Startup profile · funding coverage
Antares Nuclear funding, valuation and investors
Develops factory-built nuclear microreactors for reliable power at military, space and remote industrial sites.
Verified company research · funding, investors and latest developments
Keep track of Antares Nuclear
Save this profile to your VCT watchlist for a quick return.
Funding, valuation & investors
Answer-first snapshotLatest funding
Series A
$30M · October 30, 2024
Latest known valuation
Not publicly disclosed
Total disclosed equity funding
$38M
Excludes debt, grants, acquisitions, secondaries, and IPO proceeds.
Current status
private
growth · Torrance, California, United States
Latest tracked event: Series C (equity and debt package) (July 27, 2026). It is shown separately because it is not counted as disclosed equity funding.
Overview
Antares Nuclear, founded in 2023 by Jordan Bramble and Julia DeWahl, develops transportable heat-pipe microreactors based on TRISO fuel. The Torrance company demonstrated criticality with its Mark-0 reactor at Idaho National Laboratory in June 2026 and raised a $470 million equity-and-debt Series C in July.
Why Antares Nuclear is interesting
Antares reached zero-power criticality in June 2026 and disclosed $470M in July Series C financing, including $370M equity and $100M debt. Its Mark-1 electricity test and military deployments remain planned rather than completed.
Product & use cases
Antares designs modular TRISO-fueled, sodium heat-pipe-cooled nuclear systems for remote power rather than utility-scale baseload generation. Mark-0 validated reactor physics and control behavior at zero-power. Mark-1 aims to test full-power conversion, operational endurance and electricity generation.
- Long-duration power for U.S. military installations
- Remote critical infrastructure where diesel fuel resupply is vulnerable
- Space and other special-purpose energy systems
Key facts
- June 4, 2026: DOE-authorized Mark-0 zero-power criticality test at Idaho National Laboratory; no electricity generated by the Mark-0 test reactor.
- July 27, 2026: $470M Series C package, comprised of $370M equity and $100M debt, co-led by Paradigm and Caffeinated Capital.
- December 2, 2025: $96M Series B, comprised of $71M new equity and $25M debt according to contemporary coverage.
- Mark-1 electricity-producing demonstration targeted for 2027; military deployments targeted from 2028, not yet achieved.
- September 2026: announced multi-year HALEU supply agreements with Centrus and additional fuel-supply partnerships.
Funding history (newest first)
Series C (equity and debt package)
2026-07-27 $470M total ($370M equity; $100M debt)- Paradigm (lead)
- Caffeinated Capital (lead)
- Point72 Ventures (participant)
- Shine Capital (participant)
- Industrious Ventures (participant)
Series B (equity and debt package)
2025-12-02 $96M total ($71M equity; $25M debt)- Shine Capital (lead)
- Caffeinated Capital (participant)
Series A
2024-10-30 $30MSeed
2023-10-31 $8MInvestors in our directory
Funds linked from Antares Nuclear's profile — open a fund page for stage focus and related deal articles.
Competitive landscape
Edge: A dated DOE criticality test and announced fuel supply contracts are stronger progress signals than a paper reactor design. Commercial readiness still depends on full-power electricity production, fuel availability, regulatory authorizations, deployment logistics and actual operating cost.
Comparing zero-power criticality dates is valid only as a narrow physics milestone. Power output, reactor lifetime, licensing pathway, supply of qualified fuel and revenue differ across vendors. Antares' $470M financing is not $470M of VC equity.
-
Radiant direct
Factory-built transportable microreactor; electricity-producing demonstration remains a separate milestone.
-
Valar Atomics direct
Advanced gas-cooled microreactors; demonstrated zero-power criticality in June 2026.
-
Aalo Atomics adjacent
Sodium-cooled reactors designed for modular AI/data-center power rather than primarily military missions.
Industries
Market / IPO context
Editorial / static context — not a live quote.
FAQs about Antares Nuclear
Practical answers founders, operators, and investors typically search for.
Last updated:
Editorial note: AI tools assisted with research, structure, or drafting. Venture Capital Tracker retains human editorial responsibility for factual accuracy, relevance, and source quality before publication.