The Venture Codex

Participated · Series C · Nov 2024

Radiant is building a compact, factory-produced nuclear microreactor that generates 1 MW of electricity and can be shipped on a standard semi-trailer. The reactor uses helium cooling and TRISO fuel beads that enable five months between refuelings and a 20-year service life. Its initial use cases focus on displacing diesel generators at remote commercial and military sites as well as powering energy-hungry data centers. Customers will be able either to purchase the units outright or sign long-term power-purchase agreements, after which Radiant will retrieve and decommission the reactor. The company has already signed an agreement with data-center developer Equinix to supply 20 reactors and is constructing a demonstration unit at Idaho National Laboratory that it expects to begin testing in summer 2026. Radiant is one of 11 companies chosen for the U.S. “3 by ’26” fast-track program aimed at bringing three next-generation reactors to criticality by July 2026. Following its latest financing, Radiant is valued at over $1.8 billion, building on the $165 million it raised six months earlier.

Led · Series A · Dec 2023

DISA develops and deploys its patented High-Pressure Slurry Ablation (HPSA) platform to liberate and recover critical minerals and remediate legacy uranium sites. The company has commissioned commercial-scale HPSA units at multiple global mining sites and reports more than 100 abandoned uranium mine sites under contract for remediation. In September 2025 DISA received a first-of-its-kind NRC license that enables remediation of AUM sites across the United States. The company plans to begin remediation projects later in 2026, including projects on the Navajo Nation and at a federal site covered by its NRC license. DISA says the technology is designed to offer faster, cleaner, and more efficient mineral liberation and recovery. Founded in 2018, DISA is based in Casper, Wyoming, with a satellite office in Westminster, Colorado.

Led · Series B · Dec 2022

SafeAI builds retrofit hardware and proprietary autonomous software to enable off-road heavy equipment in mining and construction to operate autonomously. The company sells an interoperable, scalable aftermarket solution that transforms existing machines into self-operating robotic assets. SafeAI was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Santa Clara, CA, with offices in Perth, Tokyo, and Delhi. The company more than doubled headcount in 2022 to over 90 employees as it expanded operations across the U.S., Australia, Japan, and India. With the new capital, SafeAI plans to accelerate its autonomous vehicle technology roadmap, invest in engineering and developer teams, and scale its global operations team. Management says funds will be used to meet contractual milestones and expand the company’s global footprint to service growing customer demand. SafeAI develops interoperable autonomous technology and retrofits heavy equipment for autonomous applications in mining and construction. It builds a software platform with advanced, industry-specific AI to convert existing machines into self-operating robotic assets. The company intends to use the funds to accelerate research and development of its interoperable autonomous technology and to support global expansion. Led by founder and CEO Bibhrajit Halder, SafeAI serves a broad ecosystem of industry players with complex needs. The company currently operates with Obayashi Corporation in Cupertino, California. It raised $21M in a Series A to advance these plans. SafeAI develops autonomy software tailored for heavy equipment in the mining and construction industries, aiming for Level 4 (no human driver) capability. Its platform is designed to be open, modular and upgradeable so clients can adopt new advances in AI and autonomy. The company is testing its software on a Bobcat skid loader at its San Jose proving ground and is working with Doosan Bobcat. SafeAI is also working with an unnamed large global mining company to pilot deployments in mining trucks. The startup is emerging from stealth and does not yet have a commercial product in market, though it runs software on actual construction hardware. The founding team includes talent with experience across Apple, Ford and Caterpillar, and the company announced a $5 million funding round to support development and deployment.

Participated · Series B · Sep 2022

SpinLaunch builds space-access and satellite communications technologies and in 2025 introduced Meridian Space, a platform aimed at lowering the cost and complexity of deploying satellite infrastructure. The company says Meridian Space is a highly differentiated low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite broadband constellation designed for ultra-low capex. SpinLaunch has completed full-scale testing of a proprietary multi-band reflectarray antenna that enables the constellation’s ultra-low capex design. Founded in 2014 and led by CEO Massimiliano Ladovaz, the company is pursuing commercialization of Meridian Space. It raised $30M in new funding to accelerate development and commercialization of the platform. SpinLaunch positions its technology as a new approach to launch and satellite connectivity. SpinLaunch is developing a kinetic launch system that spins payloads inside a vacuum chamber to very high Gs and flings them toward orbit as a lower-cost, high-cadence alternative to rockets. The company claims its system can place up to 200 kg into orbit for about $250,000 and eventually support 5–10 launches per day. SpinLaunch has conducted ten suborbital tests with a smaller accelerator at New Mexico’s Spaceport America, where it holds a long-term lease. It has also pursued satellite-constellation ambitions via a subsidiary, SN Space Systems, filing with the FCC for a 1,190-satellite constellation and meeting with FCC personnel. Leadership has shifted recently: two new board members were added last October, Dómhnal Slattery was named chairman, and David Wrenn was appointed CEO in March, replacing founder Jonathan Yaney. CEO David Wrenn said the company has met its investment and revenue objectives this year and that new financing will help accelerate commercialization of its space technologies. SpinLaunch builds a ground-based, electric-powered mass accelerator launch system designed to place small satellites into low Earth orbit with low cost and high cadence. The technology reportedly eliminates up to 70% of the fuel and structures typical of conventional rockets, substantially reducing the carbon footprint of deploying LEO constellations. SpinLaunch has also developed a line of small satellite buses to complement its launch approach and address upcoming constellation needs. The company has conducted a series of flight tests on its Suborbital Accelerator at Spaceport America. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Long Beach, California, SpinLaunch aims to scale commercial and national-security access to space through partnerships and commercialization initiatives. The company is supported by investors and partners including Kleiner Perkins, GV, Airbus Ventures, and ATW Partners. SpinLaunch develops a kinetic launch system that uses a rotating arm inside a vacuum chamber to accelerate an aerodynamic launch vehicle to roughly 5,000 MPH and fling it toward space. The company has conducted nine successful flight tests with a 33-meter “suborbital mass accelerator,” sending payloads north of 1,000 MPH to nearly 30,000 feet. It has an agreement with NASA for further testing and has conducted tests at Spaceport America in New Mexico while finalizing selection of its first orbital launch site. SpinLaunch plans a full-size orbital launch system three times the size of the suborbital accelerator and aims to place satellites into orbit by 2026. The company is also developing a mass-manufactured line of G‑hardened satellite products designed to survive the high G‑forces of its launch method. Financially, the company announced a $71M round (equity and debt) that brings total funding to $150M. SpinLaunch is developing a kinetic launch system that uses a rotational acceleration method to propel payloads to escape velocity without rockets. The company has not yet demonstrated the technology publicly and remains secretive about technical details. Funds will be used to build a new headquarters and R&D facility in Long Beach and to complete a flight test mass accelerator at Spaceport America in New Mexico. Leadership says the first flight tests at Spaceport America are planned for later this year, and the company targets its first commercial launch in 2022. SpinLaunch aims to offer orbital access for under $500,000 per launch if tests succeed. To date the company has raised prior rounds of $35M (reported in 2018) and $10M, and the latest financing brings total funding to $80M.

Participated · Equity · Jun 2022

Fleetzero is a marine technology company that sells Leviathan™ electric and hybrid propulsion systems that can be retrofitted onto existing ships or installed on new builds. The system is marketed as cheaper, safer and cleaner than traditional marine powertrains, delivering maintenance and fuel savings while enabling future autonomous operations. The firm is also developing unmanned cargo vessel technology, positioning electrification as a key enabler for marine autonomy. Fleetzero recently opened a Houston, Texas headquarters that houses manufacturing, an R&D center and a marine robotics lab. The first production line has an annual capacity of 300 MWh of marine energy-storage systems, with plans to scale to 3 GWh per year within five years. The company believes its high-volume manufacturing approach can help revive U.S. and European shipbuilding. Commercial deployments of the Leviathan™ system are already underway with global vessel operators.