Reactor Podcast
Reactor – The Podcast for Deeptech & Climate Tech Mission-Driven Founders
Reactor is where ambitious founders and industry leaders share the real stories behind scaling deeptech & climate tech impact-driven companies. Hosted by Jérôme Gilleron, this podcast dives deep into the challenges, strategies, and breakthroughs that drive profitable and cashflow-positive growth in climate tech, deeptech, and sustainability.
Through candid interviews with startup founders, scale-up executives, and industry experts, we explore:
✅ How to scale mission-driven businesses without burning out
✅ Fundraising, sales, and growth strategies for impact startups
✅ Lessons from leaders who’ve built and scaled industry-defining companies
Whether you're a founder, investor, or operator in the climate tech and deeptech space, Reactor brings you actionable insights to fuel your growth.
🎧 Subscribe now and turn your vision into reality!
👉 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and your favorite podcast platforms.
Reactor Podcast
Powering the Future with Yesterday’s Nuclear Waste: Hexana’s Big Bet
What if tomorrow’s clean energy came from yesterday’s nuclear waste? In this episode, we explore Hexana, a French deep tech startup developing a next-generation small modular reactor (SMR) designed to decarbonize heavy industries like steel, chemicals, and even green hydrogen production.
Hexana’s sodium-cooled fast reactor doesn’t just generate high-temperature heat and clean electricity—it also burns nuclear waste, including depleted uranium and recycled plutonium, dramatically reducing high-level waste while extracting far more energy. Their SMR design revives France’s proven Phoenix and Superphénix technology in a modular, factory-scalable form, with a smart twist: a built-in thermal battery to store heat and balance grid or industrial demand.
Founded in 2023 as a spinout from France’s CEA atomic research lab, Hexana’s team of 40 engineers is bringing decades of nuclear expertise to life in a product that could fundamentally reshape how industry is powered.
Tune in to discover how Hexana plans to turn legacy waste into a low-carbon, high-impact energy source—and why this isn’t just sci-fi, but a credible clean energy contender.