Aetherflux: The Space Solar Energy Startup Gearing for a Major Fundraising Round
Aetherflux, a space solar energy startup founded by Baiju Bhatt, one of the co-founders of Robinhood, is reportedly in talks to raise funding of between $250 million to $350 million in a Series B round. This round of fundraising would potentially value the company at a staggering $2 billion.
News of the anticipated fundraising was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, which cited Index Ventures as the leading investor in the deal. Since its inception in 2024, Aetherflux has already managed to accumulate funding of approximately $80 million. Aetherflux, however, has opted to remain silent on the matter and declined to comment.
Aetherflux’s Pivot Towards Space Data Centers
In recent months, Aetherflux has pivoted its focus from its original vision of transmitting electricity to Earth via lasers, towards developing power generation technology for space data centers. This shift aligns with the recent trend among space companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Starcloud, among others, who are concurrently developing new distributed computing architectures for use in space.
Bhatt, in a recent interview with TechCrunch, humorously commented on this strategic shift, “Let the record show that we never lifted our pivot foot — it wasn’t a trip. The light bulb went off about a year ago and, in fact, if you wanted to power AI with the technology that we were thinking about, it would be much more beneficial to put the chips in space, rather than projecting the power from space to an earthly data center.”
Looking to the Future: Aetherflux’s Plans
Despite the shift in focus, Aetherflux plans to continue its experiments with laser power transmission on a satellite bus built by Apex Space. The company anticipates the launch of its first data center satellite in 2027. “Our goal is to build something that rivals the terrestrial economy,” Bhatt declared.
It’s evident that the journey ahead won’t be easy. However, with their ambitious plans, innovative technology, and a resilient team led by a seasoned entrepreneur, Aetherflux is well positioned to make a significant impact in the space industry.
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