Lazarus Energy Systems, a Hawthorne-based startup, has secured $16 million in seed funding to develop an innovative turbine technology designed to improve efficiency and reduce costs in power generation. The company, which was formed earlier this year, focuses on supercritical carbon dioxide turbomachinery, a technology that allows turbines to be more compact and efficient than traditional gas or steam turbines.

Co-founded by chief executive George Kitromelides and chief technology officer Luke Malcolm, Lazarus Energy has developed a 5-megawatt turbine system compact enough to fit within a standard shipping container. This design enables flexible deployment and connection to a variety of power sources. The company’s primary initial market target is data centers, which have significant energy demands, as well as natural gas-fired power generation facilities.

Malcolm noted that the technology represents a departure from efforts to incrementally improve existing gas or steam turbines, which have seen little fundamental innovation since their inception over a century ago. By leveraging the unique properties of carbon dioxide at high temperature and pressure—where it becomes dense and can reduce the size and complexity of turbomachinery—Lazarus aims to reshape turbine design from the ground up.

Both founders previously worked together at Anduril Industries in Costa Mesa before leaving to pursue the energy sector opportunity. The startup also benefited from participation in San Francisco’s 50/50 Accelerator program, which contributed to its funding.

The company claims that its turbine units offer several advantages, including requiring four to five times smaller physical footprints compared to conventional turbines, no need for on-site construction, and significantly shorter lead times—estimated at three to six months versus the years typically required to deliver traditional systems. Additionally, the design’s fuel efficiency could reduce operational energy costs by more than half.

Lazarus Energy plans to build its turbine units at factory facilities and ship them in containers for easier installation, potentially streamlining deployment for industries with high energy demands. The infusion of $16 million in seed capital aims to accelerate the company’s development and commercial rollout of its novel turbine technology.