Edge computing firm Armada has come out of stealth and raised $55 million for its Edge computing modules and management platform.
The Washington-based business offers ruggedized and self-contained satellite-connected data center modules (in 3-rack 20ft and 6-rack 40ft models) known as Galleons that use SpaceX’s Starlink network, and an Edge device and computing management platform. The company also offers Edge/AI applications.
The funding round was led by Founders Fund, Lux Capital, Shield Capital, and 8090 Industries, with participation from Felicis, Contrary, Valor Equity Partners, Marlinspike, 137 Ventures, Koch Real Estate Investments, 8VC, and other investors.
“Today, AI – including large language models, multimodal AI, and predictive models – is revolutionizing every facet of our lives and work, but not everyone has the same opportunity. What’s truly astounding is that vast swaths of the world still lack basic Internet access, much less the ability to derive tangible value from their data,” said Armada co-founder and CEO Dan Wright.
“Armada’s mission is to bridge the digital divide once and for all, giving our customers the ability to solve their biggest problems.”
Justin Wilson, managing director at Koch Real Estate Investments, added: “Armada plays a vital role in addressing the growing compute needs of industrial IoT for manufacturing and industrial applications, a sector that has been vastly underserved but is crucial in today’s landscape.”
Armada declined to comment to SpaceNews on whether it is partnering with SpaceX, which has not commented on the venture. Armada has previously said it has “collaborated” with Elon Musk’s company without providing further details.
According to Forbes, Armada has no customers beyond a proof-of-concept trial with mining company Nexa Resources. The startup is targeting remote & off-grid applications such as defense and mining. In January, venture capital firms Founders Fund, Lux Capital, and Shield Capital led a $15 million seed round into Armada.
“There is an impossibly large volume of data created at the Edge, and regrettably, virtually nothing is done with it,” said Armada co-founder and chief operating officer Jon Runyan. “We’re exceptionally fortunate to have the best talent in the world on our team, as well as the support of our incredible syndicate of investors and advisors.”
The company said Trae Stephens of Founders Fund and Anduril, Kerem Ozmen of 8090 Industries, and Armada co-founder CTO, Pradeep Nair, have joined its Board of Directors.
CEO Dan Wright left AI company DataRobot last year in the wake of reports that top executives at the AI vendor, including then-CEO Wright, had cashed out stocks that longtime employees could not sell. Runyan was previously at Okta, while Nair previously held roles at VMware and Microsoft.
Source: datacenterdynamics.com
