Curio

What Curio does

Curio Legacy Ventures, Inc. is a Washington, DC-based nuclear technology startup founded in 2020 that is developing the proprietary NuCycle platform to recycle used nuclear fuel (UNF) into reusable fuel and isotopes. The company is pre-revenue and pre-commercial, with operations spanning fuel recycling process development, advanced reactor design, and engineering services for existing nuclear fleets. Its primary intended customers are U.S. commercial nuclear utilities and utility consortia, advanced reactor developers, federal research partners, and (via the November 2025 TriVis acquisition) buyers of nuclear waste management and reactor construction services.

NuCycle combines a fluorination-based pyrochemical recycling process with voloxidation to recover uranium and transuranic isotopes from spent nuclear fuel, eliminating nitric acid use and avoiding production of a pure plutonium stream. The technology has been validated at lab scale by four DOE national laboratories (INL, ORNL, PNNL, and Sandia), achieving greater than 99.75% fuel release from zircaloy cladding and sub-parts-per-million decontamination of uranium hexafluoride with a 10,000-fold scale-up to 100-gram capacity. NuCycle produces TRUfuel, a transuranic fuel product compatible with both light-water and fast reactors, and feeds Curio's HOPE (Homogeneous Plutonium Eliminating Reactor) and CARE (Closed-cycle Advanced Renewable Reactor) designs to form a vertically integrated closed fuel cycle. A Fleet Support services offering extends into advanced manufacturing (3D printing, powder-bed metallurgy, laser machining) for sustaining existing U.S. reactor infrastructure.

Curio's near-term revenue model is dominated by non-dilutive U.S. Department of Energy grants — a $5M ARPA-E CURIE award (2022), a $19M Office of Nuclear Energy cost-share grant (announced 2026-02-05), and GAIN vouchers — combined with seed-stage private capital of approximately $15M led by Synergos Holdings (founding investor of the Moskowitz family's Deep-Tech Accelerator) and including a $100K Erez Capital investment. The company's planned commercial model anticipates multi-year recycling service contracts and discounted uranium feedstock (UF6) sales to utility members of consortia such as the Utilities Service Alliance (MOU scope: up to 18 U.S. nuclear reactors), alongside future sales of TRUfuel, HOPE/CARE reactor deployments, medical isotopes, and Sr-90 radioisotope power systems co-developed with Infinity Power. Pilot-scale NuCycle demonstration is targeted for Q4 2027, with full commercialization in the early 2030s and a projected $2B+ annual revenue and 3,000 jobs per 4,000-metric-ton/year commercial facility.

Name

Curio

Legal name

Curio Legacy Ventures, Inc.

Website

https://curio.energy

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Curio Legacy Ventures is a Washington, DC-based nuclear technology startup developing the proprietary NuCycle platform to recycle used nuclear fuel into reusable fuel and isotopes, serving U.S. utilities, advanced reactor developers, and federal research partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nuclear Fuel Recycling Services

akta.pro primary industry

Reprocessing & Recycling (PUREX/UREX+, Pyroprocessing) (EUAKAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Recovered Materials Management (Uranium/Plutonium Products & MOX Feedstock) (EUAKAHAI), HALEU Production & Supply Chain (Feedstock, Enrichment, Downblending) (EUAKACAH), Fuel Fabrication (UO2 Fuel Pellets, Rods & Assemblies) (EUAKACAF)

Keywords

• Nuclear fuel recycling
• Pyrochemical reprocessing
• Advanced reactor design
• Transuranic fuel production
• Spent fuel management

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Long-term recycling services and recycled fuel offtake: Curio intends to sell NuCycle recycling services and discounted uranium feedstocks (e.g., UF6) to utility members of consortia such as Utilities Service Alliance, supporting up to 18 nuclear reactors. Pre-revenue commercialization; future recurring service revenue plus commodity fuel sales.
2. Sale of TRUfuel and advanced reactor products: Future sale of TRUfuel® (metallic/oxide/molten salt) to LWR and advanced reactor operators, plus deployment of HOPE® and CARE® reactor designs as a fully integrated closed fuel cycle vendor.
3. Government grants and cost-share awards: Non-dilutive funding from U.S. DOE (ARPA-E CURIE, GAIN vouchers, $19M grant) and cost-shared national lab collaborations supporting development and pilot-scale demonstration.
4. Strategic M&A-driven capability expansion: Curio completed an all-stock acquisition of TriVis Inc. (nuclear waste management and reactor construction) to broaden its service offering toward a comprehensive nuclear energy solutions provider.
5. Medical isotope and radioisotope power products: Planned production of medical isotopes, radioisotope power sources (incl. Sr-90 with Infinity Power), and other non-energy nuclear products from NuCycle outputs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Curio is a nuclear technology company developing the NuCycle closed fuel cycle platform, which uses fluorination-based pyrochemical processing combined with voloxidation to recycle used nuclear fuel into reusable uranium and transuranic isotopes without producing a pure plutonium stream. The recycled material is fabricated into TRUfuel, a proliferation-resistant transuranic fuel element that powers Curio's HOPE and CARE advanced fast-spectrum reactor designs. The portfolio is rounded out by Fleet Support engineering services and radioisotope/medical isotope products, with a target commercial-scale facility processing 4,000 metric tons of used fuel per year.

Product overview

Curio offers a vertically integrated nuclear technology portfolio centered on its proprietary NuCycle® nuclear fuel recycling process. NuCycle serves as the foundational technology that produces TRUfuel®, a proliferation-resistant fuel that powers Curio's advanced reactor designs — the HOPE® (HOmogeneous Plutonium Eliminating Reactor) and CARE® (Closed-cycle Advanced Renewable Reactor). Together, these technologies form a closed nuclear fuel cycle: spent nuclear fuel is recycled via NuCycle to extract transuranic isotopes and produce TRUfuel, which in turn fuels HOPE and CARE reactors. This core recycling-and-reactor platform is complemented by Fleet Support, a professional services offering that sustains existing nuclear infrastructure and supports up-conversion of older plants. Curio's portfolio has been further expanded by the 2025 acquisition of TriVis Inc., adding reactor construction and nuclear waste management operational capabilities. The company aims to commercialize this full suite of solutions — waste recycling, advanced reactors, and radioisotope production — by the early 2030s, with pilot-scale demonstration of NuCycle targeted for Q4 2027.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NuCycle: Curio's proprietary nuclear fuel recycling technology that converts used nuclear fuel into reusable fuel and reduces high-level waste volume.
• TRUfuel
• HOPE (Homogeneous Plutonium Eliminating Reactor)
• CARE (Closed-cycle Advanced Renewable Reactor)

Products and services

• NuCycle Proprietary nuclear fuel recycling technology that uses a fluorination-based pyrochemical process combined with voloxidation to recover uranium and transuranic isotopes from used nuclear fuel. Eliminates nitric acid use, avoids producing a pure plutonium stream, and reduces high-level waste volume to 3-4% of the original (up to 96% system-wide reduction). Envisioned commercial facility targets 4,000 metric tons per year processing capacity for U.S. utilities.
• TRUfuel Proprietary transuranic fuel element produced through the NuCycle process for fast-spectrum nuclear reactors. Can be fabricated in metallic, oxide, or molten salt forms and is infused with lanthanides and fission products to create a self-protecting proliferation barrier. Delivers approximately 17x equivalence vs. 3.5 wt% enriched uranium in light-water reactors and 28x in fast reactors.
• HOPE (HOmogeneous Plutonium Eliminating Reactor) Advanced fast-spectrum reactor purpose-built to consume TRUfuel from NuCycle. Offers passive safety, autonomous response to fluctuating power demand, and approximately 50% conversion efficiency plus high-temperature industrial heat output for non-electric applications.
• CARE (Closed-cycle Advanced Renewable Reactor) Advanced reactor with an iso-breeder configuration that produces the fissile material it consumes. Proliferation-proof at both front and back ends, passively safe, obviates the need for nuclear fuel enrichment, and produces no long-lived waste.
• Fleet Support Services Engineering and professional services offering focused on sustaining existing nuclear reactors, infrastructure, and facilities. Includes exploring advanced manufacturing capabilities such as 3D printing, powder bed metallurgy, and laser machining for domestic production of code-qualified nuclear components, plus a holistic path to convert fossil fuel and older nuclear plants into advanced reactors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduces high-level waste volume by up to 96% (NuCycle system)
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered major m&a – capability expansion, major strategic partnership for new product line, core r&d partner, flagship commercial channel partnership, flagship strategic partnership, first major utility partner and offtake anchor, strategic partnership for portable/microreactor fuel supply, international research partnership, adjacent technology partnership, core engineering and deployment partner, industrial offtake partner and adjacent offtake partnership.

• TriVis Inc.major m&a – capability expansionStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 November 2025Curio completed an all-stock acquisition of TriVis Inc., a nuclear waste management and reactor construction company. TriVis founder David Bland joined Curio as VP of Infrastructure and Development. Strategic move positions Curio as a comprehensive nuclear energy solutions provider, leveraging TriVis's operational expertise to accelerate commercial readiness.
• Infinity Powermajor strategic partnership for new product lineStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 October 2025Strategic partnership (announced Oct 31, 2025) to develop advanced Sr-90 power systems and reduce high-level nuclear waste. Collaboration converts nuclear waste isotopes (Sr-90) into sustainable power sources and demonstrates larger-scale radioisotope-based energy systems.
• Idaho National Laboratory (INL)core r&d partnerTechnology or Integration · 4 September 2025Curio partnered with INL (along with ORNL, PNNL, and Sandia) to complete lab-scale demonstrations of NuCycle supported by DOE ARPA-E CURIE and GAIN voucher initiatives. INL supports completion of lab-scale testing using actual spent nuclear fuel.
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)core r&d partnerTechnology or Integration · 4 September 2025ORNL hosted voloxidation tests that released more than 99.75% of fuel from zircaloy cladding during NuCycle demonstrations. Also conducted prior GAIN voucher work on nuclear criticality safety with Curio.
• Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)core r&d partnerTechnology or Integration · 4 September 2025PNNL achieved sub-parts-per-million decontamination of UF6 with a 10,000x scale-up from milligram to 100g capacity during NuCycle demonstrations. Earlier GAIN voucher (Dec 2024) collaboration with PNNL to characterize NuCycle waste streams.
• Sandia National Laboratoriescore r&d partnerTechnology or Integration · 4 September 2025One of four DOE national labs that completed lab-scale demonstrations of Curio's NuCycle process.
• Utilities Service Alliance (USA)flagship commercial channel partnershipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 18 June 2025MOU signed at USA Nuclear Generator & Supplier Executive Summit in Nashville (June 18, 2025). USA is a non-profit cooperative of electric utilities. Curio's NuCycle technology recovers materials from spent fuel, reducing high-level waste by up to 97% and emissions by up to 88%, and provides USA members with discounted uranium feedstocks and waste minimization services. Scope covers up to 18 nuclear reactors across the U.S.
• Oranoflagship strategic partnershipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 April 2025Memorandum of Understanding (April 9, 2025) to advance nuclear fuel cycle sustainability. Aimed at developing a sustainable, closed U.S. nuclear fuel cycle, improving recycling solutions, and exploring logistics for nuclear materials. Orano is a global leader in nuclear fuel cycle solutions (operates La Hague plant). Described as a pivotal step in enhancing efficiency and innovation in the sector and one of Curio's most prominent commercial partnerships.
• Energy Northwestfirst major utility partner and offtake anchorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 February 2025Expanded and strengthened partnership via new MOU (Feb 20, 2025). Energy Northwest is a joint operating agency and nuclear energy operator in eastern Washington. Originally Curio's first major utility MOU (per About timeline), with Energy Northwest serving as industry partner and potential off-taker of NuCycle products.
• NANO Nuclear Energystrategic partnership for portable/microreactor fuel supplyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 July 2024MOU to collaborate on advanced nuclear fuel recycling for NANO Nuclear's portable nuclear microreactor technologies.
• Philippine Nuclear Research Instituteinternational research partnershipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 March 2024MOU forging a strategic partnership on research in the nuclear energy sector with the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute.
• Deep Isolationadjacent technology partnershipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 December 2023MOU to advance nuclear waste disposal technologies that complement Curio's recycling approach.
• LIS Technologiesadjacent technology partnershipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 November 2023MOU to support the recovery of usable uranium isotopes from used nuclear fuel, complementary to NuCycle.
• Sargent & Lundycore engineering and deployment partnerImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 28 July 2023MOU (July 2023) to collaborate on commercial deployment of Curio's NuCycle used nuclear fuel recycling facility and scaling through pilot and engineering-scale facilities. Sargent & Lundy is a global engineering and design firm with expertise in nuclear energy; supports finalizing specifications for NuCycle's commercial 4,000 metric tons/year facility.
• Lightbridgeindustrial offtake partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 October 2022Industrial offtake agreement for NuCycle products; one of Curio's earliest industrial offtake partners per About page timeline.
• NDB (Nano Diamond Battery)adjacent offtake partnershipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 October 2022Industrial offtake agreement for NuCycle products, listed alongside Lightbridge among Curio's early industrial offtake partners.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Oklo: Advanced reactor developer (Aurora microreactor) that was awarded a $19M DOE spent fuel recycling grant in Feb 2026 alongside Curio. Both companies target closed fuel cycle commercialization with U.S. government backing, making Oklo the most directly comparable peer in the current DOE cohort.
• Shine Technologies: Nuclear technology company focused on medical isotope production and fusion-driven neutron sources, also awarded a $19M DOE recycling grant in Feb 2026. Directly comparable as a U.S. nuclear tech startup pursuing non-traditional applications of nuclear processes with federal funding support.
• Flibe Energy: Thorium-fueled molten salt reactor developer awarded a $19M DOE recycling grant in Feb 2026 alongside Curio. Comparable as a small U.S. nuclear startup pursuing alternative fuel cycles and closed fuel cycle technologies with federal cost-share support.
• Alpha Nur: Nuclear technology startup awarded a $19M DOE recycling grant in Feb 2026 as part of the same five-company cohort as Curio. Comparable as a peer-stage company pursuing spent fuel recycling commercialization.
• NANO Nuclear Energy: Portable/microreactor developer with an active MOU with Curio (signed July 2024) for advanced nuclear fuel recycling. Comparable as a U.S. advanced reactor startup building an integrated fuel supply and reactor deployment pipeline.
• Lightbridge Corporation: Advanced metallic nuclear fuel developer with an existing industrial offtake agreement with Curio for NuCycle products. Directly comparable as a small-cap nuclear fuel innovation company targeting next-generation fuel forms for both existing and advanced reactors.

Emerging players

• TerraPower: Bill Gates-backed advanced reactor developer (Natrium sodium-cooled fast reactor) pursuing a closed fuel cycle through its Molten Chloride Fast Reactor program. Comparable as a well-capitalized U.S. advanced reactor company with a similar closed fuel cycle thesis and utility partnership pipeline.
• X-energy: High-temperature gas-cooled reactor (Xe-100) developer with TRISO fuel fabrication capabilities. Comparable as a U.S. advanced reactor and fuel company targeting both commercial and Department of Defense applications with substantial DOE and private backing.

Broad incumbents

• Orano: Global leader in nuclear fuel cycle solutions and operator of the La Hague commercial reprocessing plant — Curio's strategic MOU partner (April 2025). Comparable as the established incumbent whose commercial reprocessing know-how Curio is leveraging, and which sets the global benchmark for pyrochemical/aqueous recycling at scale.
• Westinghouse Electric Company: Established U.S. nuclear reactor OEM and fuel cycle services provider (eFUEL program for accident-tolerant fuel). Comparable as a broad incumbent with overlapping capabilities in advanced nuclear fuel and reactor services against which Curio's vertically integrated closed cycle offering must compete for utility contracts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CurioLv
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@CurioLV-2ndNE
• Facebookfacebook.com/CurioLV
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/curiolv
• Instagraminstagram.com/curiolv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Curio