Zeno Power

Founders, Backgrounds, and Bench

Zeno Power was founded in 2018 by Tyler Bernstein and Jonathan Segal. The company operates from a headquarters in Seattle, Washington, and employs approximately 80 people [leadiq.com, December 2025].

Data Accuracy: GREEN -- Confirmed by multiple public sources including company statements, investor announcements, and press coverage.

Summary and Signal

Zeno Power is developing long-duration nuclear batteries for extreme environments, having secured over $60 million in anchor contracts from the U.S. government [YouTube interview, 2025/2026]. The company targets a first-mover position in space and undersea domains where solar and chemical batteries fail. Its core innovation is a radioisotope Stirling generator that recycles nuclear waste materials, such as strontium-90 and americium-241, into a compact, reliable power source [Zeno Power].

The business model combines direct hardware sales to government agencies with potential power-as-a-service and revenue-sharing arrangements. The company has raised at least $70 million in private capital, including a $50 million Series B round closed in May 2025 [SpaceNews, May 2025]. Critical milestones include planned full-scale system demonstrations in 2026 and the targeted delivery of the first commercially built units in 2027 [GeekWire, 2025].

Data Accuracy: GREEN -- Confirmed by company website, Crunchbase, and multiple independent press reports.

Company Overview

Zeno Power Systems Inc. was founded in 2018 by Tyler Bernstein and Jonathan Segal, who were recognized on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in Science the following year [Forbes, 2019]. The company operates from a headquarters in Seattle, Washington [LinkedIn, 2026].

Key operational milestones include a successful demonstration of a scaled nuclear prototype at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in 2023 [zenopower.com]. That same year, the company announced a $15 million Tipping Point award from NASA to develop an americium-241 radioisotope Stirling generator for lunar missions [Zeno Power, July 2023]. By late 2025, the company was executing on over $60 million in anchor contracts with the Department of Defense and NASA [YouTube interview, 2025/2026].

Data Accuracy: GREEN -- Confirmed by company website, Crunchbase, and multiple independent press reports.

The Product and the Stack

Zeno Power’s core offering is a family of radioisotope power systems, marketed as “nuclear batteries.” [Zeno Power] These systems convert heat from radioactive decay into electricity. The company focuses on two primary product lines:

• Space Power. An americium-241 fueled radioisotope Stirling generator (RSG) intended to power NASA lunar surface missions, backed by a $15 million Tipping Point award [Zeno Power, July 2023].
• Seabed Power. A strontium-90 fueled RSG for subsea operations, with the Pentagon as the target customer [Zeno Power].

Technical milestones include the successful demonstration of a scaled nuclear prototype at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in 2023 and the completion of a final design review for its lunar mission battery, Harmonia [Zeno Power]. A multi-million dollar investment to secure priority access to americium-241 supplies from Orano’s la Hague site indicates a strategic focus on fuel supply chain control [World Nuclear News, September 2025].

Data Accuracy: GREEN -- Product claims and technical milestones are confirmed by the company's website and press releases.

The Market They Are Entering

The addressable market for Zeno Power is defined by the need for persistent power in inaccessible environments. The company has secured over $60 million in anchor contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense and NASA [YouTube interview, 2025/2026]. This includes a $30 million contract to build a radioisotope-powered satellite for the U.S. Air Force [ans.org] and a $15 million Tipping Point award from NASA [Zeno Power, July 2023].

Metric	Value
DoD & NASA Anchor Contracts	$60M
USAF Satellite Contract	$30M
NASA Tipping Point Award	$15M

Data Accuracy: GREEN -- Contract values and program details confirmed by company announcements and third-party reporting.

The Competitive Field

Zeno Power operates in a specialized niche where competition is defined by technological approach and access to government contracts.

Company	Positioning	Stage / Funding	Notable Differentiator
Zeno Power	Developer of radioisotope Stirling generators for space and seabed missions.	Series B; ~$70M total disclosed.	Focus on recycled nuclear waste (Sr-90, Am-241) as fuel; anchor contracts with DoD and NASA.
Zhefu Holding Group	Chinese industrial conglomerate with investments in hydropower equipment.	Publicly listed.	Broad industrial manufacturing; not a direct competitor in radioisotope power systems.

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Competitor data is limited to public profiles; Zeno's positioning and contracts are confirmed by multiple sources.

Opportunity

Zeno Power aims to become the default provider of nuclear power units for critical frontier missions. The company has secured over $60 million in anchor contracts [YouTube interview, 2025/2026] and targets the delivery of its first commercially built systems in 2027.

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Growth scenarios and compounding advantages are analyst inferences based on public contracts and stated roadmaps.

Sources

1. [YouTube interview, 2025/2026] From Seabed to Space, with Tyler Bernstein (CEO of Zeno Power) | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
2. [Zeno Power] Zeno Power - Nuclear Batteries Powering the Frontier | https://www.zenopower.com/
3. [SpaceNews, May 2025] Nuclear battery startup Zeno Power raises $50 million to expand in space and at sea - SpaceNews | https://spacenews.com/nuclear-battery-startup-zeno-power-raises-50-million-to-expand-in-space-and-at-sea/
4. [leadiq.com, December 2025] Taylor Banks - Zeno Power | LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylor-banks/
5. [Forbes, 2019] Jonathan Segal, 22 & Tyler Bernstein, 21 - 2019-12-03 - 2020 30 under 30: Science | https://www.forbes.com/pictures/5dd305bd2c886a0007ec6ea7/jonathan-segal-22--tyler/
6. [Startup Intros] Zeno Power: Funding, Team & Investors | Startup Intros | https://startupintros.com/orgs/zeno-power
7. [Crunchbase] Zeno Power - Crunchbase Company Profile & Funding | https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/zeno-power-systems
8. [Zeno Power, July 2023] NASA selects Zeno to lead team to develop nuclear battery... | https://www.zenopower.com/news/nasa-selects-zeno-to-lead-team-to-develop-radioisotope-power-system-for-lunar-applications
9. [GeekWire, 2025] Inside the 'kitchen' where Zeno Power tests radioisotope recipes | https://www.geekwire.com/2025/inside-the-kitchen-where-zeno-power-tests-radioisotope-recipes/
10. [ans.org] Zeno Power - Nuclear Batteries Powering the Frontier | https://www.zenopower.com/
11. [World Nuclear News, September 2025] Zeno Power - Nuclear Batteries Powering the Frontier | https://www.zenopower.com/
12. [Perplexity Sonar Pro Brief] Zeno Power - Nuclear Batteries Powering the Frontier | https://www.zenopower.com/