Starcloud has raised $250 million in a Series A extension at a $2.3 billion post-money valuation as it accelerates plans to build large-scale artificial intelligence data centers in space. Manhattan West led the round, with participation from existing investors Benchmark, EQT, Soma, NFX, and 776, alongside new backers including NVIDIA, Cisco Investments, Cedar Capital, Goanna Capital, and Standard Capital. The financing brings the Redmond, Washington-based company's total capital raised to $450 million since its founding in 2024 and will support manufacturing expansion, engineering development, and future launch capacity.
Expanding Orbital Computing Infrastructure
Starcloud is developing an orbital computing network designed to address the growing energy requirements of AI infrastructure by moving high-performance computing workloads beyond terrestrial data centers. The company is working toward a long-term vision of deploying as many as 88,000 satellites capable of providing 20 gigawatts of orbital computing capacity, while development of its next-generation Starcloud-3 spacecraft is already underway. To support that expansion, Starcloud is establishing production lines at a new 100,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Woodinville, Washington, as it moves from early demonstrations toward larger-scale spacecraft manufacturing.
NVIDIA Collaboration Advances
The funding will also support Starcloud's expanding collaboration with NVIDIA, which began when the company launched an NVIDIA H100 GPU aboard its Starcloud-1 satellite in November 2025. Starcloud and NVIDIA are now working together on the NVIDIA Space-1 Vera Rubin Module, a system designed for demanding orbital environments where computer hardware must withstand radiation exposure and rely primarily on large radiators for cooling. Starcloud expects its spacecraft to provide an early flight platform for space-rated computing hardware, building on operational data collected since the successful deployment of Starcloud-1.
Building on Orbital AI Milestones
Since launching Starcloud-1, the company says it has completed several milestones aimed at demonstrating that advanced AI workloads can operate effectively in orbit. According to Starcloud, the satellite hosted the first data center-grade GPU deployed in space, trained an AI model in orbit, ran Google's Gemini technology, and demonstrated high-powered inference and fine-tuning using flight hardware. These experiments have also helped the company develop operating procedures for high-performance GPUs in space, providing technical experience that Starcloud intends to apply to future generations of orbital computing systems.
Investors Back Starcloud's Expansion
Cisco joined the financing as a new investor, bringing expertise in networking, optical systems, secure data center infrastructure, and AI technologies that could become increasingly relevant as Starcloud scales its orbital network. Manhattan West's Ken Abdalla and Lauren Selig led the investment, while Selig will join the company as a board observer as Starcloud enters its next stage of development. Founded by CEO Philip Johnston, CTO Ezra Feilden, and Chief Engineer Adi Oltean, Starcloud plans to use the additional capital to expand manufacturing capacity, advance engineering work with NVIDIA, and secure launch allocations for future spacecraft.
Starcloud's latest financing strengthens its position as it attempts to turn orbital AI computing from a technical demonstration into a scalable infrastructure model. With $450 million raised, a $2.3 billion valuation, backing from major technology companies and investors, and continued work with NVIDIA, the company is moving toward increasingly powerful space-based computing platforms. Its next phase will depend on its ability to scale spacecraft production, secure sufficient launch capacity, and demonstrate that orbital data centers can operate reliably and economically enough to support growing demand for AI infrastructure.