The a16z Show How Radiant and Heron Are Rethinking Power Generation and Delivery
238 snips
Mar 31, 2026 
Doug Bernauer, former SpaceX engineer and founder of Radiant, joins Drew Baglino, ex Tesla energy leader and founder of Heron. They dig into portable micro nuclear reactors, solid-state transformers, and why power delivery is the real grid bottleneck. They also explore modular manufacturing, edge microgrids, domestic supply chains, and whether data centers could actually help the grid.
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The Nuclear Industry Is Only Just Starting
- Nuclear remains pre-industrial in practice because truly new reactor designs are only now reaching critical tests and early permitting milestones.
- Doug Bernauer says several startups should hit criticality soon, but Radiant is unusual because it is permitted to pursue full-power operation.
Radiant Turns Nuclear Reactors Into Deployable Products
- Radiant treats reactors as products rather than mega-projects by building one-megawatt units in factories and deploying them off-grid.
- Doug Bernauer targets a trailer-sized reactor that can reach site power within 48 hours and run five years, replacing about 2 million gallons of diesel.
Heron Rebuilds Grid Hardware With Solid State Electronics
- Heron replaces oil-filled line-frequency transformers with software-driven solid-state conversion built from modular high-frequency power electronics.
- Drew Baglino's first product is a five-megawatt bidirectional DC-to-34kV AC unit assembled from 30 smaller modules for fail-operational performance.