Launch YC: Apollo Atomics: The Modern Nuclear Company | Y Combinator

\n\n### The Problem\n\nThe existing nuclear playbook doesn't work for customers who need power now.\n\n* Gigawatt-scale nuclear takes 10+ years and \\~$20B per plant.\n* Most Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) in development rely on exotic fuels, unproven coolants, or supply chains that don't exist yet.\n* Customers who need power in 2030 are being told to wait until 2035+ and hope.\n\nData centers, industrials, and utilities have demand today — and no credible nuclear option that can ship on their timeline.\n\n### Our Solution\n\nApollo builds compact pressurized water reactors — the same technology that runs \\~80% of the world's nuclear plants today. The difference is that our reactor is roughly 40x more compact, because we shrank only one component: the steam generator.\n\nWe keep everything the NRC has already licensed dozens of times — light water, low-enriched uranium, fuel, and components from existing qualified supply chains. The innovation is a single part: the steam generator.\n\nOur Compact Steam Generator (CSG) replaces the massive, hand-built steam generator at the heart of a conventional PWR with a component 20x smaller, delivering the same thermal power — pre-tested, transportable, and contracted at a fixed price. That one change is what takes a reactor from a decade-long construction project to a factory-built machine deployable in less than 24 months.\n\nOur product roadmap is three reactors, each on a truck, each for a different customer segment:\n\n* A-10 — 10 MWe\n* A-50 — 50 MWe\n* A-300 — 300 MWe\n\n### Our Ask\n\nIf any of these are you, we'd love to talk:\n\n* Data center operators and hyperscalers sourcing 24/7 firm power for 2028–2035 deployment.\n* Industrial offtakers (chemicals, refining, heavy manufacturing) needing process heat or behind-the-meter electricity.\n* Utilities evaluating SMRs for grid-connected generation.\n\n👉 Reach us at [ahalimi@apolloatomics.com](mailto:ahalimi@apolloatomics.com) and [drew@apolloatomics.com](mailto:drew@apolloatomics.com).","state":"public","tagline":"Compact nuclear reactors for companies that can't wait for the grid.","created_at":"2026-05-27T16:16:56.566Z","company":{"id":31503,"name":"Apollo Atomics, Inc.","logo":"https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/16f6645d8ad61e91c9ab2ac0538b531424aa4cb7.png","batch":"p2026","tags":["Small Modular Reactors","Manufacturing"],"url":"https://apolloatomics.com/","slug":"apollo-atomics-inc","description":"We make the most compact nuclear machines."},"user":{"name":"Drew Walker","avatar":"https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/avatars/a630f3cd7cbb13ad53c30ddd73c4424e4a514fa4.jpg"},"total_vote_count":17,"slug":"QXj-apollo-atomics-the-modern-nuclear-company","launch_embed_url":"https://www.ycombinator.com/launches/QXj-apollo-atomics-the-modern-nuclear-company/upvote_embed.svg","twitter_share_url":"https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Apollo+Atomics%2C+Inc.+just+launched+on+%40ycombinator%27s+Launch+YC%21%0A%0AApollo+Atomics%3A+The+Modern+Nuclear+Company.+Check+them+out%3A&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ycombinator.com%2Flaunches%2FQXj-apollo-atomics-the-modern-nuclear-company","sanitized_title":"Apollo Atomics: The Modern Nuclear Company","ycdc_launch_url":"https://www.ycombinator.com/launches/QXj-apollo-atomics-the-modern-nuclear-company","url":"https://www.ycombinator.com/launches/QXj-apollo-atomics-the-modern-nuclear-company","share_config":"{}","share_image":null},"userUpvoteMap":{},"ycStaff":false,"latestLaunch":true},"url":"/launches/QXj-apollo-atomics-the-modern-nuclear-company","version":"ec7de0efdaffbbaf749869271f7c7b8001274e6c","encryptHistory":false,"clearHistory":false,"rails_context":{"railsEnv":"production","inMailer":false,"i18nLocale":"en","i18nDefaultLocale":"en","href":"https://www.ycombinator.com/launches/QXj-apollo-atomics-the-modern-nuclear-company","location":"/launches/QXj-apollo-atomics-the-modern-nuclear-company","scheme":"https","host":"www.ycombinator.com","port":null,"pathname":"/launches/QXj-apollo-atomics-the-modern-nuclear-company","search":null,"httpAcceptLanguage":null,"applyBatchLong":"Summer 2026","applyBatchShort":"S2026","applyDeadlineShort":"May 4","ycdcRetroMode":false,"accountUrl":"https://account.ycombinator.com","internalRoot":null,"bookfaceRoot":"https://bookface.ycombinator.com","applyRoot":"https://apply.ycombinator.com","investorsRoot":"https://investors.ycombinator.com","waasRoot":"https://www.workatastartup.com","ycdcRoot":"https://ycombinator.com","eventsRoot":"https://events.ycombinator.com","startupSchoolRoot":"https://www.startupschool.org","messagesRoot":"https://messages.ycombinator.com","dealsRoot":"https://deals.ycombinator.com","currentUser":null,"serverSide":true},"id":"ycdc_new/pages/Launches/LaunchesShowPage-react-component-1fe30ce6-e01b-43e9-b02f-0db79de16a91","server_side":true}">

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Apollo Atomics: The Modern Nuclear Company

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