Nuclear energy is getting a makeover, and it comes in the form of barges. Startup Bluecore Energy announced on July 21, 2026 that it raised $10 million in a pre-seed round led by Slauson & Co. to develop small modular reactors (SMRs) mounted on floating barges, designed to provide clean energy to ports and coastal infrastructure.
Founded just seven months ago by Kofi Asante, a former Uber Freight executive, Bluecore proposes a radically different approach to nuclear energy. Instead of fixed plants that take decades to license and build, its modular reactors are manufactured on a production line and deployed on barges that can be towed to any location with maritime access. The system uses closed-loop water cooling, heating water to generate steam that drives turbines.
Each barge can generate energy equivalent to the consumption of approximately 15,000 homes or meet the demand of a major port. The company has already secured a port terminal, a barge, and a test reactor pressure vessel. The ambition is to create a scalable production model, drastically reducing deployment time compared to traditional nuclear plants.
The timing could not be better. Energy demand has surged with the massive build-out of AI data centers, and Bluecore sees this market as an immediate opportunity. Asante says data center executives have expressed interest in receiving dedicated power without overloading local grids. In addition to Slauson & Co., the round includes Harlem Capital, Precursor Ventures, Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen, and actor Kevin Hart's Hartbeat Ventures.
The challenges, however, are enormous. Nuclear regulation is complex and licensing floating modular reactors is still uncharted territory in the US. The startup says it is working with regulatory agencies to 'embed the safest design decision' into its first product, with multiple containment layers. If successful, Bluecore could usher in a new era for nuclear energy: flexible, mobile, and fast to deploy.
Source: TechCrunch
