Draft:Kofi Asante
Kofi Asante is an American entrepreneur and business executive. He is the founder and chief executive officer of Bluecore Energy, a company developing floating nuclear power systems for maritime and other applications.[1][2][3]
Kofi Asante | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Education | Tufts University |
| Occupations | Entrepreneur, business executive |
| Years active | 2017–present |
| Organization | Bluecore Energy |
| Known for | Founder and CEO of Bluecore Energy |
| Title | Founder and Chief Executive Officer |
Early life and education
[edit]Asante attended Tufts University, where he studied political science and entrepreneurial leadership. He graduated in 2017. While at Tufts, Asante became involved in entrepreneurship and co-founded a startup called Evoqe, an application designed to help students discover events and businesses in the surrounding area.[4][5]
During his senior year, he organized Voices of the Hill, a Tufts University event intended to facilitate discussion among students with differing political and social perspectives. The initiative was covered by The Tufts Daily and Tufts University.[6]
Career
[edit]Early career
[edit]While studying at Tufts, Asante worked with TabbedOut, a mobile payments company, and helped establish the company's operations in Boston. After graduating from Tufts in 2017, Asante joined Uber, where he worked in the company's freight operations and strategy.[7]
He was involved in the development of Uber Freight and the launch of Powerloop, a program within Uber Freight that used preloaded trailers to reduce truck loading and unloading times.[8]
Elroy Air
[edit]In 2019, Asante joined Elroy Air, an aerospace company developing autonomous vertical take-off and landing aircraft for cargo transportation. He served as vice president of strategy and business development and later as a member of the company's founding business development and strategy team. His work included commercial strategy and partnerships relating to Elroy Air's Chaparral autonomous cargo aircraft.[9]
In 2020, Tufts University identified Asante as the head of strategy and business development at Elroy Air and described his work on autonomous logistics and aerospace technology.[10]
Arc and venture capital
[edit]After his time at Elroy Air, Asante joined Arc, an electric boat manufacturer, as vice president of business development and market expansion. He also served as a venture partner at Rackhouse Venture Capital, where his work focused on investments and companies operating in infrastructure and emerging technologies.[11]
Bluecore Energy
[edit]In 2026, Asante founded Bluecore Energy, a company developing floating nuclear power systems. Bluecore Energy is based at the Port of Long Beach in Long Beach, California. The company is developing a small modular reactor system intended for deployment on a barge. The proposed system uses water cooling and is designed for maritime applications.[12][13]
The company emerged from stealth in July 2026. Its development activities include a maritime platform and a prototype reactor system at the Port of Long Beach. In September 2026, Bluecore Energy held an event at its Long Beach facility attended by representatives of the city government and the Port of Long Beach. The company has also entered into an agreement to use space at the port for research and development activities involving prototype maritime reactor modules.[14][15]
References
[edit]- ↑ Belgium, Central Office, NucNet a s b l , Brussels (2026-07-23). "Maritime Nuclear Startup Bluecore Energy Raises $10 Million For Nuclear Plants On Barges". The Independent Global Nuclear News Agency. Retrieved 2026-09-26.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ↑ https://finance.yahoo.com/energy/articles/kofi-asante-making-history-first-145929466.html
- ↑ Davis, Dominic-Madori (2026-09-08). "Nuclear startup Bluecore Energy raises $50M seed round, just two months after launch". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2026-09-26.
- ↑ "Kofi Asante". Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts. Retrieved 2026-09-26.
- ↑ Garsten, Ed. "Bluecore Floating Nuclear Power Plant A First For Black Entrepreneur". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2026-09-14. Retrieved 2026-09-26.
- ↑ Garsten, Ed. "Bluecore Floating Nuclear Power Plant A First For Black Entrepreneur". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2026-09-14. Retrieved 2026-09-26.
- ↑ Pritchard, Jason (2020-12-03). "Elroy Air's Kofi Asante talks about its autonomous VTOL, Chaparral, and how it can transform future air cargo deliveries - eVTOL Insights". Retrieved 2026-09-26.
- ↑ "Kofi Asante's Investing Profile - Rackhouse Venture Capital Venture Partner | Signal". Signal: where top founders find and get introduced to the right investors. Retrieved 2026-09-26.
- ↑ Engineering, Blavity (2022-04-04). "Meet Kofi Asante, A Black Executive Leading At Aerospace Company Elroy Air". AfroTech. Retrieved 2026-09-26.
- ↑ "The aerospace startup that's revolutionizing resource transport". NOVA | PBS. Retrieved 2026-09-26.
- ↑ "US$50M in venture capital boosts development of seaborne nuclear energy". Riviera. Retrieved 2026-09-26.
- ↑ "Kofi Asante's unexpected turn from the humanities to nuclear energy". Press Telegram. 2026-08-16. Retrieved 2026-09-26.
- ↑ Salami, Justina (2026-09-09). "Kofi Asante's Bluecore Energy secures a $50 million seed". Condia. Retrieved 2026-09-26.
- ↑ Jordan, Atiya (2022-04-05). "Kofi Asante, Leading Black Aerospace Executive, Helps To Reduce Barriers For Humanitarian Aid". Black Enterprise. Retrieved 2026-09-26.
- ↑ Engineering, Blavity (2026-07-21). "Kofi Asante, Who Is Making History As The First Black Founder Of A Nuclear Company, Raises $10M In Oversubscribed Funding Round". AfroTech. Retrieved 2026-09-26.