Three Startups Reinventing Critical Infrastructure

Will O'Brien discusses Ulysses, a company building autonomous underwater robots designed for critical underwater tasks such as mapping reefs, inspecting subsea infrastructure, and defense applications including mine removal and port protection. The company aims to create fish- or shark-like robotic platforms to unlock the ocean’s mysteries while addressing the scarcity of ocean tech companies compared to space and land robotics. The historic exploration of the seas was as ambitious as space exploration, but it waned due to Cold War secrecy, lack of cultural inspiration, and resource neglect. Today, Ulysses seeks to reignite ocean exploration, leverage advances in robotics, AI, and communications like Starlink, and establish a ‘SpaceX for the ocean’—a network of autonomous vehicles making ocean infrastructure safer and more accessible.

Turner Caldwell presents Mariana Minerals, a company focused on revitalizing the U.S. critical minerals industry vital for energy, technology, and defense sectors. They are vertically integrated, covering from exploration to processing and refining, emphasizing the importance of scalable, flexible extraction and refining technologies. Caldwell highlights the geopolitical and industrial necessity of developing domestic sources of key minerals like lithium, copper, nickel, rare earths, and others, stressing that the U.S. must streamline permitting, boost demand-side support, and build a comprehensive national strategy including international cooperation. The goal is to establish a resilient, technologically advanced supply chain that can operate at scale and respond to market cycles, ultimately reducing reliance on foreign sources, especially China.

Doug Bernauer shares his transition from SpaceX to founding Radiant, focusing on portable, mass-producible nuclear microreactors designed for off-grid power, especially in remote, island, or disaster-stricken areas. The discussion covers the advancements in nuclear technology, the challenge of creating a new nuclear industry akin to early flight, and how regulatory progress is enabling the deployment of small reactors that can be delivered, installed, and powered within days, providing affordable, emission-free energy. Bernauer emphasizes the unique opportunities for nuclear reactors to complement and serve niche markets in the energy landscape, distinct from large centralized plants, and highlights the importance of regulatory, fuel supply, and waste management reforms to accelerate industry growth.