NukeCast: A Startup Building Radiation Forecasting Tools for Emergency Planners

A startup called NukeCast is building a platform that simulates nuclear fallout patterns and radiation exposure, aiming to provide emergency planners with a tool for disaster preparedness. The company recently closed a $2.1 million seed round led by a consortium of investors including the National Science Foundation's SBIR program and a group of angel investors focused on dual-use technologies.

The problem NukeCast addresses stems from a gap in public-facing emergency planning tools. While government agencies have access to sophisticated modeling software, many municipal and regional emergency managers lack integrated platforms that combine real-time weather data, terrain modeling, and radiation transport physics. "Most existing tools are either classified government systems or academic research projects with steep learning curves," explains Dr. Elena Vasquez, NukeCast's founder and a former computational physicist at a national laboratory. "We're building something that sits in between—accurate enough for professional use but accessible to emergency managers without a PhD in nuclear engineering."

The platform's core technology is a radiation transport simulation engine that models how radioactive particles disperse through the atmosphere based on weather patterns, topography, and the specific isotopes involved. Unlike simpler Gaussian plume models used in some emergency planning, NukeCast's engine incorporates more complex atmospheric physics and can simulate multiple release scenarios simultaneously. The system integrates with public weather APIs and can pull terrain data from sources like the USGS National Elevation Dataset.

The startup's business model targets three customer segments: county-level emergency management offices, private nuclear facility operators (for compliance and planning), and educational institutions with radiation safety programs. Pricing follows a tiered subscription model, with a basic tier at $299/month for single-user access and enterprise plans scaling to $2,500/month for multi-agency coordination features.

Early traction includes pilot programs with three county emergency management offices in California and Washington state, where the platform is being tested for wildfire-related radioactive smoke scenarios (from legacy nuclear sites) and general preparedness exercises. The company has also partnered with a university research group to validate its simulation accuracy against historical fallout data from atmospheric nuclear testing.

The seed funding will primarily go toward expanding the simulation engine's capabilities, particularly for complex scenarios like multiple simultaneous releases or underground detonations. The team is also developing a mobile application for field responders that can provide real-time exposure estimates based on GPS location. "The challenge isn't just the physics," notes Vasquez. "It's about making the output actionable—translating radiation dose rates into clear evacuation zones and shelter-in-place recommendations that emergency managers can communicate to the public."

NukeCast operates in a niche but growing market for specialized simulation tools. While the company emphasizes its focus on emergency preparedness and public safety, the underlying technology has potential applications in other areas, including environmental monitoring and industrial safety. The startup's approach reflects a broader trend of applying computational modeling to real-world disaster scenarios, though the specific domain of nuclear emergency planning remains relatively underserved by commercial software.

The company's website includes a public demo of their simulation interface, though with limited functionality compared to the full platform. Documentation and technical details about their modeling approach are available through their developer portal, which outlines the integration options for agencies looking to incorporate the tool into existing emergency management systems.

For emergency managers evaluating such tools, key considerations include model validation, data integration requirements, and the platform's ability to work with existing GIS systems. NukeCast's team points to their use of open-source libraries where possible and adherence to published radiation transport standards as differentiators from more opaque commercial solutions.

The startup's progress will be closely watched by both the emergency management community and investors interested in dual-use technologies—those with both civilian and potential defense applications. As climate change increases the frequency of extreme weather events that could affect legacy nuclear sites, tools like NukeCast may find broader relevance in the coming years.