TidalCoreMaritime nuclear infrastructure
§ Funding

A $3M pre-seed plan to take port-energy nuclear from concept toward NRC pre-application.

TidalCore is a pre-incorporation conceptual study of the maritime nuclear infrastructure interface — the point where reactors, ports, grids, shore power, industrial heat users, regulators, operators, security and workforce meet. The plan stacks non-dilutive federal support (GAIN, SBIR, ARPA-E) underneath a focused equity raise so the first 18 months produce verifiable regulatory, modelling and port-use-case milestones. No award, agreement or outcome is promised.

Hardware status — No TidalCore reactor hardware has been built, fuelled, or tested. 15 MWth, ~850 °C, and every other parameter published here are concept targets and study assumptions from reduced-order models, pending independent validation.

Federal and international activity through August 2026 — the IAEA ATLAS initiative and MARAD's agreements with the Port of Long Beach (2026-07-22) and Port of Corpus Christi (2026-08-19) — indicates the port interface is under active public examination. TidalCore is not a party to any of it and claims no endorsement or relationship.

TidalCore is an independent concept-stage development study. It is not a licensed reactor design, no application has been submitted to the U.S. NRC, and no approval, review, or endorsement by the NRC, DOE, USCG, IMO, MARAD, any national laboratory, port, or utility is claimed or implied. All figures are modeled design targets subject to independent validation.

Receiving mailcontact@tidalcore.world
§ Non-dilutive leverage

How early support connects to non-dilutive programs

Support levelFunds work onProgram it prepares for
$50 – $250Literature, standards and data reviewSupports preparation of DOE SBIR/STTR Phase I topic responses
$1,000Regulatory pathway scopingGroundwork for a DOE GAIN voucher application (national-lab cost share is in-kind, not cash)
$5,000Independent subsystem reviewEvidence base for ARPA-E or DOE FOA concept papers
$25,000+Port use-case studyPort-side analysis that a port applicant could reference in a MARAD PIDP proposal — PIDP is awarded to ports, not to TidalCore

No application has been submitted and no award, match or cost share is guaranteed. Support is voluntary and is not equity, an investment, or a tax-deductible donation. Sponsor the research

The ask
$3.0M
Pre-seed equity, SAFE or priced, 18-month runway
Non-dilutive target
$2–5M
GAIN + SBIR + ARPA-E over the same window
Planned milestone to Series A
18 mo
Target: Part 53 engagement plan drafted + port-host LOI

Fig. 0 · Funding readiness dashboard

Technology readiness (DOE TRL)

EVDOE G 413.3-4A
TRL 1
Basic principles
Heat-pipe reactor physics well-established (LANL, INL).
done
TRL 2
Technology concept
TidalCore concept dossier + market gap analysis published.
done
TRL 3
Analytical proof
Reduced-order thermal + neutronic model; MCNP6 validation planned via GAIN.
active
TRL 4
Component validation (lab)
Sodium heat-pipe test loop at INL or partner university.
next
TRL 5
Component validation (relevant env)
Integrated heat-pipe + sCO₂ HX loop.
future
TRL 6
System demo (relevant env)
Non-nuclear electrically-heated prototype.
future
TRL 7
System demo (operational env)
First-of-kind at partner port.
future

NRC Part 53 engagement checklist

EV10 CFR Part 53
  • ✓Part 53 review of design objectives + safety functions
  • ✓Regulatory pathway comparison (Part 50 / Part 52 / Part 53)
  • Pre-application meeting request to NRC NRR ARP
  • Regulatory Engagement Plan (REP) draft
  • Principal Design Criteria per RG 1.232 / RG 1.233
  • Topical report — sealed heat-pipe passive safety case
  • Topical report — TRISO fuel qualification adoption
  • Environmental Report scoping (NEPA)

Target capital stack (18-month plan)

Assumption· Target composition
  • Non-dilutive federal (GAIN / SBIR / ARPA-E)40%
  • Pre-seed equity40%
  • Strategic / corporate CVC15%
  • State / port-authority co-funding5%

Fig. 1 · The proposed funding stack — no awards applied for or received

Non-dilutive · T-0 to T+9mo
GAIN voucher

DOE Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear — in-kind national-lab access (INL) for neutronics validation against MCNP6 and TRISO performance review. Applied for on a competitive basis; no voucher has been requested or granted to date.

Non-dilutive · T+3 to T+12mo
SBIR Phase I → II

DOE Office of Nuclear Energy SBIR topics on advanced reactor manufacturing, instrumentation, and HALEU fuel cycle. Published Phase I / Phase II ceilings are roughly $250K and $1.6M; no award has been applied for or received.

Non-dilutive · T+6 to T+18mo
ARPA-E + ARDP support

ARPA-E MEITNER/GEMINA-class solicitations; DOE Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program risk-reduction awards. Historical award sizes of roughly $2–5M over 18–24 months; TidalCore has not applied.

Equity · T+6 to T+12mo
$3M pre-seed

Nuclear-specialist + climate deep-tech VCs. 18-month milestones to NRC Part 53 pre-application meeting, signed port-host LOI, and third-party neutronics validation.

Fig. 2 · Planned use of a $3M pre-seed

  • Regulatory & licensing
    38%

    NRC pre-app counsel, Part 53 gap analysis, REP authoring, topical reports

  • Technical validation
    24%

    Third-party MCNP6 + Serpent neutronics; TRISO performance review; safety case draft

  • Team & founders
    22%

    Founder salary (below-market), 1 reactor physicist, 1 licensing lead, 1 BD

  • Port + off-taker BD
    10%

    Site studies, LOI negotiation, USCG / port-authority engagement

  • G&A + IP
    6%

    Legal entity, patent prosecution, insurance, SAM.gov compliance

Fig. 3 · 18-month milestone plan

  1. Month 1 · M1
    Delaware C-corp + provisional patent filed
  2. Month 1 · M2
    SAM.gov + Grants.gov + ORCID registration
  3. Month 2 · M3
    NRC NRR Advanced Reactor Programs pre-application dialogue opened
  4. Month 3 · M4
    GAIN voucher application submitted (INL host lab)
  5. Month 6 · M5
    Port-authority MOU executed (Houston / Corpus Christi / Long Beach)
  6. Month 9 · M6
    Third-party MCNP6 neutronics cross-validation complete
  7. Month 12 · M7
    SBIR Phase I award + pre-seed term sheet
  8. Month 18 · M8
    NRC Part 53 Regulatory Engagement Plan filed

Traction checklist

✓Conceptual design (15 MWth / 5 MWe, heat-pipe + HALEU TRISO, 850 °C process heat)
✓Market gap analysis vs 15 NRC-tracked advanced reactor designs
✓Part 53 licensing pathway mapped + 18-month review thesis
✓Technical concept dossier + investor pitch deck
Delaware C-corp formation + provisional patent filing
NRC pre-application meeting on calendar
GAIN voucher acceptance + INL host lab match
Port-authority MOU or LOI (≥1 of Houston / Corpus Christi / Long Beach)

Target investor categories

Nuclear-specialistEnergy Impact Partners · At One Ventures · Valor Equity · MCJ Collective
Climate deep-techLowercarbon Capital · Breakthrough Energy Ventures · DCVC · Refactor Capital
Frontier / hard-techStarshot Capital · Founders Fund (energy thesis) · Khosla Ventures
Strategic / corporateShipping line CVCs · ammonia & methanol producer CVCs · port-authority innovation funds

Categories are illustrative; named firms reflect public theses in advanced nuclear and climate hard-tech. No commitment, no conversation, no implied endorsement.

Investor data room

Request access to the gated investor materials.

The data room contains the founder-track pitch deck, full technical dossier, financial model, IP summary, and the regulatory engagement strategy. Access granted on signed mutual NDA.

Request data room accessGeneral inquiries

Forward-looking statement: financial figures, milestones, and timelines reflect a pre-incorporation plan and are subject to change. Not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy securities. Securities, if and when offered, will be offered only under exemption pursuant to applicable U.S. law.