Zap Energy
Zap Energy is a US-based, privately held nuclear energy company developing compact sheared-flow stabilized Z-pinch fusion and 4S molten salt fission microreactors, targeting U.S. federal agencies and AI/data center operators with near-term milestone payments and future electricity sales.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersEverett, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Zap Energy does
Zap Energy, Inc. is a US-based, privately held nuclear energy company headquartered in Everett, Washington, developing compact fusion and advanced fission power systems on a shared engineering platform. The company's core technology is the sheared-flow stabilized (SFS) Z-pinch, a fusion confinement method that uses current-driven compression with shear-flow stabilization rather than superconducting magnets or high-power lasers, yielding a more compact reactor footprint. Zap has progressed through successive prototype devices, including FuZE-Q (first plasmas June 2022) and FuZE-3 (record plasma pressures up to 1.6 gigapascals and temperatures beyond 21 million degrees Fahrenheit, unveiled November 2025), feeding into a planned Fusion Pilot Plant designed for approximately 50 MW net electrical output per module whose preconceptual design was approved by the U.S. Department of Energy in May 2026 under the Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program.
In April 2026, Zap announced a strategic evolution into an integrated nuclear platform by adding advanced fission, specifically the 4S (Super Safe, Small and Simple) 10 MW molten salt-cooled microreactor originally developed by Toshiba and Japan's Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, with plans to address growing AI-driven data center electricity demand. Both programs share liquid-metal power systems, high-temperature materials, pulsed power, modular manufacturing, and nuclear balance-of-plant engineering expertise. Zap's go-to-market is enterprise and government sales-led: near-term revenue is expected from milestone-based payments under DOE and Department of Defense programs, and from industrial customers (e.g., AI and data center operators) reserving 4S microreactor production capacity. Long-term, the company targets electricity sales in the early 2030s. The company has raised over $330 million in venture funding across rounds led by Addition, Lowercarbon Capital, and Soros Fund Management, reaching an approximately $1 billion post-money valuation in its September 2024 Series D; an IPO remains years away. Zap is led by CEO Zabrina Johal (appointed April 2026), with co-founders Benj Conway (President), Uri Shumlak (Chief Science Officer), and Brian A. Nelson (CTO).
Zap Energy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Zap Energy
- Legal name
- Zap Energy Inc.
- Website
- https://zapenergy.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Zap Energy is a US-based, privately held nuclear energy company developing compact sheared-flow stabilized Z-pinch fusion and 4S molten salt fission microreactors, targeting U.S. federal agencies and AI/data center operators with near-term milestone payments and future electricity sales.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Zap Energy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Fusion Energy / Nuclear Power Systems
- akta.pro primary industry
- Gen IV / Advanced Reactor Systems (SFR, LFR, GFR, MSR, HTGR, Microreactors) (EUAKADAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Advanced & Non‑LWR Fuel Manufacturing (TRISO, metallic fuels, HALEU fuels) (EUAKACAG)
Keywords
Where Zap Energy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Everett
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Zap Energy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Milestone payments from customers reserving production capacity: Pre-commercial revenue: tech and industrial customers (e.g., AI/data center operators) reserve production capacity for Zap's advanced fission microreactors and pay milestone-based fees. Expected to begin generating revenue within approximately one year of the 2026 strategic announcement.
- U.S. federal program awards (DOE and DOD): Revenue from participation in the U.S. Department of Energy's Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program and other U.S. Department of Defense federal programs; payments tied to completion of engineering, design, and demonstration milestones.
- Future electricity sales (long-term): Long-term, post-commercialization revenue from sale of electricity generated by fusion (and advanced fission) power plants; targeted to begin in the early 2030s once engineering and regulatory milestones are achieved. Currently pre-revenue.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Zap Energy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Zap Energy is developing compact fusion power using sheared-flow stabilized (SFS) Z-pinch plasma confinement, an approach that eliminates the need for superconducting magnets or high-power lasers. The company has expanded into an integrated nuclear platform that also includes Toshiba's 4S molten salt-cooled underground fission microreactor for near-term modular power generation.
Product overview
Zap Energy operates as an integrated nuclear platform that combines advanced fission and fusion technologies to deliver scalable, carbon-free power from a single engineering base. The fusion line is anchored by the sheared-flow stabilized (SFS) Z-pinch confinement approach and progresses through iterative prototype devices — FuZE-Q (first plasmas June 2022) and the latest FuZE-3 (record gigapascal plasma pressures, November 2025) — feeding into a planned Fusion Pilot Plant (~50 MW net electrical output per module) whose preconceptual design was approved by the U.S. DOE in May 2026. Complementing the fusion program, the company added the 4S underground fission microreactor (10 MW, Toshiba-derived design) as a near-term revenue product targeting data center and industrial loads, with revenue expected within roughly a year. Both programs share liquid-metal power systems, high-temperature materials, pulsed power, and modular manufacturing expertise, and Zap also explores hybrid fission–fusion architectures on the same platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Sheared-Flow Stabilized (SFS) Z-Pinch Fusion Platform Core proprietary fusion confinement technology that uses current-driven compression with shear-flow stabilization to confine plasma, forming the engineering basis for the company's fusion pilot plant design and offering a more compact, simpler path to fusion power than tokamak, stellarator, or laser-driven approaches.
- FuZE-Q Fusion Device Prototype Z-pinch fusion device that generated its first plasmas in June 2022, designed to advance toward the Q=1 scientific energy breakeven point using a compact, magnet- and laser-free architecture.
- FuZE-3 Fusion Device Latest-generation Z-pinch fusion device unveiled in November 2025 in California that achieved record plasma pressures of up to 1.6 gigapascals, heated plasma beyond 21 million degrees Fahrenheit, and reached a record pressure of 232,000 psi as a milestone toward scientific breakeven.
- 4S Nuclear Fission Microreactor 10 MW underground nuclear fission microreactor based on the 4S (Super Safe, Small and Simple) design originally developed by Toshiba and Japan's Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, capable of operating for decades without refueling and installed in a sealed vault about 100 feet underground; added as a near-term revenue product for data center and industrial loads.
- Fusion Pilot Plant (Preconceptual Design) Conceived fusion power demonstration facility capable of generating approximately 50 MW of net electrical output per module, encompassing liquid-metal first wall/blanket, tritium fuel cycle, power conversion, control/safety and remote handling; preconceptual Z-pinch fusion power plant design was approved by the U.S. DOE in May 2026.
Companies that use Zap Energy
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles3 records
Zap Energy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature6 records
Zap Energy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Zap Energy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Helion Energy: Private fusion developer pursuing a pulsed field-reversed configuration (FRC) approach with claimed near-term electricity output. Like Zap, it is venture-backed, pre-commercial, and targeting industrial customers (notably Microsoft) for early offtake.
- Commonwealth Fusion Systems: Private fusion energy developer pursuing a tokamak-based approach using high-temperature superconducting magnets. Like Zap, it is pre-commercial, raises multi-hundred-million-dollar venture rounds, and participates in the DOE Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program, making it the most directly comparable private fusion peer.
- TAE Technologies: Private fusion developer pursuing a field-reversed configuration approach with hydrogen-boron fuel. Like Zap, it is venture-backed, pre-commercial, and pursuing an alternative confinement architecture distinct from mainstream tokamak designs.
- General Fusion: Private fusion developer pursuing magnetized target fusion with a steam-piston liner compression approach. Like Zap, it is pre-commercial, raises large venture rounds, and pursues an alternative architecture to mainstream tokamak magnetic confinement.
- Tokamak Energy: Private fusion developer pursuing a compact spherical tokamak using high-temperature superconducting magnets. Like Zap, it is pre-commercial, pursues a non-mainstream fusion architecture, and has raised comparable-scale venture capital.
Emerging players
- Type One Energy: Private fusion developer pursuing a stellarator architecture. It overlaps with Zap as a DOE Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program participant and a non-tokamak, non-laser alternative approach pursuing commercial fusion energy.
- Oklo: Public advanced nuclear company developing compact fast reactors and supplying power to data centers, including a notable offtake arrangement with Switch. It is an emerging player in compact fission with overlapping data center customer focus but a different reactor architecture.
- Last Energy: Private developer of small modular pressurized water reactors targeting data centers and industrial customers in Europe. It overlaps with Zap's fission strategy of using compact reactors to serve AI/data center electricity demand, but uses a more conventional PWR architecture.
Broad incumbents
- TerraPower: Well-capitalized advanced nuclear company founded by Bill Gates, developing the Natrium sodium-cooled fast reactor and molten chloride fast reactor. It is a broad incumbent in advanced nuclear and the previous employer of Daniel Walter, who recently joined Zap to lead its fission program.
- X-energy: Advanced reactor company developing the Xe-100 high-temperature gas-cooled microreactor and TRISO-X fuel. It is a broad incumbent in advanced nuclear with overlapping customer interest in data center and industrial power applications.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Zap Energy social profiles
Digital presenceZap Energy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Zap Energy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Zap Energy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds8 records
Investors19 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Zap Energy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Zap Energy
What does Zap Energy do?
Zap Energy is developing compact fusion power using sheared-flow stabilized (SFS) Z-pinch plasma confinement, an approach that eliminates the need for superconducting magnets or high-power lasers. The company has expanded into an integrated nuclear platform that also includes Toshiba's 4S molten salt-cooled underground fission microreactor for near-term modular power generation.
Is Zap Energy a public or private company?
Zap Energy is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Zap Energy founded?
Zap Energy was founded in 2017. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Zap Energy based?
Zap Energy is headquartered in Everett, United States, in the North America region.
How does Zap Energy make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Milestone payments from customers reserving production capacity is the primary driver. The others are U.S. federal program awards (DOE and DOD) and future electricity sales (long-term).
Who are Zap Energy's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Helion Energy, Commonwealth Fusion Systems, TAE Technologies, General Fusion and Tokamak Energy. Emerging players are Type One Energy, Oklo and Last Energy. Broad incumbents are TerraPower and X-energy.
Does Zap Energy have an API?
No public API is recorded for Zap Energy.
What industry is Zap Energy in?
Zap Energy's product category is Fusion Energy / Nuclear Power Systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAKADAC, Gen IV / Advanced Reactor Systems (SFR, LFR, GFR, MSR, HTGR, Microreactors), with a secondary code of EUAKACAG, Advanced & Non‑LWR Fuel Manufacturing (TRISO, metallic fuels, HALEU fuels).