Investing in TAE Technologies | How to Buy Pre-IPO Shares

TAE Technologies continues to drive innovation in commercial fusion. The company’s goal to provide clean, safe, on-demand power has the potential to revolutionize the global energy markets, providing limitless access to power from a compact and efficient design.

All of these factors have made TAE technologies a strong draw for investors. Additionally, the company’s growing product line and strategic partnerships have helped to increase interest in the firm. However, the company remains privately held, meaning that you need to navigate the secondary market if you want to own TAE Technologies pre-IPO shares.

What is TAE Technologies?

TAE Technologies entered the market in 1998 in Foothill Ranch, CA, under the name Tri Alpha Energy. The company was founded by a team of well-known engineers, scientists, and entrepreneurs. Specifically, Gerald Simmons, Frank Braun, Harry Hamlin, Allen Puckett, George Sealy, Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin,  geneticist Andrew Conrad, and Nobel Laureate Glenn Seaborg.

FRC Nuclear Fusion Reactors

In 2000, the firm launched its first working prototype Field Reversed Configuration (FRC) technology reactor. This early design was called the Sewer Pipe due to its design and use of random parts gathered from the area.

Notably, the Sewer Pipe marked a major milestone in FRC technology. It was the prototype to achieve a stable plasma core using a flux core technique that relied exclusively on neutral particle beams. This design can provide near limitless power via steam created from the heat produced by the nuclear reactions.

Safer Alternative

FRC reactors are revolutionary for many reasons. For one, they pose no risk of meltdown or long-lived radioactive waste. As such, they can provide a safer and more conventional method to tap into endless nuclear power sources. Additionally, these reactors can be halted at any time, eliminating meltdown concerns.

In 2014, TAE and Google Research announced that they had successfully created a new FRC reactor called Norman. This design, which took 10 years to develop in collaboration with Google, utilizes hydrogen-boron fuel.

Notably, Norman broke all previous records, achieving stable plasma at over 70 million °C. The device leveraged a variety of proprietary sciences, including the Optometrist Algorithm. This optimization tool leverages AI to maximize plasma lifetime and enhance performance.

TAE Technologies Copernicus Reactor

Copernicus is TAE’s latest iteration of their FRC reactor. It fuses hydrogen and boron atoms into three helium atoms to create energy. The reaction produces plasma inside the device, which is stabilized, and the heat energy is extracted. The heat converts water into steam, which drives a turbine producing electricity.

Da Vinci Power Plant

The Da Vinci Power plant is TAE’s first full-scale power production plant. The facility is slated to be operational by 2030 and will include advanced technologies like the latest FRC reactors, AI-powered systems, and other game-changing advancements that have the potential to enhance power management, energy storage, charging, and more.

TAE Technologies Cancer Treatments

Recently, TAE has begun focusing some efforts on cancer treatments and radiology offerings. The company now wants to utilize its Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) to target cancer cells, improve chemotherapy, and help to cure millions suffering from life-threatening diseases.

Historical Funding Rounds

Summary of TAE Technologies Funding:

Total Funding: TAE Technologies secured $1.32B across 11 funding rounds

Largest Round: TAE Technologies’ largest funding round secured $500M on May 21, 2016.

Investors: A total of 22 institutional investors back TAE Technologies

Latest Round: The latest funding round raised  $150M and was a Series G round held on June 3, 2025.

Funding Rounds Breakdown:

• 3 Early-Stage
• 6 Late-Stage
• 2 Unattributed

Key Investors:

TAE secured key institutional investors, including Venrock, New Enterprise Associates, Vulcan Capital, Goldman Sachs, Chevron, Reimagined Ventures, Sumitomo, TIFF, and Google.

Why Invest in TAE Technologies?

There are several reasons why investing in TAE technologies could fit your overall strategy. For one, the company remains a pioneering force in revolutionary fusion technology for full-scale commercial deployment. Notably, the company holds over 1,500 patents and has successfully launched five generations of FRC reactor prototypes.

TAE Technologies continues to accelerate fusion science via its strategic approach that combines next-generation technology, machine learning algorithms, and experimental concepts. Notably, the firm has unraveled several new sciences, including mastering plasma and accelerator physics, which were necessary to control fickle plasma.

Modular

The modular design and compact form factor of the FRC reactors enable them to be utilized in a wider range of applications. It also enables quick deployment with the ability to scale and meet growing energy demands. Notably, TAE’s FRC reactors provide power on par with traditional fusion systems but from a compact form factor.

Maintainability

It’s incredibly expensive to maintain fusion reactors. They require specialized equipment and expensive tasks that can include the disposal of contaminated nuclear waste. TAE provides best-in-class FRC reactors that offer lower maintenance costs, reliability, and high performance.

Source – TAE Technologies

TAE’s business model differs from competitors in many ways, including the company’s desire to integrate with today’s grid infrastructure versus requiring new complex devices. This cost-effective approach reduces construction costs for future power plants and delivery systems.

TAE Technologies Offers Safer Products

One of the biggest advantages of TAE’s products is that they are safe from meltdown risks. Nuclear meltdown is one of the scariest ways in which a plant can fail. In the past, nuclear meltdowns have left entire communities uninhabitable for decades.

These FRC reactors have no risk of meltdown and don’t produce any long-term radioactive waste. As such, they can be placed close to residential communities or next to locations that require intense power demands like data centers.

Leading the Pack

You can’t ignore TAE’s market positioning. TAE Technologies is considered one of the leading private fusion energy startups globally, competing with firms like Commonwealth Fusion Systems and Helion Energy. This ranking is the direct result of years of R&D, coupled with smart business tactics and innovative products.

Network

TAE Technologies continues to partner with some of the biggest names in technology and science. The company’s decade-long strategic partnership with Google led to significant breakthroughs in fusion technologies and more. This network has helped TAE to overcome technical obstacles and allowed the company to build up consumer confidence.

Funding and Investor data sourced from Tracxn

1. Pre-IPO Secondary Marketplace

Secondary markets are purpose-built exchanges that connect pre-IPO shareholders with potential investors. These marketplaces can offer these assets because they work closely with employees, early-stage investors, and venture capitalists, who are crucial to the company’s pre-IPO growth.

Investing in pre-IPO shares of TAE Technologies could offer strong returns if the company’s valuation increases following its IPO. It’s common for company valuations to increase following an IPO. As such, it makes sense to add pre-IPO shares to your portfolio before the firm announces plans to go public.

Secondary marketplaces have many requirements. Here are some concerns you should be made aware of:

Eligibility: This approach requires you to be an accredited investor, meaning you will have to show at least $1M in liquid assets to qualify for access.

2. Private Equity Firms

Private equity firms gain access to pre-IPO shares during investment rounds. They then offer these shares to high-net-worth accredited investors with a commission. Notably, private equity firms are known to have extra stipulations, including blocking the sale of shares for years in some cases.

3. Employee Equity Sales

Many consider employee equity sales as the best way to acquire pre-IPO shares in TAE Technologies. This method of acquiring pre-IPO shares requires you to connect with former employees. It’s common for companies to issue shares as part of an incentive package. Notably, this profit-sharing method has become more popular, leading to more pre-IPO share opportunities for investors.

Private Transactions: There are a lot of hoops you will need to jump through to complete a private pre-IPO transaction, including creating specific legal agreements, conducting valuations, and setting in place any limitations on the transfer of the asset.

Brokerage: Brokers will take a lot of the confusion out of the pre-IPO process. These professionals can guide you through each step, ensuring full compliance and avoiding common errors untrained professionals make.

There are several risks that you should consider before jumping into the pre-IPO shares investment arena. Here are the top concerns:

Liquidity Risk

If you are looking for an asset that you can sell right away, pre-IPO shares are not the best option.

These investments can include sales and transfer clauses that prevent the transfer of the asset until certain criteria, such as the IPO’s completion, are met. It’s even common for pre-IPO shares to require you to wait years before gaining the ability to sell your assets.

Finding a Broker

If you meet the requirements and are comfortable with the risks, several platforms offer access to pre-IPO opportunities:

Forge Global: One of the largest private stock marketplaces, offering shares in late-stage startups like SpaceX, Stripe, and Databricks. Minimums typically start around $100,000.

EquityZen: A popular platform allowing accredited investors to buy into private companies with minimums as low as $5,000. Past offerings include companies like Discord and UiPath.

Rainmaker Securities: A full-service broker that helps source and negotiate private share sales, including opportunities in companies like OpenAI, Stripe, and Palantir.

Hiive: A newer platform with live bid/ask pricing for hundreds of private companies. Transparent and low-fee, with minimums starting around $25,000.

MicroVentures: Offers pooled access to late-stage companies through special purpose vehicles (SPVs), including past investments in SpaceX and Instacart.

EquityBee: Allows investors to fund employee stock option exercises at startups, often at discounted valuations, with minimums around $10,000.

Augment: A digital-first marketplace showing real-time pricing for pre-IPO shares, targeting tech-savvy investors and offering lower transaction fees.

StartEngine Private: Launched in late 2023, this platform offers accredited investors access to Regulation D offerings in later-stage, venture-backed companies. In its first nine months, it generated $16.5 million in revenue, with average investments of around $32,000

Important: Always perform thorough due diligence and consult a financial advisor before investing in private company shares.

Valuation of TAE Technologies and Future IPO

TAE Technologies achieved Unicorn status after securing a $2.6B valuation. This value was the result of years of hard work and strategic planning. Impressively, the company secured this value with only around 224 employees, signalling room for internal growth.

Source – TAE Technologies

Today, TAE remains a leading fusion research and power provider. The company has expanded its operations and now has offices in the UK, the EU, and Switzerland. These offices have helped the company break into new markets and expand its strategic partnerships further.

Those holding TAE technologies shares seek to capitalize on the company’s innovative approach and market positioning. If TAE can succeed in its goal to bring clean, limitless energy options to the world, the results could be significant gains for the company.

TAE Technologies | Conclusion

TAE Technologies provides a unique opportunity to shareholders. The company represents a turning point in nuclear power and could one day usher in a golden age of atomic power solutions. These options may provide clean, portable, and renewable fusion-powered energy to the masses.

Before making any investment, it’s recommended that you consult with a financial expert. There are several stipulations that are unique to pre-IPO investments, including no sale lock-up periods. To avoid exceeding your risk appetite, further research is necessary. For those who succeed in their research and discover that they qualify for TAE Technologies shares, there could be potential upside.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Pre-IPO shares are typically available only to accredited investors and carry significant risk. Always perform thorough due diligence and consult a financial advisor or legal expert before making investment decisions.