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Starcloud

Orbital data centers powering AI workloads

Overview

Starcloud builds megawatt-scale data centers in low Earth orbit to supply AI compute. Its satellites host large GPU clusters and storage, and customers access resources over the network with usage-based pricing similar to cloud services. The system relies on solar power and vacuum cooling in space to deliver energy-efficient operation, reducing terrestrial bottlenecks such as land, water, and grid limits. Starcloud aims to extend digital compute beyond Earth’s surface to enable scalable, sustainable, and affordable AI workloads.

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About Starcloud

Simplify's Rating
Why Starcloud is rated
C
Rated B on Competitive Edge
Rated C on Growth Potential
Rated D+ on Differentiation

Industries

Data & AnalyticsEnergyEnterprise SoftwareAerospace

Company Size

51-200

Company Stage

Series A

Total Funding

$444M

Headquarters

Redmond, WA

Founded

2024

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Simplify's take

What believers are saying

  • August 21, 2026 funding lifted Starcloud to $2.3 billion, strengthening launch and manufacturing.
  • NVIDIA's March 16, 2026 space computing push validates Starcloud's orbital GPU thesis.
  • Crusoe and U.S. government inference workloads create early paying demand beyond moonshot demos.

What critics are saying

  • Starship delays block Starcloud-3 economics; TechCrunch tied viability to 2028-2029 access.
  • FCC review of 88,000 satellites since February 3, 2026 risks severe regulatory drag.
  • Google Project Suncatcher and SpaceX orbital data centers compress Starcloud's head start.

What makes Starcloud unique

  • November 2025 Starcloud-1 flew the first NVIDIA H100 GPU into orbit.
  • Starcloud uses launch, power, cooling, and connectivity as a vertically integrated orbital stack.
  • Starcloud signed SpaceX Starlink Mini Laser contracts on May 26, 2026.

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Funding

Total Funding

$444M

Above

Industry Average

Funded Over

7 Rounds

Series A funding typically happens when a startup has a product and some customers, and now needs funding to scale. This money is usually used to grow the team, expand marketing, and improve the product. Venture capital firms are frequently the main investors here.
Series A Funding Comparison
Above Average

Industry standards

$15M
$8.2M
$15M
$30M
$250M

Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • Dental Insurance
  • Vision Insurance
  • Life Insurance
  • Disability Insurance
  • 401(k) Retirement Plan
  • 401(k) Company Match
  • Paid Vacation
  • Paid Sick Leave
  • Paid Parental Leave
  • Stock Options

Growth & Insights and Company News

6 month growth

30%

1 year growth

3%

2 year growth

-8%
Ground News
Oct 26th, 2026
Dunamu & Partners backs US startup Starcloud, which is building low-orbit space data centres

Dunamu & Partners, the investment arm of Dunamu, has invested in Starcloud, a US startup building data centres in low Earth orbit. The source gives no funding amount or other terms for the deal.

Segmara
Sep 5th, 2026
How to buy Starcloud shares before IPO: private-market access basics.

How to buy Starcloud shares before IPO: private-market access basics. Starcloud shares are not public exchange-traded shares. The orbital data center startup, founded in January 2024 as Lumen Orbit, raised a $170 million Series A in March 2026 at a $1.1 billion valuation and announced on August 21, 2026 a $250 million extension at a $2.3 billion post-money valuation, led by Manhattan West with Nvidia joining as an investor, according to the company's release and TechCrunch. It launched its first satellite, Starcloud-1, in November 2025 and has said it trained and ran AI models in orbit. No registration statement has appeared on SEC EDGAR as of the latest site review. Segmara shows a dated indicative mark for Starcloud under a secondary structure; any access route is subject to eligibility, availability, transfer approval, documentation, pricing and final terms. Free tracker. No card, documents, brokerage account, allocation, or issuer affiliation. segmara.com publishes educational private-market context and can route limited interest into account-based private follow-up. Public pages do not create an offer, allocation, payment instruction, investment advice, or issuer-affiliated workflow.

Business Wire
Aug 21st, 2026
Starcloud Raises $250 Million at $2.3 Billion Valuation to Scale AI with Orbital Data Centers

Starcloud, the company pioneering data centers in space, today announced a $250 million Series A extension funding round at a $2.3 billion post-money valuati...

Yahoo Finance
Jun 17th, 2026
Startups race to build orbital data centers, Starcloud raises $170M and puts GPU in space

Starcloud, a Redmond startup that went through Y Combinator in summer 2024, has raised $170 million in a Series A at a $1.1 billion valuation. The company became the first to run an Nvidia H100 GPU in orbit in November 2025, launching its 60-kilogram Starcloud-1 satellite. The company has filed with the FCC for an 88,000-satellite constellation and plans its next launch for October 2026, carrying multiple H100 chips and Nvidia's Blackwell hardware. CEO Philip Johnston positions Starcloud as infrastructure rather than cloud computing, initially targeting military and government customers before expanding to major cloud providers. Competition is intensifying, with Google planning prototype satellites by 2027, SpaceX filing for up to one million satellites, and Blue Origin developing gigawatt-scale orbital facilities.

X Corp.
Jun 4th, 2026
Starcloud becomes fastest YC company to hit $1B valuation post-Demo Day — 17 months

YC CEO Garry Tan reports Starcloud (formerly Lumen Orbit) has reached a $1B valuation just 17 months after Demo Day, making it the fastest YC company ever to achieve this milestone. The company builds data centers in orbit.

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