As a child, Ratu (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu) was fascinated by the convergence of science and real-world solutions. This curiosity led him to study physics at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, complete a PhD at the University’s Robinson Research Institute and in 2021, become the founder of nuclear fusion start-up OpenStar.
OpenStar is developing pioneering technology to build a nuclear fusion reactor capable of producing abundant, clean energy. Using a powerful magnet that floats in a vacuum chamber, the company reached a pivotal moment last year when it achieved “first plasma”—the same state of matter as the sun. The goal is to harness this energy for use in power plants and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. One of only a handful of companies worldwide in this race, OpenStar has raised $20.4 million in just two years.
Ratu’s journey to becoming a physicist and the CEO of a multi-million-dollar start-up hasn’t been a straight line. At one point, he dropped out of his physics degree, admitting he was “struggling with something he wasn’t going to learn at Uni.” During his break, he founded a paintball company, where he discovered the meaning of hard work. “That business experience gave me what I needed to succeed at university, beyond just being bright,” he says.
On his return to University, he saw how science and business could work hand in hand during an internship at Superconductor Technologies Inc. in Texas. “The experience had a huge influence on me. I was lucky to be mentored by the VP of Product, who showed me how research and commercial reality intersect, which gave me a huge sense of industrial context for my work.”
The Robinson Research Institute plays a large part in Ratu’s story, thanks to a “pivotal” summer scholarship. “While I was a good student, Robinson exposed me to actual research, which, it turned out, I was very good at. That shift from studying to solving new problems that no one has ever solved before is a moment I look to inspire in students, especially interns coming to OpenStar.”
After graduating with his initial degree, Ratu went on to do his PhD in Superconductivity Physics at Robinson, which he praises for encouraging commercialisation. “It’s also the hub for many of the technologies crucial for fusion, so OpenStar has hired many students out of the institute. Without Robinson, hiring Kiwi talent of the calibre we need would be very hard.”
Ratu’s motivation is also grounded in his whakapapa. His grandmother, the late Kāterina Te Heikōkō, was a driving force in the revival of te reo Māori and became known as the ‘mother’ of Kura Kaupapa Māori. Her legacy inspires his belief that humans have the power to change the world. “I really think that the future is what we make of it, and that most of us, if not all, have much more agency over our collective future than we think we do.” He backs this belief with an effort to make the biggest impact and take on the most responsibility possible for his future.
His advice for aspiring physicists is unexpected: ‘taste’ is more important than exam marks or brilliance. “Your ability to judge problems as interesting and worthwhile, AND your ability to cultivate your own engagement with those problems, is critical to what you will end up working on. There is a saying that if you're not working on building your own dream, then you will end up helping to build someone else’s. That taste, in what to work on, is absolutely a skill, and one that University teachers and professors are trying to engender.”
The future looks very bright for Ratu and OpenStar. “In some ways, I started as a project manager for an experiment. OpenStar has grown beyond that already and has only further to go.
“My responsibility is now to ensure that OpenStar is a place where people can repeat and scale the successes that we’ve had so far, and to help build the coalition of support that will continue to make that possible.”