Webinar: Atomic Opportunities
Investing in the Nuclear Renaissance
Pete Mathias is a Partner with Alumni Ventures’ US Strategic Tech Fund. Pete was previously Senior Director at the $1.5B+ VC arm of Bertelsmann across the EU, China, and U.S. startup ecosystems. He was also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and American Council on Germany, and was appointed by the U.S. Department of State as a cultural attache. He holds a Masters in Public Administration (MPA) from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, an MBA from Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business.
Drew Wandzilak is an Associate with Alumni Ventures’ US Strategic Tech Fund. Drew has worked in high-growth industries as both an investor and operator, including roles at Holistic Industries, a multi-state operator for cannabis, and Mirage, an NFT marketplace. He has a BS from Northwestern in Education and Social Policy, serves as an ambassador of the Farley Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and was named to Chicago Inno’s “25 Under 25” list.
Alumni Ventures’ US Strategic Tech Fund recently hosted this webinar, Atomic Opportunities: Investing in the Nuclear Renaissance, focused on the growing interest in nuclear energy in the United States and the investment opportunities it presents.
Our panel of leaders in the nuclear industry discussed the transformative role of nuclear energy in the quest for cleaner, more sustainable energy. They also touched on the geopolitical implications of nuclear energy, the innovation in the sector, and the challenges it faces, such as regulatory hurdles, safety concerns, waste management, and commercial viability.
The panelists also highlighted the need for a collective effort from the government and private sector to address these challenges and accelerate the adoption of nuclear energy.
Watch an on-demand recording or read a full transcript.
Meet Our Panel
Yasir Arafat is Co-Founder and CTO of Aalo Atomics, which is focused on commercializing small, technologically advanced nuclear fission reactors.
Yasir brings 14 years of nuclear reactor design experience and is recognized as a pioneer in the field of Microreactors. He possesses a notable history of leadership in nuclear projects, including overseeing the Department of Energy’s MARVEL Project at Idaho National Laboratory, which is in progress, and directing the Westinghouse eVinci™ Micro Reactor Program. Involvement in the design of the Westinghouse SMR and AP1000 reactors, along with being awarded 11 patents for his innovative work. He has been honored with the Walter Zinn Medal by the American Nuclear Society, marking him as the youngest recipient to be recognized for his advancements in nuclear microreactor technologies in the United States.
Brian Berzin is Co-Founder and CEO of Thea Energy, which leverages proprietary breakthroughs in stellarator physics and engineering to create a faster, simpler approach to commercializing fusion energy.
Brian has a diverse background as both an operator and investor, spanning deep tech, venture capital, private equity, and investment banking. While at Aeterna Capital Partners, Brian grew a multi-family office investing across venture capital and private equity opportunities. Brian also has deep experience within the privately funded fusion industry, previously serving as a Vice President and Officer of General Fusion. During his time at General Fusion, Brian led various initiatives, including corporate and commercialization strategy, as well as engagement with capital markets.
Jon Guidroz is the former Chief Strategy Officer for Energy & Resources at Microsoft, which claims that “managing the sustainability of our operations is at the core of our journey to create a more sustainable world.”
Jon launched significant energy-industry initiatives at Microsoft, Google, and Amazon, contributing to over $1 Trillion in market growth. As CSO and interim CTO for the Energy & Resources Industry team at Microsoft, he led global strategies for tech-enabled solutions to accelerate the energy transition, including launching Azure Data Manager for Energy and forming key partnerships for AI solutions in energy. He authored and launched AWS’s global energy industry vertical, aligned Google Cloud’s energy strategy with its engineering roadmap, and developed partner-channel strategies for accelerated market expansion.
Julia van der Colff is a Senior Associate at Decisive Point, a VC firm investing in critical technologies for defense, energy, and infrastructure.
Julia is an active supporter and organizer of the annual Reagan National Defense Forum. She began her career in the financial services industry as a summer analyst at Credit Suisse in the technology investment banking division and at AIG Asset Management. She graduated from the University of Southern California, where she was a Presidential Scholar and Marshall Associates Endowed Scholar, and where she earned a BS in Business Administration and a BA in Intelligence & Cyber Operations.
Alumni Ventures offers accredited individuals access to professional-grade venture capital, a key asset class missing from the portfolios of many sophisticated investors. Since 2014, AV has raised $1.3+ billion from 10,000+ investors and backed 1,300+ unique portfolio companies. AV is a top 20 venture firm in North America according to CB Insights, as well as the #1 most active venture firm in the U.S., and #3 most active in the world, according to PitchBook’s 2022 and 2023 rankings. AV has won awards from Inc. Magazine, Fast Company, Benzinga, and the US FinTech Awards.
