Nuclear Energy Company Newcleo, Valued at $2.4 Billion, Plans to Go Public in the Second Half of the Year on NASDAQ

Nuclear energy company Newcleo, founded by Italian physicist Stefano Buono in 2021, has announced that it has reached an agreement to go public on the NASDAQ stock exchange through a merger with special purpose acquisition company NewHold Investment Corp III.

The merger values Newcleo at $2.4 billion and is expected to generate up to $429 million in total fundraising for the company. The entire transaction is expected to be completed in the second half of 2026, with the funds raised to be used to support the company's subsequent technological research and development.

Newcleo's core business is the development of advanced modular lead-cooled fast reactors and the manufacture of new nuclear fuel using recycled nuclear materials. As the scale of artificial intelligence and data centers expands, the US market's demand for clean and stable electricity has risen sharply, and nuclear energy is being seen as a key solution to this energy gap. Against this backdrop, Newcleo's move to go public reflects the capital market's focus on the commercial prospects of the next generation of nuclear energy technology.

Newcleo is participating with partner Oklo in a program initiated by the US Department of Energy, aimed at converting surplus plutonium from the Cold War era into nuclear reactor fuel. In this cooperation, Oklo will take the lead in utilizing the surplus plutonium, while Newcleo will provide its expertise in the nuclear fuel cycle. This commercial collaboration is expected to convert historically left nuclear waste into clean energy that supports modern computing infrastructure.

Since its establishment, Newcleo has raised approximately $780 million from private investors, and its early investors include the Agnelli family's venture capital fund Exor Seeds.