Standard Nuclear raises $140M as nuclear power enters its gold rush era

As the atomic powerfulness golden unreserved enters into afloat plaything — spurred by AI companies’ hopeless request for energy —  the sellers of “picks and shovels” are starting to currency in, too.

By the extremity of 2025, atomic startups had raised $1.1 billion, each for tiny modular reactors. The woody travel is present extending to those captious suppliers successful the atomic industry. And Standard Nuclear, which makes atomic substance to provender those reactors, is 1 of them.

The institution said it has raised $140 cardinal successful a Series A circular led by Decisive Point with information from Andreessen Horowitz, Chevron Technology Ventures, Crucible Capital, Fundomo, StepStone Group, Washington Harbour Partners, Welara, and XTX Ventures.

The circular was completed successful 2 tranches of $70 cardinal each aft Standard Nuclear deed milestones sooner than expected successful the aftermath of President Donald Trump’s nuclear-related enforcement orders past year, a institution spokesperson told TechCrunch. 

The caller circular comes 7 months aft Standard Nuclear emerged from “stealth” with $42 million successful funding. Air quotes are required here; Standard Nuclear is built connected the ashes of the Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (USNC), which went bankrupt successful October 2024. The bankrupt institution had been moving to commercialize a atomic substance called TRi-structural ISOtropic particle fuel, oregon TRISO, for years. Decisive Point’s founder, Thomas Hendrix, bought USNC’s fuel-related assets successful the bankruptcy auction for $28 million.

TRISO substance was primitively conceptualized successful the 1950s. Uranium particles astir the size of a poppy effect are coated successful ceramic and carbon. Those are past packed into larger spheres. Altogether, the plan of the substance pellets is expected to beryllium much resistant to melting down.

TRISO isn’t wide utilized today. And yet, galore atomic startups accidental they’ll beryllium utilizing TRISO successful their reactors. Standard Nuclear has said it has $100 cardinal successful non-binding income for 2027. Its customers see Radiant Energy, different Decisive Point portfolio company, and Nano Nuclear Energy, which bought USNC’s reactor assets.

Standard Nuclear’s years of acquisition could enactment it successful the lead. But if atomic startups can’t present ample numbers of reactors connected the timelines they’ve promised — they each look steep challenges successful scaling manufacturing — Standard Nuclear could, conscionable similar its predecessor, find itself excessively acold up of the puck.