit. Additionally, founders gain access to each location’s office space and equipped lab space. More info on our locations and to apply: https://sosv.com/locations/More more info on SOSV:https://www.sosv.comMore info on our portfolio companies:https://sosv.com/deep-tech-100/

Heat Beneath Our Feet: Unlocking Superhot Geothermal | SOSV Deep Tech LIVE

Geothermal energy is one of the most promising solutions to the surging energy. ☄️ But drilling to the super hot rock many miles down is a vexing technical challenge and is one reason why geothermal provides <1% of global electricity. 📽️ Our next 𝐒𝐎𝐒𝐕 𝐃𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄  features Carlos Araque [https://www.linkedin.com/in/quaise/] (CEO, Quaise Energy [https://www.linkedin.com/company/quaise-energy/]) and Duncan Turner [https://www.linkedin.com/in/duncan-turner-b08630/] (General Partner, SOSV & Managing Director, SOSV HAX [https://www.linkedin.com/company/hax/]), exploring: ➡️ Why conventional geothermal stalled ➡️ The cost & resource realities of drilling into superhot rock ➡️ Lessons learned partnering with oil & gas incumbents ➡️ An inside look at the 1st superhot geothermal power plant in the U.S. Quaise Energy is spinout from the Plasma Science and Fusion Center at MIT [https://www.linkedin.com/company/plasma-science-and-fusion-center-at-mit/], that is pioneering a radically new drilling technology. An MIT-trained engineer, Carlos spent 15 years on complex energy systems at SLB (Schlumberger), before joining MIT’s The Engine [https://www.linkedin.com/company/theenginebuiltbymit/] to commercialize tech. More info on our locations and to apply: https://sosv.com/locations/ More more info on SOSV: https://www.sosv.com More info on our portfolio companies: https://sosv.com/deep-tech-100/ #geothermal #deeptech #deeptechlive

Heat Beneath Our Feet: Unlocking Superhot Geothermal | Quaise CEO Carlos Araque on Deep Tech LIVE

Tune in April 9th for a fascinating live conversation between Quaise Energy's CEO Carlos Araque and SOSV GP Duncan Turner - livestreaming on YouTube and LinkedIn (details below)Geothermal energy is one of the most promising solutions to the surging energy. ☄️ But drilling to the super hot rock many miles down is a vexing technical challenge and is one reason why geothermal provides less than 1% of global electricity.📽️ Our next 𝐒𝐎𝐒𝐕 𝐃𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄 will feature Carlos Araque (CEO, Quaise Energy) and Duncan Turner (General Partner, SOSV & Managing Director, SOSV HAX), exploring:➡️ Why conventional geothermal stalled➡️ The cost & resource realities of drilling into superhot rock➡️ Lessons learned partnering with oil & gas incumbents ➡️ An inside look at the 1st superhot geothermal power plant in the U.S.Quaise Energy is spinout from the Plasma Science and Fusion Center at MIT, that is pioneering a radically new drilling technology. An MIT-trained engineer, Carlos spent 15 years on complex energy systems at SLB (Schlumberger), before joining MIT’s The Engine to commercialize tech.The livestream starts at 6 PM, conversation starts at 6:15 PM on SOSV's LinkedIn and Youtube channels. Post-produced video and audio podcast will be released on all the services soon thereafter.

The Industrial Sherpa and the Sandbox: How Deep Tech Actually Scales (Featuring Energy's "Godmother of Investing," Dr. Barbara Burger)

If your only customer is "humanity," you don't have a business. And if you’re working with a global energy incumbent, you need more than great tech. On this episode of SOSV Deep Tech LIVE, we’re talking about how industrial systems actually work. This is the practical, behind-the-scenes path from promising science to full-scale deployment. Tune in for this fireside chat with Dr. Susan Schofer [https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-schofer-16b8756/] (SOSV [http://sosv.com/] / HAX [http://hax.co/] Partner) and Dr. Barbara Burger [https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-burger-0b76211/] (the “Godmother of Energy Investing,” Caltech PhD, Berkeley MBA, and former Chevron executive). Dr. Burger has spent decades serving as an “industrial sherpa” - guiding breakthrough tech through the messy realities of industrial scale, now advising companies like Bloom Energy, Energy Impact Partners, and Syzygy Plasmonics. Together, she and Susan will dig into what it takes to go from lab bench to commercial deployment: * How to test tech and prove reliability inside complex, global systems * What real industrial operational constraints look like * How to navigate regulatory nuance and the true costs of renewables * What to do when valuations race ahead of deployment * The common pitfalls that quietly kill scale-up attempts If you're building for the energy sector or trying to sell into it, this conversation will save you years of guesswork. Don’t miss it!