Bluecore Energy raises $50M seed for floating nuclear

Bluecore Energy is not the only startup betting that nuclear power can be built faster and cheaper by moving it offshore. The company emerged from stealth with $10 million in pre-seed funding just two months before this seed round, and it has already lined up the Port of Long Beach as its first target while pursuing certification with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the U.S. Coast Guard.

The raise lands in the middle of a broader nuclear funding boom. Nuclear fission startups alone pulled in roughly $2 billion in venture funding in 2025, and cleantech-, EV- and sustainability-focused startups raised about $15 billion in the first half of 2026, with second-quarter funding reaching its highest quarterly level since 2024.

Bluecore's bet hinges on regulators accepting a barge-mounted design and on whether ports and AI data centers sign up as customers. For the startup, the test is whether certification arrives before its capital does — and whether floating reactors prove easier to deliver than the land-based plants it is trying to replace.