# Isaiah Taylor

> Isaiah Taylor is the founder and CEO of Valar Atomics, a California nuclear startup pursuing standardized, factory-built reactors. A self-taught programmer who left high school at 16, he first helped build an auto shop and later founded Valar in 2023. The company reached a zero-power reactor criticality milestone in Utah in June 2026 and announced a $1 billion Series B in August.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO, Valar Atomics
- **Organizations:** Valar Atomics, Erber Auto
- **Nationality:** American
- **Known for:** Founded Valar Atomics in 2023 to pursue standardized, factory-built nuclear reactors., Led Valar through the NOVA zero-power criticality experiment with Los Alamos National Laboratory in November 2025., Led Valar during the Ward 250 zero-power criticality milestone at the Utah San Rafael Energy Lab in June 2026.

## Career timeline

- **c. 2015** — Left high school at 16 and pursued programming and entrepreneurship.
- **c. 2016** — Met Kip Mock in Moscow, Idaho; the two later co-owned Erber Auto with a mechanic friend.
- **Before 2023** — Founded an automotive software startup that failed; later did engineering work for a hedge fund and the U.S. Department of Defense.
- **2023-07-04** — Founded Valar Atomics.
- **2025-11** — Valar and Los Alamos National Laboratory announced zero-power criticality of the NOVA core at the Nevada National Security Site.
- **2026-02** — Valar reactor equipment was flown from California to Utah aboard U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft; the reactor was unfueled during transport.
- **2026-06** — Valar’s Ward 250 completed a zero-power fueled criticality demonstration in Utah under the DOE Reactor Pilot Program.
- **2026-08** — Valar announced a $1 billion Series B led by Sequoia Capital and a $200 million credit facility.

## Achievements

- Founded Valar Atomics in 2023 to pursue standardized, factory-built nuclear reactors.
- Led Valar through the NOVA zero-power criticality experiment with Los Alamos National Laboratory in November 2025.
- Led Valar during the Ward 250 zero-power criticality milestone at the Utah San Rafael Energy Lab in June 2026.
- Announced a $1 billion Series B led by Sequoia Capital in August 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Valar announced a $1 billion Series B led by Sequoia Capital and a $200 million credit facility.
- **2026-06** — DOE announced Ward 250 had completed a zero-power fueled criticality demonstration in Utah.
- **2025-11** — Valar and Los Alamos announced NOVA core zero-power criticality in Nevada.

## Links

- Website: https://www.valaratomics.com/mission
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isaiahptaylor
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/isaiah_p_taylor
- GitHub: https://github.com/isaiahtaylor

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/isaiah-taylor
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-29