Endeavor Optical Networks (EON), a startup founded in May, emerged from stealth with $10.75 million in seed funding from General Catalyst and Andreessen Horowitz to develop a satellite network using lasers to connect data centers across continents, offering a potential alternative to undersea fiber optic cables. Co-founders CEO Charlie Horowitz and CTO Tyler Presser aim to launch roughly 20 laser-equipped satellites capable of delivering dedicated links between continents, targeting throughput of 2.4 terabits per second, far exceeding existing space-to-ground laser communication demonstrations.
EON plans to target hyperscalers and AI labs, focusing on underserved or costly data routes lacking robust existing infrastructure. The company intends to use its seed funding to build an optics lab, expand its engineering team, and conduct ground tests ahead of a planned demonstration satellite launch around the end of 2027.
Jeannette zu Fürstenberg of General Catalyst, who led the investment, said the project aligns with the firm’s focus on AI and infrastructure resilience, expressing confidence in the founding team’s ability to execute. EON’s technical team includes Presser, a NASA-experienced astronautical engineer, alongside former Google and Amazon satellite specialists. The company faces competition from Blue Origin’s more ambitious TeraWave satellite network, though industry analysts note that building dependable, high-bandwidth satellite infrastructure for data centers remains a significant technical challenge.
Featured image: Credit: Endeavor Optical Networks
