Driving European Nuclear Innovation Forward

Thorizon, the Dutch-French developer of next-generation molten salt reactors, proudly announces the appointment of Margriet Hooghiemstra as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). As CFO, Margriet will drive Thorizon’s overall financial strategy and lead critical company functions including finance, fundraising, HR, legal and program management as we gear up for our next phase of growth. Under her leadership, we are establishing a dedicated capital raising team to secure public and private investments in our advanced reactor technology.

A Proven Leader for Deep Tech Scale-Up

Margriet brings a rare combination of strategic acumen and operational depth. She began her career at McKinsey & Company, advising major energy clients on the transition to net zero. She then moved into senior leadership roles across the industrial 3D printing sector — at DSM, Covestro, and Stratasys — where she led M&A transactions and guided organizations through high-growth and consolidation phases.

Since joining Thorizon in 2024 as Chief of Staff, Margriet has been instrumental in preparing the company for scale. She holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a Master’s in Econometrics from the London School of Economics.

 “I’m truly excited to work with Margriet in this new role.” Said Kiki Lauwers, CEO of Thorizon. “She’s not only one of the smartest and most thoughtful people I know, but also someone who brings clarity, and conviction to complex decisions. Over the past year, she’s become a trusted sparring partner always grounding our ambitions in strategic and financial reality, while translating big ambitions into actionable plans. With Margriet as CFO and a strong fundraising team coming together, I feel confident we’re ready for the next phase”

“I’m incredibly excited to continue building Thorizon into a European leader in clean, reliable energy. We’re developing a groundbreaking technology with the potential to accelerate the energy transition and strengthen Europe’s energy independence.” says Margriet Hooghiemstra, CFO of Thorizon. “What I find so inspiring about working at Thorizon is that nearly the entire team is focused on advancing the technology and commercializing our reactor. It’s deeply rewarding to help build the company around that mission, creating the structure, support, and funding needed to turn this vision into reality.”

Thorizon has raised €42.5 million to date, including a recent €16 million equity round. We thank Alexander van der Touw for his important role in closing this round and helping establish our finance infrastructure — his contribution was essential in this foundational phase.

Nuclear Momentum Is Building — But Europe Must Step Up

Europe is waking up to the need for sovereign, scalable energy innovation. In 2024 alone, €15 billion was invested in European deep tech (Dealroom), yet structural barriers remain: deep tech scale-ups still face a steep funding gap between seed rounds and industrial deployment.

Despite housing over 26,000 deep tech startups, European capital markets remain fragmented and risk-averse. Today, less than 0.02% of European pension assets are allocated to venture capital — compared to 2% in the U.S. (Jacques Delors Centre, 2024). Without stronger public-private mechanisms, Europe risks falling behind.

Still, momentum is real:

• Governments are reaffirming nuclear as a strategic asset.
• Big Tech is investing in advanced reactors to power AI and data infrastructure (FT, 2024).
• The World Bank has updated its energy policy to allow nuclear investments (2024).
• The U.S. DOE is investing $2.3 billion in advanced reactors through its ARDP program.

In Europe, the Draghi Report on Competitiveness has laid the groundwork for an EU Scale-Up Initiative, while work is underway on a potential IPCEI for nuclear technologies — a vital mechanism to enable cross-border investment and industrial collaboration.

Looking Ahead

With a strengthened leadership team and a focused capital strategy, Thorizon is well positioned to convert this momentum into industrial progress.

Rooted in France’s nuclear tradition and the Netherlands’ innovation ecosystem, Thorizon is uniquely positioned to contribute to Europe’s energy future. We are scaling a technology designed for impact — safe, circular, and fit for the energy systems of tomorrow. The momentum for advanced nuclear is real — across industry, policy, and society. With new European initiatives on the horizon, including the EU Scale-Up Initiative and a potential IPCEI for nuclear technologies, the conditions are coming together to accelerate deployment.

We are ready to move fast, build boldly, and partner across borders to deliver the clean, resilient energy infrastructure Europe needs.