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Master Claude for Excel in 10 Minutes: Financial Modeling
🎥 Master Claude for Excel in 10 Minutes: Financial Modeling
Claude now has an Excel add-in, and it is surprisingly strong for financial modeling, Excel automation, and upgrading messy spreadsheets without writing formulas from scratch.
In this video, I show you how to use Claude in Excel step by step. We cover:
– how to install the Claude Excel add-in
– how to build a financial model from scratch
– how to upgrade an existing Excel model
– best practices, limits, and when to use Opus vs Sonnet
If you have been searching for Claude in Excel, Claude AI in Excel, how to add Claude in Excel, or Excel automation for finance, this video is for you.
What you will learn
1. Install & Navigation
– how to download and enable the Claude add-in for Excel
– where to access Claude inside Excel
– when to use Sonnet for quick tasks and Opus for advanced work
2. Build financial models from scratch
– describe the business, not the spreadsheet
– let Claude create assumptions tabs, formulas, linked model logic, and charts
– generate a usable 24-month financial model without manually building every formula
3. Upgrade existing Excel models
– add new assumptions to a current model
– preserve existing formula dependencies
– extend charts and outputs automatically
– highlight specific cell ranges and ask Claude to explain or update them
4. Tips, limits, and best practices
– prompt tips for Excel-specific tasks
– how to ask for validation checks, like balance sheet controls
– current limitations, including lack of VBA support and no saved session history
Why this matters
A lot of people gave up on AI inside Office because earlier tools did not deliver enough value. Claude is different. It is fast, practical, and genuinely useful for finance use cases, especially if you work with assumptions, scenarios, models, and spreadsheet analysis all day.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:40 Installation & Navigation
01:51 Build Models
05:03 Enhance Existing Models
07:01 Best Practices and Limitations
Related topics
– Claude Excel
– Claude in Excel
– Claude AI in Excel
– Excel automation
– Financial modeling
– Excel tips
– Anthropic Claude Excel
If you want to go deeper after this, I recommend my video on Claude Skills, since the Excel add-in supports skills and they are one of the best ways to reuse strong workflows across your team.
#ClaudeExcel #ClaudeInExcel #FinancialModeling #ExcelAutomation #ExcelTips #ClaudeAI #AnthropicClaude
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Volatility-Managed Target Date Funds | RPC
This article proposes a volatility-managed target date fund (TDF) that scales the equity weight of a standard age-based glide path to align realized portfolio volatility with the target volatility implied by the glide path. Stationary-bootstrap simulations using a century of US market data show that the volatility-managed TDF delivers a more stable risk profile and improves the terminal-wealth distribution relative to the static TDF. These results hold for a band-constrained implementation that limits deviations from the glide path, after accounting for transaction costs, over shorter investment horizons, and across alternative glide-path specifications, volatility estimation methods, and labor income assumptions. The evidence suggests that volatility management offers a practical enhancement to conventional glide-path design.
CoreCivic Exec Sells 29,000 Shares, Netting Nearly $1 Million
Anthony L. Grande, EVP, Chief Development Officer of CoreCivic (CXW +0.06%), sold 29,199 shares of common stock on Aug. 17, 2026, according to a SEC Form 4 filing.
Transaction summary
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Transaction value | $981,378 |
| Shares sold | 29,199 |
| Post-transaction shares (directly held) | 165,000 |
| Post-transaction value | $5.5 million |
Transaction value based on SEC Form 4 weighted average sale price ($33.61); post-transaction value based on Aug. 17, 2026, market close ($33.58).
Key questions
- What is the scale of this disposition relative to the executive’s total equity position?
The sale of 29,199 shares liquidated 15% of Grande’s direct holdings, leaving a remaining balance of approximately 165,000 shares valued at $5.5 million as of the Aug. 17, 2026, market close. - At what price levels was the transaction executed?
The shares were sold at a weighted average price of $33.61, which closely aligns with the $33.58 market close on the transaction date. - How has the stock performed leading up to this filing?
The stock climbed 61% in 2026 as of Aug. 17, with shares priced at $33.79 at the Aug. 27, 2026, market close. - Are there any indirect holdings or secondary share classes involved?
The filing indicates that all equity interests are held directly by the executive, with no beneficial ownership reported through trusts, LLCs, or other indirect entities.
Company Overview
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Share Price (as of market close 2026-08-14) | $32.82 |
| Market Capitalization | $3.3 billion |
| Revenue (TTM) | $2.5 billion |
| Net Income (TTM) | $127.9 million |
Company Snapshot
- CoreCivic specializes in the ownership and management of correctional institutions, detention centers, and residential reentry facilities across the United States, generating revenue through government contracts for the administration of correctional and detention services.
- The company operates through providing comprehensive facility management, inmate services, and ancillary support services to government partners on a contract basis.
- CoreCivic’s primary customers are federal, state, and local government agencies that contract for the operation and management of correctional and detention facilities, representing a stable, recurring revenue stream from public sector partners.
CoreCivic is a leading specialty real estate investment trust with a diversified portfolio of correctional and detention facilities generating $2.5 billion in TTM revenue and $127.9 million in net income. The company maintains a strategic market position through long-term government contracts that provide revenue stability and predictability. CoreCivic’s competitive advantage derives from its operational expertise in facility management, established relationships with government agencies, and a geographically diversified portfolio of specialized real estate assets.
Today’s Change
(0.06%) $0.02
Current Price
$33.81
Key Data Points
Market Cap
$3.3BMarket cap calculated using publicly traded shares outstanding only. Does not include unlisted, private, or dual-class non-traded shares. Implied market cap may vary.
Day’s Range
$33.64 – $34.39
52wk Range
$15.73 – $34.86
Volume
1.8M
Avg Vol
1.4M
Gross Margin
17.09%
What this transaction means for investors
On the surface, an executive selling nearly $1 million worth of stock could sound alarming. But given the context of how many shares Grande still holds and how well the stock price has performed, this transaction seems to largely be routine. Over the last 12 months, the CoreCivic stock price has climbed 66.7%, while the S&P 500 has climbed 19.3%. It appears that Grande is just selling some shares to take advantage of the surge in the stock price, as he still directly holds nearly 165,000 shares.
The company is fresh off a strong second-quarter 2026 report, with total revenue of $648.9 million, up 27.3%. Although only four analysts cover the stock, all four rate it a buy. According to CNN, the group has a median one-year price target of $42 on CoreCivic, which would be a 24.2% gain from today’s price. The highest price target in the group is $45, while the lowest, at $40, indicates that all targets project CoreCivic’s stock price to continue to have a strong performance over the next year.
Jack Delaney has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Citi Ends Grandfathered Aviator Benefits on October 25
Citi Ends Grandfathered Aviator Benefits on October 25
Citi is ending several grandfathered Barclays Aviator benefits for cardholders whose accounts were converted earlier this year. The changes take effect October 25, 2026, with some benefits lasting a bit longer after that.
Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select (Former Barclays Aviator Red)
“Starting October 25, 2026, your ‘Anniversary $25 Wi-Fi Credit’ benefit will end, and purchases made on or after this date will no longer earn credit towards this benefit.
Additionally, your Barclays ‘American Airlines Companion Certificate’ benefit will end. You are still eligible to earn the benefit one more time through your next cardmembership anniversary date, after which you will no longer have the benefit on your account.
Any Companion Certificate(s) you’ve already earned will remain in your American Airlines AAdvantage® account and are valid through their original expiration date(s).”
Citi AAdvantage Globe (Former Barclays Aviator Silver)
“Starting October 25, 2026, the following benefits will end, and purchases made on or after this date will no longer earn credit towards these benefits: ‘2X AAdvantage® miles on Car Rentals’, ‘2X AAdvantage® miles on Hotels’, ‘$25 Daily Food and Beverage Credit’, and ‘Anniversary $50 Wi-Fi Credit’. You will continue to earn 1X AAdvantage® base mile for every $1 spent on eligible purchases, including on car rentals and hotels.
Additionally, your Barclays ‘American Airlines Companion Certificate’ benefit will end. You are still eligible to earn the benefit one more time through your next cardmembership anniversary date, after which you will no longer have the benefit on your account. Any Companion Certificate(s) you’ve already earned will remain in your American Airlines AAdvantage® account and are valid through their original expiration date(s).
Your Barclays ‘Up to 15,000 Additional Loyalty Points’ benefit will also end. However, you are still eligible to earn this benefit through the status qualification period ending February 28, 2027, after which the benefit will be removed.”
HT: FM
Lennar lawsuits point to rising cyber liabilities for lenders
Homebuilding giant Lennar Corp. and its affiliated mortgage subsidiary are seeing the number of potential class action lawsuits surge after revelations this month of two separate data breaches with over 350,000 potential victims.
Processing Content
The rising volume of legal complaints is the latest example of the
“We take seriously the trust our associates, customers and partners place in us. Upon discovery, we acted quickly to secure our systems and engaged leading third-party cybersecurity and digital forensic specialists to investigate the scope and impact of each event,” a Lennar spokesperson said.
“There was no operational impact from these events,” Lennar continued, while emphasizing it had strengthened security measures against cyber threats.
The breaches are the latest high-profile cybersecurity incidents to strike the mortgage industry this year, following attacks on databases belonging to companies
Similar attacks on mortgage businesses in the past few years, most coming from ransomware or hacker groups, are resulting in a wave of legal settlements in 2026, with corporate actions suggesting companies are willing to resolve consumer lawsuits rather than letting them play out in courtrooms.
Among recent settlements,
In the latest Lennar suit filed earlier this week, Idaho resident Brendan Smedick is pursuing litigation against Lennar Mortgage for the
Smedick seeks to represent a proposed class of approximately 348,416, the number of potentially affected individuals Lennar Mortgage originally reported.
In early June, the lending affiliate discovered an unauthorized outside party had gained access to its data, with the breach lasting for almost a week before preventive measures could be put in place. After a subsequent internal investigation, which was completed early this month, Lennar began notifying possible victims on Aug. 14.
“Lennar Mortgage’s lack of security controls and the delayed implementation of enhanced security measures only after the data breach are inexcusable,” Smedick’s attorneys wrote in their complaint, while also describing the company’s practices as falling “below the applicable standard of care.”
Since the data breach occurred, Smedick has seen two separate fraudulent or otherwise unauthorized charges appear on his financial accounts, the lawyers wrote in the claim, which in addition to class action status, seeks unspecified monetary damages and a jury trial.
The earlier March incident
In a separate filing, an Arizona resident is seeking recourse against Lennar, not only for the May mortgage breach but also for a different event that struck the parent homebuilder in March.
The total number of affected individuals of the March incident was 6,643, Lennar reported this month, noting that it did not believe the two breaches were connected. The company similarly began advising potential victims in mid-August, with lawyers for plaintiff Wayne Bensfield critical of the more-than-four-month gap between the event and notification.
“Defendants’ delay in alerting impacted individuals of the breach prevented plaintiff and class members from taking earlier actions to protect themselves against fraud and misuse of their information,” they wrote.
The attorneys also faulted Lennar for alleged shortcomings in internal security protocols.
“Defendants suffered two data breaches in a short period of time, both through social engineering,” the document said.
In its August letters, Lennar said it would offer two years of identity-monitoring services to individuals, whose names and information were accessed.
The Next Wave of American Innovation Isn’t Being Built in Silicon Valley. Here’s Where It’s Actually Happening.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Key Takeaways
- The innovation frontier is shifting from software to physical infrastructure — energy transition, supply chain resilience, advanced manufacturing, and climate adaptation — and the Gulf South, with 40%+ of U.S. crude oil production, half of U.S. refining capacity, and major LNG, aerospace, and defense corridors, is one of the few regions structurally positioned to lead it.
- What makes the Gulf South an investable mispricing isn’t the assets alone — it’s that this level of global connectivity (to Latin America, West Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia) exists at a materially lower cost basis than traditional capital hubs, creating the conditions where patient investors can build lasting positions before consensus arrives.
The most important shift in global capital right now is not about which sector is hot or which market is recovering. It is about how the system itself is being reorganized. While much of the investment world remains fixated on AI and software, the next wave of opportunity lies where technology intersects with physical infrastructure — from energy and logistics to manufacturing and defense. Those industries are being reshaped by innovation, and the Gulf South is emerging as one of the places where that future is being built.
The Gulf South sits at the intersection of American productive capacity and global demand in a way that very few regions in this country can claim, and that positioning is not yet reflected in how institutional capital is allocated here. The gap between what this region represents structurally and how it is currently valued is, in my assessment, one of the most significant mispricings in American economic geography.
An investment thesis in motion
Earlier this year, I attended the 3rd Coast Venture Summit in New Orleans, one of the Southeast’s premier gatherings for founders, investors and startup leaders. What I saw was a thesis in motion: founders building at the intersection of energy, logistics, climate and technology; capital from outside the region engaging seriously, some for the first time; and a community that had been building quietly and was beginning to move with real intention.
That moment reinforced what I had already been working toward as an investor building within the region. The opportunity is to build investment architecture specifically designed to capture this dynamic, connecting the depth of Gulf South industry to the global corridors of demand across Europe, the Middle East and beyond.
If New York is America’s financial brain and Silicon Valley is its technology center, then the Gulf South is its physical infrastructure and its gateway to the rest of the world. And right now, that gateway is dramatically undervalued relative to what it is already producing and what it is positioned to become.
Regional assets, global implications
The Gulf South — Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida — is the load-bearing infrastructure of the American economy. Texas produces over 40% of the nation’s crude oil. Louisiana anchors American LNG exports to Europe and Asia. The Gulf Coast holds roughly half of U.S. refining capacity and is also home to one of the largest concentrations of aerospace production and advanced industrial capacity in the world. The ports of Houston, South Louisiana and Corpus Christi move an enormous share of what this country produces and imports. That alone would make it strategically significant, but the more interesting fact is where those ports point.
The region connects directly, by water, pipeline and long-established trade route, to Latin America, West Africa, Europe and increasingly the Middle East and Asia. These are the corridors where the majority of global GDP growth will originate over the next twenty to thirty years. Emerging markets are not a future consideration for serious investors. They are the primary consideration. The founders building here reflect that same orientation, constructing businesses with operational discipline and capital efficiency that the build-fast-break-things era rarely produced.
The opportunity for investment
What compounds this opportunity is the cost structure. This level of global connectivity exists at a materially lower cost basis than the traditional hubs where capital tends to concentrate. For investors and operators, that changes the calculus entirely. Capital can move into real industries at scale without the saturation or the premium that coastal markets demand.
Some of that mispricing has a foundation. Governance challenges and climate risk in certain metros — New Orleans being the most visible — create perception drag that bleeds into broader regional assessments. These are legitimate factors. They are also exactly what creates the entry point. Complexity and perceived risk, when layered over genuine structural strength, produce the conditions where patient capital can build lasting positions before consensus arrives.
There is also a deeper shift in what innovation actually means that makes this moment particularly important.
Where the innovation curve is heading
The dominant narrative of the last twenty years was software eating the world, and it did so productively. The frontier is now moving. Energy transition, supply chain resilience, advanced manufacturing and climate adaptation are the defining challenges of the next era. The innovation curve is bending toward physical systems and industrial complexity — toward the kind of problems that require more than a laptop and a good API. Those problems are native to the Gulf South. The companies being built to solve them will define a new geography of innovation, one that does not look like the last cycle.
The defense and space layer adds another dimension entirely. NASA infrastructure in Houston, New Orleans and Mississippi; propulsion testing corridors; defense shipbuilding operations across the Gulf — these represent strategic infrastructure in the fullest sense. They make the Gulf South simultaneously economically essential and geopolitically irreplaceable, a combination that attracts long-duration capital and signals something important about where national and institutional priorities are actually pointed.
In a multi-node world, rare combinations of productive capacity and global connectivity are exactly what serious capital should be identifying before the market does. The Gulf South is the connective corridor between what America produces and what the world needs. The opportunity now is not simply to invest in technology, but to invest where technology is transforming energy, logistics, advanced manufacturing and other critical infrastructure sectors the global economy can’t function without.
Key Takeaways
- The innovation frontier is shifting from software to physical infrastructure — energy transition, supply chain resilience, advanced manufacturing, and climate adaptation — and the Gulf South, with 40%+ of U.S. crude oil production, half of U.S. refining capacity, and major LNG, aerospace, and defense corridors, is one of the few regions structurally positioned to lead it.
- What makes the Gulf South an investable mispricing isn’t the assets alone — it’s that this level of global connectivity (to Latin America, West Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia) exists at a materially lower cost basis than traditional capital hubs, creating the conditions where patient investors can build lasting positions before consensus arrives.
The most important shift in global capital right now is not about which sector is hot or which market is recovering. It is about how the system itself is being reorganized. While much of the investment world remains fixated on AI and software, the next wave of opportunity lies where technology intersects with physical infrastructure — from energy and logistics to manufacturing and defense. Those industries are being reshaped by innovation, and the Gulf South is emerging as one of the places where that future is being built.
The Gulf South sits at the intersection of American productive capacity and global demand in a way that very few regions in this country can claim, and that positioning is not yet reflected in how institutional capital is allocated here. The gap between what this region represents structurally and how it is currently valued is, in my assessment, one of the most significant mispricings in American economic geography.
An investment thesis in motion
Earlier this year, I attended the 3rd Coast Venture Summit in New Orleans, one of the Southeast’s premier gatherings for founders, investors and startup leaders. What I saw was a thesis in motion: founders building at the intersection of energy, logistics, climate and technology; capital from outside the region engaging seriously, some for the first time; and a community that had been building quietly and was beginning to move with real intention.
MAYA Crypto Trading Tutorial for Beginners | Step-by-Step Guide (2026)
Sa video nato ituturo ko sa inyo kung paano bumili ng CRYPTO sa MAYA (2026).
What You’ll Learn:
How to trade crypto on MAYA
How to invest in crypto on MAYA
How to earn money online
#mayacrypto
#mayatutorial
#cryptotrading
#cryptoforbeginners
#cryptotutorial
DISCLAIMER: Please be advised that I am not a professional advisor in business areas involving Cryptocurrency Trading, Staking, Investing, etc. The information and content written, broadcasted, and/or disseminated by and through “CryptoSagePH” is intended FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY. Nothing written or discussed is intended to be construed, or relied upon, as investment, financial, or similar advice, nor should it be. All content expressed, created, and conveyed by “CryptoSagePH” is premised upon subjective opinions pertaining to currently-existing facts readily available.
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How Nathan Nicholson Cashed Out His 401(k) to Build 23 Rentals
|
Name |
Nathan Nicholson |
|---|---|
| Location | Louisville, Kentucky |
| Occupation | Full-time sales professional and real estate investor |
| Assets | 23 single-family rentals, 11 paid off, $311,000 in annual rent, $112,000 in true annual net cash flow |
| Investment strategy | Buy-and-hold single-family, sub-$100K properties, direct-to-seller marketing, wholesaling for acquisition cost savings |
| Financing |
401(k) liquidation (initial capital), cash purchases, 203K renovation loans, 20% down conventional, seller financing, business line of credit secured against paid-off properties, DSCR loans |
Nathan Nicholson was 33, the top salesperson at his company, and had only $30,000 in savings to show for it. Rather than keep grinding toward a retirement that felt mathematically out of reach, he cashed out his entire 401(k) against nearly everyone’s advice and used it to buy small brick houses in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.
Thirteen years later, he owns 23 single-family rentals, has paid off 11 of them outright, and generates $112,000 a year in true net cash flow, all while reinvesting 100% of it back into the business. He calls himself “the tortoise investor” because he’s never once bought a deal that didn’t cash flow from day one.
Here’s how he built it.
You cashed out your entire 401(k) to get started. How did that first capital actually get deployed?
I bought my first house at an estate sale for about $38,000 to $40,000, paid in cash, and it was already livable. My whole strategy was creating a domino effect: pay off one house, use it as a toy to learn on since I genuinely didn’t know what I was doing yet, then move to the next.
Once that initial cash ran low, I started using 203K renovation loans with 20% down, then transitioned to conventional single-family loans, always putting 20% down on my own personal credit.
I’ve never raised outside capital from investors. Everything has been built on W-2 income, savings, and relationships with banks, the old-fashioned way.
You’ve built a system where paid-off properties fund new acquisitions without raising outside money. How does that actually work?
Every time I pay a property off free and clear, I immediately put it on a business line of credit instead of just letting the equity sit there.
Right now, I have close to $1 million available across roughly 10 paid-off properties on that line, and I use it like my own bank to buy houses in cash, which is often what it takes to win a deal in today’s market. I just wired $56,000 to pay off a property on Lees Lane that nets about $600 a month. Once it’s added to my line, I’ll pick up another $100,000 in available credit from that single payoff.
It’s a two-part benefit: I get the monthly cash flow from owning the property outright, plus more purchasing power to keep buying without ever crowdfunding.
What’s your actual underwriting bar for a deal right now, and how are you still finding them in this market?
I only buy at a 1.3 DSCR, meaning the property needs to generate roughly 30% more income than my monthly debt service, which is essentially my updated version of the 1% rule for today’s rates. I’m not finding many 1.3 deals on the open market in Louisville right now, so I hold the line and just don’t buy until I do.
Most of my recent deals have come through direct-to-seller marketing I run myself: designing my own postcards, pulling lists, making the calls, and handling everything up through disposition myself since I’m not willing to pay a wholesaler’s fee.
On my most recent deal, I bought a four-bedroom house for $125,000 that appraised at $170,000 to $175,000, walking into roughly $45,000 to $50,000 in equity with no money out of pocket.
You’ve said you prefer seller financing over subject-to deals. Why, and how does that fit your overall risk philosophy?
I’m not a subject-to investor personally, even though I know plenty of people who’ve done well with it. What I prefer is owner financing on properties that are already free and clear, combined with the line-of-credit strategy I described.
The distinction that matters to me is control: With seller financing or my commercial line of credit, my name is on the title and the personal guarantee, and I actually own the property outright. With subject-to, the underlying loan stays in someone else’s name, and that introduces risk I’m just not comfortable carrying, even though I recognize it can work well for other investors when done properly.
What are you doing right now to improve the performance of your existing 23 properties instead of just buying more?
I’m focused on four things this year.
First, I switched property managers to cut my fee from 12% down to 8%, which alone is saving roughly $12,000 a year on $300,000 in rent.
Second, I’m pushing 3% annual rent increases across the portfolio, since most of my units are still under market, which adds about $8,000 a year once fully executed.
Third, I’m targeting payoffs on the properties with the highest mortgage balance and lowest payoff cost, since those give me close to a 10% return on the cash I use to retire the debt, plus they immediately expand my line of credit.
Fourth, I’m watching for rates to drop into the 5.5% to 6% range so I can refinance several properties at once, pay off two or three more outright using the equity I’ve built from appreciation, and still net an extra several hundred dollars a month in cash flow across the portfolio.
Offshore nuclear barges could power ports and data centers—starting with California
As the U.S. paves the way for a nuclear renaissance to power the AI data center boom, the next frontier is building small nuclear reactors offshore to power coastal facilities and merchant ships.
Strangely, the momentum could begin in California, a state that banned building new nuclear plants 50 years ago. This summer, the Port of Long Beach signed an agreement with the Trump administration to develop next-generation small modular reactors (SMRs) that could power ports, data centers, and vessels with emission-free energy.
Offshore nuclear power sounds unusual, but naval submarines and aircraft carriers have run on small nuclear reactors for decades. In 2020, Russia put the world’s first floating nuclear power station on a barge into service, powering the remote Arctic town of Pevek—population 4,000—and its harbor.
Long Beach and Los Angeles are a different scale entirely. The two ports adjoin one another and together form the largest container port complex in the Western Hemisphere. The Port of Long Beach is now working with local startup Bluecore Energy to build SMRs on floating barges—though the project remains at least a few years from reality.
“I think it’s very viable. It’s just a question of when, not if,” said Max Hopkins, a nuclear power analyst at CITIC CLSA, speaking about the growth of offshore nuclear power broadly—not California specifically—across military, maritime shipping, and AI data center applications.
“To put something into place fast, with production means, and then you can just float it somewhere—it seems like offshore barges are going to be almost ideal,” Hopkins told Fortune. “I think it’s going to become pretty accepted, much more so than people realize.”
Still, Hopkins emphasized the technology is years from commercial deployment. Regulatory frameworks need to be built, and so do the supply chains and manufacturing systems.
The progress isn’t confined to Long Beach. Denmark-based Saltfoss Energy is developing similar nuclear reactor barges in Europe.
Nuclear’s maritime moment
The future of powering military warfare and maritime merchant shipping could be nuclear, Hopkins said. Maritime vessels account for about 3% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which may not sound like much, but it’s roughly equivalent to the total GHG emissions of all of Africa.
The federal push is accelerating on multiple fronts. This week, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced a partnership with London-based Core Power to develop the regulatory frameworks and technology for a future fleet of nuclear-powered merchant cargo vessels.
A day later, the U.S. and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) launched the Atomic Technologies Licensed for Applications at Sea (ATLAS) initiative. The effort is designed to advance SMR and micro-reactor technologies for merchant shipping—“underpinned by the highest levels of nuclear safety, security, and non-proliferation,” the IAEA said.
The appeal is speed and endurance: nuclear-powered ships only need to refuel every two or three years instead of every voyage, cutting fossil fuel use, and enabling faster transit. “At the same time, innovations such as floating nuclear power plants provide versatile energy sources that could deliver reliable electricity to coastal or remote communities and industry,” the IAEA said in a statement.
A nuclear California?
Long Beach-based Bluecore was founded only in January. It raised $10 million in a pre-seed round and quickly became the first nuclear company to partner with MARAD on offshore reactors.
Founder and CEO Kofi Asante, 31, is a Ghanaian-American from Austin, Texas, who quickly became a Silicon Valley veteran before relocating to Southern California. He built his logistics and maritime-shipping expertise at Uber Freight, heavy-cargo drone company Elroy Air, and electric barge startup Arc—before starting Bluecore.
His goal: use the maritime industry to provide clean, consistent power for ports and AI data centers.
“The philosophy was really process of elimination: if you need that much energy, then you arrive at a nuclear reactor,” Asante told Fortune. “And if you need real estate, two-thirds of the world is water, so you can use barges for extra real estate.”
“We can go miles away and connect via subsea cable—so we don’t have to be near neighborhoods, and we don’t have to be co-located at the port,” he added.
All of this requires technology that’s already largely developed, Asante argued, including smaller versions of traditional light-water nuclear reactors. Each 10-megawatt reactor on a barge can power the equivalent of about 10,000 homes, can be moved via tugboats, and can be stacked alongside each other for extra power generation.
Asante recognizes he’s pursuing this technology in a state that banned the developed of new nuclear reactors in 1976, citing environmental and safety concerns, including still-unsolved issues with radioactive waste.
The Port of Long Beach knows this is a lengthy process. Port CEO Noel Hacegaba noted that state lawmakers are already debating legislation to study lifting the ban.
“Nuclear is having a moment at the Port of Long Beach, and we are engaged with the private sector, along with state and federal legislators on this issue,” Hacegaba said in an emailed statement to Fortune.
“This innovation is years away from becoming a reality due to the technological advancements and regulatory hurdles that still need to be cleared, and it cannot advance without state and federal approvals,” he added. “In the meantime, our new partners at Bluecore Energy are following state and federal laws as they provide the private-sector experience to research and develop SMR technology.”
Can it be safe—and affordable?
Two big questions loom over offshore nuclear: safety, and whether it can compete economically with natural gas and solar power.
Asante draws a manufacturing analogy—with some exaggeration—arguing that previous nuclear power plants were built bespoke, akin to constructing an entire factory to produce a single car.
“Small modular reactors like ours, you build multiple of them, so it starts to look like a factory,” he said. “Some of our team came from Rivian and Toyota, and we’re looking at it like a production facility.”
The analyst Hopkins backs up the point from a different angle: “A jet engine is actually much more complicated to build than a nuclear reactor from a materials science perspective.”
But what happens in the event of a tsunami or a major weather event? Hopkins said modern safety design wraps uranium fuel pellets in multiple layers of heavy-duty ceramics and graphite casing, and they’re rendered inert when separated.
Asante offers his own case: “Our floating nuclear power plants are mobile. In the event of severe weather, they can quickly be repositioned. They are also shielded so that they can withstand extreme weather and be underwater. And we have multiple control mechanisms that will automatically turn the reactor off if needed.”
Being on the water is an advantage, he argued. “Water is the cooling mechanism and safest place for our systems, and we have an unlimited amount of access.”