Former SpaceX engineers Travis Brashears, Cameron Ramos, and Serena Grown-Haeberli have co-founded Mesh Optical Technologies, a Los Angeles startup that recently announced a $50 million Series A funding round led by Thrive Capital. The company’s focus is on mass-producing optical transceivers, essential devices that convert optical signals into electrical signals for AI data centers.
During their time at SpaceX, the trio worked on developing optical communication links for Starlink internet satellites, leading them to identify the need for advancements in the optical transceiver market. Optical transceivers play a crucial role in enabling data centers to efficiently train and operate large deep learning models by facilitating collaboration among multiple GPUs.
Mesh aims to produce a thousand units per day by the end of the year to position themselves for bulk orders in 2027 and 2028. One of their key strategies is to build a supply chain outside China, a move that they believe could preempt potential national security concerns arising from trade restrictions.
With the optical transceiver market currently dominated by Chinese firms, Mesh’s approach not only addresses market limitations but also anticipates future challenges, positioning the company for significant growth and impact in the data center technology sector.
Source: TechCrunch