Nuclear energy company Deep Fission announced its emergence from stealth mode and a $4 million pre-seed round led by 8VC. At the forefront of advanced energy technology, Deep Fission is aiming to redefine the future of nuclear power with an unique approach – which is placing reactors a mile underground.
Launched last year by the father-daughter team Elizabeth and Richard Muller, Deep Fission applies traditional pressurized water reactor design in an unconventional environment. By utilizing the natural conditions deep underground, the startup eliminates the need for large pressure vessels and containment structures, significantly reducing costs while also enhancing safety, sustainability, and operational efficiency. The company can do this while using conventional low-enriched uranium fuel and an existing supply chain, sidestepping a significant source of delay and concern for other advanced reactor designs.
This funding will accelerate efforts in hiring, regulatory approval, and the commercialization of Deep Fission’s revolutionary reactor technology. And the company has already met several important milestones, such as completing a conceptual design, submitting a regulatory engagement plan, a conceptual design white paper, and a conceptual design review meeting with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
KEY QUOTES:
“I am thrilled to introduce Deep Fission and present our groundbreaking approach to affordable nuclear power. Climate change has accelerated the need for clean energy, and nuclear must be cheaper in order to compete with coal and natural gas. We’ve innovated beyond other reactor designs and engaged early and often with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to make atomic energy a viable option to power AI, industrial applications, as well as remote communities. We cannot wait to share our findings with the world and do our part to help with the clean energy transition.”
- Elizabeth Muller, co-founder and CEO of Deep Fission
“Cheap energy fuels our prosperity and all of our technology. With global demand escalating, we need more options. We invested in Deep Fission because they are engineering a way for nuclear power to be exceptionally safe, cost-effective, and reliable – and far enough underground that hopefully neither war nor regulators can turn it off!”
- Joe Lonsdale, Managing Partner at 8VC
