Listen to this articleGA Drilling has secured $44.1 million in funding, marking a pivotal shift from technology development to full scale commercial deployment. The round was led by TomEnterprise with participation from Underground Ventures and strategic investment from Nabors Industries, which also provides global operational access.
What is GA Drilling?
GA Drilling is a global technology company specializing in advanced drilling solutions that make deep and ultra deep geothermal energy economically viable at scale. Through its NexTitan downhole anchoring and drive system, along with complementary plasma enhanced technologies, it enables faster, safer, and more cost effective hard rock drilling for both geothermal projects and oil & gas applications.
GA Drilling’s latest funding round comprises $24.7 million in new capital and $19.4 million converted from a prior SAFE agreement. It is led by TomEnterprise, the investment platform established by Thomas von Koch (former CEO of EQT), with participation from Underground Ventures. Nabors Industries (one of the world’s largest drilling contractors, operating a global rig fleet) joins as both an investor and strategic industrial partner, delivering immediate access to worldwide oil and gas operations.
This structure reflects strong investor confidence: the SAFE conversion signals that earlier commitments are maturing into equity, while fresh capital from high caliber backers (including a prominent family office and a major industry player) provides the runway for execution. The involvement of Nabors stands out as a force multiplier, combining capital with operational scale and market reach that few pure play tech investors could match.
At the core of the funding is NexTitan, GA Drilling’s modular downhole anchoring and drive system. It directly tackles the mechanical limits of hard rock drilling by stabilizing the drill string, applying “weight on bit” at the bit level, and using closed loop autonomous control to adjust thrust and torque in real time based on downhole conditions (rather than delayed surface data). Field testing at the NORCE Research facility in Norway in late February 2026 validated 32,000 lbf of thrust in both casing and open hole environments under realistic conditions. These results confirm NexTitan’s ability to drive bits deeper and faster through formations once considered uneconomical.
Performance metrics are compelling: Rate of Penetration (ROP) can increase up to 3x, while Bottom Hole Assembly (BHA) lifetime extends up to 2x. The system therefore slashes drilling costs, reduces non productive time, and unlocks wells that geothermal developers previously could not justify economically. For oil and gas operators, it delivers efficiency gains on complex wells, including offshore projects (with active development underway alongside a major deepwater player such as Petrobras).
The capital will fund large scale field deployments, performance validation across multiple geographies, and progression to Technology Readiness Level 7 (TRL 7) in 2026. CEO Tony Branch emphasized: “This investment gives us the capital and momentum to accelerate commercial deployment at scale. NexTitan is designed to significantly reduce drilling costs, and these funds allow us to prove that with real world customer data across multiple geographies. Our priority is execution, demonstrating field performance is what earns trust in this industry, and that is exactly what 2026 is about.” Founder Igor Kocis added that the round validates both the technology and the long term vision for NexTitan as a transformative solution.
Strategically, the round positions GA Drilling at the intersection of two massive markets. Deep geothermal offers baseload, zero carbon energy that is locally produced and structurally insulated from global supply chain risks, such as geopolitical disruptions affecting oil and gas imports. By making ultra deep wells commercially viable, NexTitan accelerates the scale-up of geothermal capacity worldwide. Simultaneously, the Nabors partnership opens immediate revenue channels in oil and gas, where operators can adopt the tool for cost reduction without waiting for full energy transition timelines. This dual use approach de-risks the business model, broadens the addressable market, and creates a natural bridge between legacy hydrocarbon operations and next generation clean energy.
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From a capital markets perspective, the deal stands out for its blend of venture and industrial capital, the conversion of prior SAFE notes, and the caliber of leadership (a former EQT CEO at the helm of the lead investor). It builds on GA Drilling’s track record of innovation, evolving from earlier plasma based concepts to the mechanically focused NexTitan platform, while delivering clear execution milestones for 2026. The result is a company that is no longer proving feasibility but proving scalability, with validated performance data, strategic distribution through Nabors, and committed capital to capture early commercial wins.
This $44.1 million infusion accelerates GA Drilling’s trajectory toward industry wide adoption of deep drilling technology. It materially advances the economics of geothermal energy, enhances efficiency in conventional drilling, and equips the company with the resources, partnerships, and momentum required to deliver on its vision of making ultra deep wells faster, cheaper, and safer at scale.
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