SpaceX vets raise $50M Series A for data center links

Three former SpaceX engineers—Travis Brashears, Cameron Ramos, and Serena Grown-Haeberli—have founded Mesh Optical Technologies, a Los Angeles-based startup focused on mass-producing optical transceivers. These devices convert optical signals into electrical signals for computers and are critical for data centers, especially those supporting large-scale AI workloads with multiple GPUs. Mesh recently raised $50 million in a Series A funding round led by Thrive Capital. The founders identified limitations in the current optical transceiver market while working on SpaceX’s next-generation satellites and aim to produce 1,000 units daily within a year to qualify for bulk orders by 2027-2028. Mesh is positioning itself as a U.S.-based alternative to the market currently dominated by Chinese suppliers, addressing potential national security concerns related to AI infrastructure dependence on foreign components. Thrive Capital partner Philip Clark emphasized the strategic importance of domestic supply chains for AI data centers. The company’s design innovations include eliminating a power-hungry component