Cheeky Pint Julia DeWahl of Antares on building nuclear reactors for the US military
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Nov 25, 2025 
Julia DeWahl, cofounder of Antares, is revolutionizing energy with her vision for small nuclear micro-reactors tailored for military resilience. She discusses the nuclear renaissance fueled by AI hyperscalers and the need for regulatory reform. Julia emphasizes the shift towards 24/7 carbon-free power, highlighting the importance of nuclear alongside solar. Drawing from her experiences at SpaceX and Opendoor, she shares insights on customer obsession and the future of energy procurement. Discover why the nuclear vibe is changing!
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Learning By Sitting With Customers
- Julia DeWahl sat outside a bagel shop to interview everyday home buyers and learn their language and pain points for Opendoor.
- She later invited Starlink's first customers to an all-hands so engineers could hear setup problems firsthand and built mounting solutions accordingly.
Micro-Reactors For Mission Resilience
- Antares builds micro-reactors for critical infrastructure with a focus on the military and off-grid sites.
- These reactors provide resilience where diesel supply chains are vulnerable and mission capabilities are enabled.
Tiny Reactors, Big Impact
- Antares' reactors are sub-megawatt, in the hundreds of kilowatts, roughly the size of a car.
- They aim to replace diesel generators powering a few hundred homes' worth of electricity.