Bluecore Energy, a maritime nuclear energy startup founded seven months ago by Uber Freight alumnus Kofi Asante, has raised $10 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Slauson & Co. The company is developing small modular reactors mounted on floating barges, aiming to supply clean power to ports and surrounding infrastructure, including data centres facing growing energy demands. The move reflects wider interest in nuclear power as a solution to rising electricity needs, particularly from AI-driven data centre expansion.

The reactors use established water-cooled nuclear technology, heating water to produce steam that drives a turbine, and need refuelling only once every few years. Barges can dock near communities and connect to the power grid via subsea cables, with each unit intended to power roughly 15,000 homes or scale up to serve a major port. Bluecore has already secured a port terminal, a barge and a test reactor pressure vessel, and says it is building multiple safety layers, including steel and concrete shielding, while working with regulators. The funding round also drew support from Harlem Capital, Precursor Ventures, Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen and Kevin Hart's Hartbeat Ventures.