Dr. Anna Brady-Estevez has worked in deep technology for 2 decades and been an active funder of fusion technologies since 2018; supporting a range of disruptive approaches. She has led a number of high growth portfolios in deep tech while at the National Science Foundation (NSF) where she has directed funding and awards of over $225M of grants that have gone on to $10B+ in total company valuations. Anna was the first recipient of the NSF Directors award for “Leading through Innovation”. Dr. Brady-Estevez has served as the Co-Chair alongside the White House OSTP on the United States Digital Assets R&D Agenda; and Co-Chairs interagency working groups in space technology commercialization.

Dr. Brady-Estevez has funded as Program Director generally at the pre-seed, seed and Series A stages; and this work has included high growth companies such as: Ascend Elements (named Battery Resourcers; battery recycling), Epirus (defense, power), Stoke Space Technologies (fully reusable launch), Meati (named Emergy; sustainability), Provivi (sustainability), Syzygy Plasmonics (hydrogen), Nth Cycle (critical minerals), Iontra (charge management), Air Company (carbon dioxide to fuels), Kaleido (data security), Loci Controls (sensing), and a recommended award to Baseload Renewables (prior to Form Energy merger); alongside multiple fusion companies such as Avalanche Energy, NearStar Fusion, and Tibbar Plasma Technologies. Full portfolio visible at: NSF Award Search: Advanced Search. (searchable by “Anna Brady” in Program Officer field; active and expired awards).

Prior to her work at NSF Anna held a range of Director roles in Strategy and infrastructure investments at The AES Corporation (a Fortune 150 global power co) and Cummins Inc (a Fortune 200 OEM). She also served as a management consultant at the Boston Consulting Group. Anna’s private sector work includes recommending continuing funding of an early-stage corporate venture that went on to a ~$5B IPO; directing strategy for over $5B in executed infrastructure investments; developing strategy for a business segment that achieved revenue doubling within years to attain $20B+ in revenues; and serving on an early stage core transformation team for an entity that went on within years to achieve one of the historically largest IPOs (over multi hundred billion USD valuation). Brady-Estevez became a Kauffman Fellow in venture capital in 2009. Dr. Brady-Estevez holds a PhD in chemical and environmental engineer from Yale University where she was elected President of the Student Government, and a BS in chemical engineering from the Johns Hopkins University where she was a varsity athlete. Anna also previously collaborated with the Office of Naval Research (ONR) in advanced technologies.