Endeavor Optical Networks, known as EON, wants to reroute the data superhighway from ocean cables to space lasers. Their plan is bold: launch about 20 laser-equipped satellites to orbit and link data centers directly from above.
Most current satellite networks can’t handle data at 200 terabits per second. EON aims to break that ceiling with an initial fleet targeting 2.4 terabits per second throughput. Their demo satellite, planned for launch around the end of 2027, is expected to deliver at least 800 gigabits and possibly a terabit of optical downlink speed.
Laser communications aren’t new to space. NASA used them to beam back data from its latest Moon mission. Private companies like York, Kepler, and Cailabs have already proven laser links between orbit and ground stations. But EON’s CEO Charlie Horowitz and CTO Tyler Presser want to turn those experiments into a commercial backbone.
Horowitz’s vision depends on building a network fast enough to meet demand. “I don’t worry about demand,” said investor Jeannette zu Fürstenburg. “It’s about whether you can get this thing into space on time.” Ian Cinnamon, another backer, praised Horowitz as a “force of nature” who moves seamlessly from strategy to execution.
Meanwhile, Blue Origin announced its own ambitious laser network, TeraWave, planning 5,048 satellites aiming for speeds up to 6 terabits per second. The race for space-based data highways is heating up, with companies betting on laser tech to replace or augment ocean fiber.
Beyond space lasers, startups are pushing AI infrastructure and energy innovations. Eliyan, an enterprise AI startup, closed a $145 million Series C round led by Seligman Ventures, with Cisco Investments and Lumentum also investing. Eliyan’s platform scans business systems to optimize AI agent deployment. Its CEO Ramin Farjadrad calls out the industry’s failed approach of just “hiring more and more people” for AI implementation.
June, another startup backed by Marc Benioff, raised $20 million in pre-seed funding. Founded by Efrat Rapoport and others, June builds agent-powered business process automation. U.S. mortgage lender CMG credits June for avoiding integration delays when deploying AI agents. CMG’s chief strategy officer Paul Akinmade insists on simple, user-friendly AI tools, rejecting “black box” solutions.
On the energy front, Valar Atomics secured $1 billion in equity plus a $200 million credit line from Erebor and banks. Bloomberg reported Valar’s valuation at $6 billion. Valar demonstrated its Ward 250 nuclear reactor powering an Nvidia Blackwell AI system in June. They also signed a deal with Nvidia to develop a waterless 30MW AI factory. Valar aims to ramp production from tens to thousands of small modular reactors per year.
These developments show a clear trend. High-speed data needs are exploding. AI workloads demand vast energy and infrastructure upgrades. Companies like EON, Eliyan, June, and Valar are building the hardware and software to keep pace. The future of data flows and AI won’t just be on Earth’s surface. It’s going orbital and nuclear at the same time.
Based on
- EON wants to move the data superhighway from ocean fiber to space lasers — techcrunch.com
- EchoStar’s Hughesnet falls victim to Starlink. | The Verge — theverge.com
- Eliyan Achieves Unicorn Status with $145 Million Series C to Advance Electro-optical Interconnects for AI Infrastructure | AP News — apnews.com
- Sequoia’s Shaun Maguire leads $1B round for nuclear startup Valar Atomics | TechCrunch — techcrunch.com
- A Marc Benioff-backed startup thinks AI can solve the AI deployment problem | TechCrunch — techcrunch.com
