Helion Energy is a spinoff firm from research led by Dr. John Slough  at the University of Washington that is seeking to build a practical nuclear fusion power system. Their fusion engine is based on colliding and compressing packets of plasma. They believe with about $35 in R&D funding they can reach the point where they can build a pilot plant with an additional $200M. Here are more details about the company:

• Helion energy fusion project had another $2 million in funds and Made Research Progress – NextBigFuture – May.13.13
• The nearness of fusion: The materials and coolant challenges facing one fusion company mirror fission – The Weinberg Foundation – Apri.30.13

The packets of plasma, which will contain ionized deuterium and tritium, are held together with magnetic fields using what is called the field-reversed configuration or FRC. Another company pursuing the FRC collision approach is the secretive Tri-Alpha Energy, which is a spinoff from fusion research at the University of California at Irvine. They have gotten significant funding from a number of sources including Paul Allen and continue to attract investors:

• Hollywood, Silicon Valley and Russia Join Forces on Nuclear Fusion – Forbes – Mar.11.13
• Tri-Alpha structures in 12C, Henry R. Weller, Duke University and Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory (pdf)