Sophia Space is having a big week. 

The Pasadena-based space computing startup today announced a strategic collaboration with satellite bus manufacturer Apex, while finalizing the closing of a $7 million financing round — bringing its total funding to $22 million — in a pair of moves designed to carry orbital edge computing from concept to operational reality.

The deal with Apex centers on a demonstration mission planned for 2027, in which Sophia Space will fly its TILE (Thermal Integrated LEO Edge) compute modules aboard one of Apex's Nova satellite bus platforms. The goal is to prove out real-time, on-orbit data processing for enterprise, government, and defense customers; processing data where it's generated rather than beaming raw feeds down to ground stations and waiting for results to travel back up.

The timing is deliberate. 

A wave of new satellite constellations is driving an explosion in the volume of data generated in orbit; persistent Earth observation, communications, security monitoring, and scientific sensing are all scaling simultaneously. The traditional model, in which satellites collect data and downlink it to Earth for processing, is strained under the weight of that volume. For applications where latency is the enemy, i.e. national defense, disaster response, time-sensitive commercial operations, the gap between data collection and actionable insight becomes a liability.

"This isn't just about faster data," said Rob DeMillo, CEO and Co-Founder of Sophia Space. "It's about enabling satellites to make intelligent decisions autonomously, accelerating innovation across defense, commercial space, and Earth observation industries."

Apex brings a track record that gives the 2027 timeline credibility. Founded in 2022 by Ian Cinnamon and Max Benassi, the company holds the world record for fastest clean-sheet satellite design to production spacecraft operating in space. Its Nova bus is designed to give innovative payload teams — like Sophia — a reliable, productized foundation so they can focus engineering bandwidth on their core technology rather than reinventing the spacecraft around it. 

"Apex was built to power innovative space missions, helping teams move from breakthrough technology to operational spacecraft faster," said Cinnamon. "Sophia's vision for real-time orbital computing is exactly the kind of mission our Nova platform is designed to support."

For Sophia, the partnership closes a critical gap. The company's TILE modules are its core product; modular compute units designed for in-situ data processing, AI acceleration, and edge computing in low Earth orbit. By plugging into Apex's proven platform rather than building its own bus, Sophia compresses its path to an on-orbit demonstration.

"We're building the backbone for the next era of space-to-space and space-to-Earth infrastructure," said Leon Alkalai, CTO and Founder of Sophia Space. "With Apex as a collaborator, satellites become autonomous computing hubs, able to act on data the moment it's generated."

The second announcement, a $7 million SAFE financing round, funds the execution of that roadmap.

The round was led by EverGreen — the NVIDIA Alumni Investment Network — alongside SparkLabs Group and other strategic investors. With this close, Sophia's total funding reaches $22 million. The capital will go toward product development, engineering and commercial hiring, strategic partnerships, and deployment of its platform across government, commercial, and international markets.

The investor roster carries its own signal.

EverGreen's network is drawn from the AI and high-performance computing ecosystem that built NVIDIA into a dominant force. Their bet on Sophia reflects a thesis that the infrastructure layer for AI in space is as consequential a build as the infrastructure layer for AI on Earth.

"Building modular, AI-optimized compute for orbit isn't an adaptation of Earth-based architecture. It's a ground-up rethink," said Jeff Brown, Founding Partner at EverGreen. "Our network brings deep expertise across the full AI and HPC stack, and we'll support Sophia not just at close but through the technical and commercial milestones ahead."

SparkLabs Group, a global accelerator and venture fund with deep roots in emerging technology, echoed the conviction.

"Sophia Space is operating at the intersection of two of the most transformative technology trends of our time: artificial intelligence and the expanding space economy," said Bernard Moon, Co-founder and Partner at SparkLabs. "Their team has demonstrated a clear vision, strong technical execution, and a compelling strategy for building the intelligent infrastructure that future space operations will require."

DeMillo pointed to macro tailwinds, including the Golden Dome initiative and the rapid proliferation of satellite constellations, as drivers reshaping demand for exactly what Sophia is building. "Demand for autonomous, on-orbit computing is growing rapidly," he said. "We're grateful for the support of investors who share our vision for the future of intelligent space infrastructure."

With the Apex deal setting a 2027 on-orbit milestone and $22 million in the bank to get there, Sophia Space is moving from articulating a vision to executing one. Organizations in defense, energy, space, and emergency response can engage with the company now as orbital computing shifts from an industry conversation to a commercial offering.