Until the turn of the millennium, funding for research on controlled thermonuclear fusion was the domain of public institutions, either via government ministries or state universities. After the first timid attempts (KMS fusion, EMC2), there are now more than a dozen private companies involved in controlled fusion. The "Private Entrepreneurs" article focuses attention on a few companies (Keeve Milton Siegel Fusion, General Fusion, Tokamak Energy, TAE Technologies, Commonwealth Fusion Systems, and many others), and briefly mentions others. In this article, the author tries to analyse the possibilities of private companies and compares them with the successes of private enterprise in space travel research. The difference between the two areas is emphasized: while space travel research has long since gone beyond basic research, no fusion power plant is yet operational. The more demanding and costly part of the research awaits the private sector, i.e. basic research. Close cooperation between private and public fusion sectors is described, which is beneficial for both financing options, especially in the United States. The conclusion is clear, public and private finances are helping to overcome the same and long-standing goal, which is to harness fusion energy for electricity generation. The role of private partners can in no way be downplayed.