Nuclear Was Dead
Valar Atomics Raises $130 Million to Build Advanced Nuclear Reactors
Hawthorne, CA – [11/10/2025] – Valar Atomics, a Balerion Space Ventures portfolio company, has raised $130 million to accelerate the development of small, high-temperature nuclear reactors. The round was led by Snowpoint Ventures, with participation from Palmer Luckey, Shyam Sankar, John Donovan, and others.
Valar began construction in Utah on its first reactor, targeting a 100-kilowatt thermal demonstration by July 4. Its reactors use TRISO fuel and helium cooling, operating at 800°C to power AI data centers, defense sites, and industrial facilities.
The company is part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program and plans to scale production to thousands of modular units within the decade. CEO Isaiah Taylor said the goal is simple: “To make critical power from a reactor we built.”
Valar’s Ward 250 Reactor
BSV Report 0003: Reactors to Rockets
By: Douglas McAdams, FMR Navy Nuclear Officer
The nuclear renaissance has arrived. The case for investment in nuclear for commercial energy on earth is strong. The case for nuclear in space and defense technology is even stronger.
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