Zeno Power and the Future of Off-Grid Energy

The next Cold War won’t be won with missiles—it’ll be won with energy.

And it starts at the edge: the moon, the pacific ocean seabed, the arctic.

In our era of tariffs, de-risking, and the AI race merging with great power competition, investors understand that national security plays a vital role in the development and deployment of advanced technology. 

At the core of this evolution is a fundamental enabler that was historically underappreciated in VC land: energy. Not just  20th century questions around abundance, but energy reliability, portability, and resilience. Coupled with the “death of SaaS”, I believe deep tech solutions with meaningful innovations in physics, chemistry, materials and more, are how investors and founders alike will build meaningful value in the years to come. 

The Rising Demand for Resilient Power

The energy required to train and serve the data centers and AI power needs of tomorrow is already reshaping how utilities, hyperscalers, and governments think about power generation and distribution.

But there's another critical energy demand that deserves equal attention: the need for persistent, reliable power in remote, off-grid, and mission-critical environments, from the deep sea to the lunar surface. Whether for national defense, space exploration, or next-gen sensing networks, the future will increasingly depend on systems that operate far from traditional energy infrastructure.

This is why we’re investing in Zeno Power

Why Nuclear, Why Now

Investing in nuclear is hard. It takes years – often decades – for nuclear innovations to mature into commercially viable, safety-certified, and operationally deployed technologies. The technical, regulatory, and capital barriers are steep. Just as an anecdote, the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in Georgia originally projected to cost $14 billion, ended up costing over $30bn and only one of the two reactors is live. But we believe now is exactly the right moment to lean in.

We believe in nuclear, but don’t see the point of waiting  10+ years for revenue while relying on other investors to carry us to the finish line because of capital intensity. 

We believe that the US government and allies will allocate record budgets toward nuclear innovation, spurred by national security and energy resiliency imperatives. And we believe that regulatory pathways will be evolving for the first time in decades. 

We believe Zeno Power is leading this charge, with a clear ability to get working products to market first and as early as the latter half of this year. 

Zeno Power: Building the Infrastructure of the Final Frontier

Zeno is developing a new class of nuclear battery packs – compact, long-duration power sources designed to perform in the most extreme and inaccessible environments.

These devices are not theoretical: Zeno has already built a nuclear prototype and will soon be building and deploying their nuclear batteries in partnership with agencies like NASA, the U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Space Force, as well as forward-leaning commercial players like Blue Origin, Anduril and others..

Zeno’s vision aligns with an emerging reality: the next frontiers in deep tech—deep sea mining, lunar industry, seabed infrastructure, and space exploration, to name a few—will be defined by the countries that can master remote energy. In that context, Zeno isn’t just a nuclear company. It’s a critical infrastructure company – building the “picks and shovels” of tomorrow’s most important platforms.

Backing the Team That Can Build It

A large part of our conviction lies in the team. Tyler, Jonathan, Lindsey, and Harsh bring a rare combination of deep technical fluency, regulatory savvy, and operational grit. They’ve navigated the complexities of radioactive material sourcing, licensing, and manufacturing with precision. And they’ve done it while building a culture of excellence and mission-driven focus.

They’ve also been thoughtful in surrounding themselves with world-class advisors, including Admiral John Richardson, former Chief of Naval Operations, who in joining Zeno’s board brings critical insight into both defense applications and organizational leadership at scale.

Looking Ahead

We invest in companies with the potential to define entire sectors—and we believe Zeno Power is one of them.

Nuclear batteries are just the beginning. When Zeno becomes the de-facto solution for remote energy solutions, the path to expand to many other parts of the nuclear opportunity seem infinite. As a profitable business well versed in the regulatory nuances of building and launching nuclear products, we believe Zeno could be one of the category winning platforms in the emergent nuclear energy space across well beyond “just” batteries. 

We're honored to be part of that journey.