Founder Directory
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Founders6
Known for these resultsRole67%Role is parsed from founder titles in yc.db. Known for 67% of these rows — the rest have no title at all, mostly 2019–2023. Those rows stay in the result and are counted as Unknown, never as No.Bio67%Bio coverage: 67% of these founders have a bio on their YC profile. Every bio-derived facet (ex-company, school, credentials, discipline) is Unknown for the rest.Ex-company33%Ex-company is matched from bios with employment context (ex-, formerly, worked at). 33% of these rows have at least one match.School67%School is matched from bios, case-sensitive for acronyms. 67% of these rows have at least one match.
- Edward HinsonFounder · Zephyr FusionF25Industrials · San Diego
- Galen BurkeFounder · Zephyr FusionF25Industrials · San Diego
- Jason KaufmannFounder/CTO · Maritime FusionW25Industrials · San Francisco
- Justin CohenFounder/CEO · Maritime FusionW25Industrials · San Francisco
- Chris PihlFounder/CTO · Helion EnergyS14Industrials · Seattle
- David Kirtley@dekirtleyFounder/CEO · Helion EnergyS14Industrials · Seattle
FOUNDERROLEBATCHINDUSTRYLOCATIONTEAMX_url
Edward HinsonZephyr FusionFounderFall 2025IndustrialsSan Diego, United States2—Galen BurkeZephyr FusionFounderFall 2025IndustrialsSan Diego, United States2—Jason KaufmannMaritime FusionFounder/CTOWinter 2025IndustrialsSan Francisco, United States6—Justin CohenMaritime FusionFounder/CEOWinter 2025IndustrialsSan Francisco, United States6—Chris PihlHelion Energy2× YCFounder/CTOSummer 2014IndustrialsSeattle, United States150—David KirtleyHelion EnergyFounder/CEOSummer 2014IndustrialsSeattle, United States150https://x.com/dekirtley
Showing 1–6 of 6 founders
Jason Kaufmann
Founder/CTO·Maritime Fusion
PRIMARY INFO
RoleFounder/CTO
Team size6
BatchWinter 2025
LocationSan Francisco, United States
Company statusActive
StageEarly
BIO
I'm a hardware engineer with a passion for building cool electronics and systems. With a background in physics and computer engineering from Penn, I've worked on everything from AI hardware at Tesla to power systems for rockets at SpaceX. Currently focused on making a fusion reactor for ships.
Ex-company, school and discipline below are derived from this bio. Nothing is inferred when the bio is missing.
BACKGROUND
Credentialsnone mentioned
DisciplineEngineerKeyword match from the bio text, not a classifier.
TRACK RECORD
First YC company on record
COMPANY CONTEXT
Maritime Fusion
Fusion reactors for ships
IndustryIndustrials
Websitemaritimefusion.com
Team size6
LocationSan Francisco, United States
BatchWinter 2025
Co-foundersJustin Cohen
