TechCrunch Startup News · 2026-09-14 · 7 min
Key moments - from our scoring
Substance score
41 / 100
Five dimensions, 20 points each
The fusion power sector is experiencing a strategic pivot toward defense partnerships as climate tech funding stalls. Startups like Eximr and Pacific Fusion, which were initially focused on clean energy, are now partnering with defense contractors RTX (which owns Raytheon) and the National Nuclear Security Administration to develop laser weapons and high-energy density fusion systems. This alignment isn't coincidental - fusion's national security roots run deep, dating back to Cold War thermonuclear research. The defense sector's renewed interest stems from modern warfare challenges, particularly the mismatch between costly air-defense missiles (like $3 million Patriot systems) and inexpensive drones ($200 consumer models). Laser-based weapons offer a cost-effective alternative by leveraging electricity rather than expensive munitions. Meanwhile, Mecka AI, founded in 2024 by non-roboticists, is revolutionizing robot training by collecting egocentric human motion data through body sensors and smartphones - similar to how scale AI and Surge supported LLM training. The startup is approaching a $500M Series B led by Sequoia Capital, just three months after raising $60 million, and projects $100M annual run rate by year-end.
Climate tech venture funding for fusion has stalled, making defense partnerships attractive alternative revenue sources. Additionally, fusion's core technologies - particularly laser-based and high-energy density systems - have legitimate military applications for laser weapons, which the defense industry is pursuing as cost-effective alternatives to traditional air-defense missiles.
Laser weapons fire quickly and relatively cheaply using electricity from generators or reactors, eliminating the need for costly single-use missiles like the $3 million Patriot systems previously used against $200 consumer drones.
Mecka AI collects egocentric human motion data by paying people to record everyday tasks using body sensors and smartphones, solving the primary bottleneck for training humanoid and general-purpose robots. The $500M valuation reflects surging demand for this physical-world training data as the robotics industry scales.
While Mecka AI has not publicly disclosed its customer list, many robotics companies and AI labs rely on its egocentric real-world data capture methods to train their models, alongside other data collection approaches like teleoperation.
As of early June, Mecka AI was projecting an annual run rate of $100 million by year-end 2024.
Our reviewer’s read on each dimension, with quotes from the episode.
The episode provides factual updates on two startup developments (fusion-defense partnerships and Meka AI's funding) with some contextual explanation (e.g., why laser weapons address drone defense, why fusion needs alternative funding). However, substantive insights are limited - most claims are straightforward industry observations without challenging analysis or non-obvious takeaways a B2B operator would genuinely learn from.
Venture capitalists are always happy when their portfolio companies find other sources of money, and that's where the defense industry comes in.
Effective, uh, but not very efficient Laser weapons promise to alter the math. Instead of firing a single expensive one use missile per shot, the they fire quickly and relatively cheaply, using electricity drawn from a generator or a, uh, ship's reactor or engine.
The episode presents standard venture narrative beats: startups pivoting to new revenue sources (fusion + defense), data collection as a scaling moat (Meka mimicking scale AI's model for LLMs). These are familiar patterns in startup news with limited contrarian or first-principles thinking. The framing is competent but not fresh.
Fusion startups have captured a large portion of recent climate tech funding, but fusion is an expensive Venture capitalists are always happy when their portfolio companies find other sources of money
Mecha set out to do for robotics what scale AI, Merkor, Surge and other human data companies have done for LLMs.
The episode features quoted executives from the startups themselves (Keith Lashane and Kerry von Munch from Pacific Fusion) and brief references to their backgrounds. However, these are short quotes in a news digest format rather than in-depth guest interviews. The sourcing is relevant but minimal in depth.
Keith Lashane, co founder and chief technical officer at Pacific Fusion, told TechCrunch recently. It turns out that the facility that we're building also has utility in this world.
Kerry von Munch, M co founder and chief operating officer at Pacific Fusion. Lachine, who developed the company's core technology, previously worked at Sandia National Laboratories, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the National Nuclear Security Administration.
The episode includes specific company names, funding figures ($500M valuation, $60M prior round, $3M Patriot missile vs. $200 consumer drone), metrics ($100M annual run rate projection), and facility locations (New Mexico, Denver). However, some claims lack specificity (e.g., 'many robotics companies' without naming them, 'two people with knowledge' instead of named sources), and evidence density is uneven across claims.
$3 million Patriot missile to shoot down a $200 consumer drone.
Denver based Excimer currently operates what it says is the largest privately owned laser system in the world
This is a news brief, not a conversational interview format. There are no host-guest exchanges, follow-up questions, or productive dialogue. The delivery is one-directional reporting without opportunities for pushback or deeper exploration of claims. It functions as a summary rather than substantive discussion.
This is techcrunch.
Fusion Power is Getting Back to its Roots
Computed from the transcript - who did the talking, and the words that came up most.
Fusion startups are inking defense-related deals, reigniting the relationship between fusion and national security that might have gone dormant, but never completely disappeared. Also, the round for Mecka is coming together months after Mecka announced its Series A. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribed and scored by The B2B Podcast Index.
Speaker A: This is techcrunch.
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Speaker A: Fusion Power is Getting Back to its Roots as fusion startups keep chasing their ultimate goal, putting electrons on the grid, many are also now embracing or returning to the defense applications that laid the foundation for the industry. The sector emerged decades ago when physicists looked for more constructive uses of the science behind the thermonuclear bombs that proliferated during the cold the national security angle never really went away. A, uh, groundbreaking fusion power experiment back in 2022 happened at the National Ignition Facility, which has supported national security applications for more than 25 years. That shift has accelerated as venture dollars committed to climate tech. The funds that typically have supported fusion startups have stalled. Fusion startups have captured a large portion of recent climate tech funding, but fusion is an expensive Venture capitalists are always happy when their portfolio companies find other sources of money, and that's where the defense industry comes in. The defense industry has explored laser weapons for years, but interest has spiked as drones have reshaped modern warfare. Traditional air defense systems were designed to target human piloted aircraft, which tend to be larger and fewer in number. That has led to some comical mismatches between aggressor and defender. For example, about a decade ago, a US ally used a $3 million Patriot missile to shoot down a $200 consumer drone. Effective, uh, but not very efficient Laser weapons promise to alter the math. Instead of firing a single expensive one use missile per shot, the they fire quickly and relatively cheaply, using electricity drawn from a generator or a, uh, ship's reactor or engine. Fusion startups working on laser based reactor designs are ideal partners in developing such weapons. Last week, laser based fusion startup Eximr announced a partnership with an investment from rtx, the conglomerate that includes defense contractor Raytheon. Under the deal, Eximr gets funding from RTX, while RTX can start exploring how to use EXIMR's powerful, powerful lasers for its own purposes. Denver based Excimer currently operates what it says is the largest privately owned laser system in the world, which it plans to use to develop a power plant. Inside its power plant, lasers will bombard fuel targets, compressing them until the atoms inside fuse and release energy. The startup's current laser system, Phoenix, operates at an order of magnitude lower power than will be required for a power plant, but it is powerful enough to have caught the attention of the defense industry. Eximr is not the only player in the defense space. Pacific Fusion announced a memorandum of understanding last month with the National Nuclear Security Administration to work together on high energy density fusion experiments. The startup recently broke ground on a demonstration facility in New Mexico, not far from the Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories. While its primary purpose is to demonstrate that the company's design can generate more power than the facility consumes, it has other uses. The fusion reactions at Pacific Fusion's facility will be far more powerful than those the government currently uses to perform nuclear weapons experiments, keith Lashane, co founder and chief technical officer at Pacific Fusion, told TechCrunch recently. It turns out that the facility that we're building also has utility in this world. Leading Defense application It might sound like a convenient coincidence, but it really isn't one. Defense applications were always on our mind, says Kerry von Munch, M co founder and chief operating officer at Pacific Fusion. Lachine, who developed the company's core technology, previously worked at Sandia National Laboratories, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the National Nuclear Security Administration. Fusion power has come a long way since the first weapons scientists dreamt it up decades ago, but its national security applications have not been forgotten. Their recent reacquaintance is perhaps overdue and promises to give willing fusion startups a helpful boost. Meka AI is a startup that collects and analyzes human motion data to train humanoid robots and other robotics, and the company is nearing a new round led by Sequoia Capital at a valuation of about $500 million. That's according to two people with knowledge of the the new financing comes just three months after Mecca announced that it raised $60 million in a round led by Framework Ventures that included participation from Menlo Ventures, Svangel and kindred ventures. Meka AI was founded back in 2024 by four entrepreneurs who do not have backgrounds in robotics. But they did recognize that there was a dearth of physical world data and realized that capturing real world interactions was the primary bottleneck holding back general purpose robots, including humanoids. Mecha set out to do for robotics what scale AI, Merkor, Surge and other human data companies have done for LLMs. The startup pays people to record themselves performing everyday tasks like making coffee or fixing cars using body sensors and smartphones. As of early June, Mecha was projecting that it would end this year at an annual run rate of $100 million. While Mecha AI has not publicly disclosed its customer list, many robotics companies and AI labs rely on real world data captured through this egocentric approach alongside other physical data collection methods like teleoperation to build their models. That's all for now. For the latest in startup tech news, go to techcrunch.com
Speaker B: it.
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