Seven weeks after its launch round, the startup putting small nuclear reactors on barges has banked five times as much again. Bluecore Energy’s $50M seed will pay for engineering, testing and licensing of its first floating system, with the cash arriving just as the company starts formal talks with US regulators.
Silverton Partners led the round. Slauson & Co., Harlem Capital, Precursor Ventures and other early backers returned, joined by MaC Ventures, Collab Capital and a group of new investors. Backers have now put $60M into the company founded by Kofi Asante, a former Uber Freight employee.
Its first barge-borne plant is designed to produce about 10 megawatts around the clock and run for years between refuelings. Bluecore sees ports, coastal industry and AI data centers as the customers, with cargo ships a later ambition.
Regulators are already in the loop. Since July, Bluecore has secured its first barge and opened engagement with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Coast Guard, and it is building a non-fueled reactor prototype at the Port of Long Beach to validate monitoring, sensor and control systems.
Light-water reactors have powered the US grid for decades, so the technology is proven. The hard part is packaging one for a moving maritime platform and clearing a new licensing path, which is why the team leans on former Navy nuclear submarine officers and engineers from SpaceX, Northrop Grumman, Toyota and Rivian.
