Nuclear Fusion Startup Pranos Fusion Nets $6.8 Mn To Fast Track R&D & Commercialisation

Nuclear energy startup Pranos has raised $6.8 Mn (around ₹63 Cr) in its fresh funding round co-led by pi Ventures and Ankur Capital, along with participation from Groww cofounder Lalit Keshre, the founders of Razorpay, and Bhukhanwala Industries.

The Bengaluru-based startup is planning to deploy the freshly raised capital to strengthen its R&D, with a major focus on developing high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets. 

The startup will also fuel the process of commissioning a Tokamak, with first delivery targeted for 2026. Additionally, it will deploy a chunk of the capital to expand its team and build its testing facilities. 

For context, a Tokanak is generally a reactor that uses powerful magnetic fields to contain hot plasma, keeping it from touching the walls and enabling atoms to fuse and release energy. In short, it is a device that facilitates the formation of nuclear fusion energy.  

Founded in 2024 by JNCASR’s PhD Shaurya Kaushal and ex-REConnect Energy principal engineer Roshan George, Pranos Fusion is a Bengaluru-based deeptech startup developing nuclear fusion technology using magnetic confinement to produce clean, nuclear energy. 

The startup was incubated at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (DST) and the Institute for Plasma Research (DAE). It also claims to have associations with ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor).

Notably, this is Pranos’ second funding round. Prior to this, the company raised ₹3.5 Cr in May 2025. It also received a grant of ₹20 Lakhs from Startup India Seed Fund.

“The reason we’re raising fresh funds now is that Pranos is at the same starting point as global players. If we delay hardware development, we risk falling behind and entering the market as followers,” Kaushal told Inc42.

Inside Pranos’ Stack

With ambition net-zero targets, increasing climate sensitivity and a growing need for energy, harnessing nuclear fusion energy can perhaps serve as a key step to address a plethora of bottlenecks in the energy sector. 

In nuclear energy, fusion reaction refers to generating power by combining (fusing) small atomic nuclei together, releasing a huge amount of energy. These light atoms are usually forms of hydrogen. These atoms are heated to millions of degrees, ultimately turning it into hot plasma. 

While Tokanak acts as a vessel for this plasma, superconducting magnets are installed outside it to control the plasma inside. In this state of high temperature, the nuclei move at very high speeds, increasing the likelihood of collisions. When the nuclei fuse into a heavier atom, a small amount of mass is converted into a large amount of energy. This energy is known as fusion energy. 

This entire process requires a lot of components, out of which three of the following are being taken care of by Pranos via their below mentioned offerings.

PRAGYA : It is a low-aspect-ratio, medium-scale testing Tokamak, which allows companies to test their technologies. Notably, it is not suitable for actual fusion. 

JENGA : It is a software which bridges the gap between Tokamak concept and machine. It manages the design and control aspects of a tokamak.

MAGGA Magnetic Gain : Pranos is also building its own superconducting magnets. Currently, these magnets are in the R&D phase.

Talking about all the three products, Kaushal mentioned that while the startup is not operating on a commercial scale right now, JENGA is likely to convert into a revenue making product soon.

“We’re looking at a pilot-stage rollout of JENGA next year once we finish the prototyping. I think Jenga will see pilot level integration the fastest,” Kaushal added. 

Pranos, which has partnered with third party manufacturers across Bengaluru, Pune and Chennai for its production, is looking to onboard fusion energy startups as its customers in the future. The startup is collaborating with a few such companies based out of Europe. However, these collaborations are not paid. 

Notably, no company is currently generating commercial, usable electricity from fusion reactions. Several reports claim that while fusion reactions have been achieved in labs, there hasn’t been continuous power generation till date. 

Startups like Helion Energy (backed by Sam Altman) and Commonwealth Fusion Systems (Backed by Bill Gates) have produced short bursts of fusion reactions, but there is no sign of commercialisation yet. In India, startups like Anubal are working towards nuclear fusion technology. 

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