Los Angeles startup Apex announced a Series B funding round led by XYZ Ventures and CRV, with participation from Upfront, to scale production of satellite buses—the structural platforms that carry instruments into orbit. Founded by Ian Cinnamon, the company aims to build these critical components faster and more affordably than traditional aerospace manufacturers, addressing a major bottleneck as satellite deployment accelerates.

Satellite bus manufacturing has constrained the space industry for decades. While traditional aerospace contractors can take 36 to 48 months to develop and build these platforms, Apex is working to industrialize the process through standardized designs and repeatable production methods. As demand grows for communications, Earth observation, and national security satellites, the ability to manufacture buses quickly has become critical infrastructure.

Los Angeles has emerged as an unlikely hub for satellite manufacturing innovation. The region's aerospace legacy—anchored by institutions like Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, JPL, and NASA—combines with engineering talent from Caltech, UCLA, USC, and Harvey Mudd. SpaceX veterans have launched dozens of defense and space startups over the past decade, creating an ecosystem where founders like Cinnamon can access both specialized talent and manufacturing expertise.

Apex recently achieved a key milestone: deploying its first operational satellite bus into orbit. The spacecraft successfully reached its destination and returned operational data, validating the company's platform design. The achievement demonstrates the viability of Apex's approach to transforming satellite construction from custom, one-off projects into standardized production.

The Series B funding will help Apex scale production as customer demand accelerates. Both commercial companies and government agencies are racing to deploy satellite networks, creating urgency around manufacturing capacity. Apex's standardized bus platforms could potentially reduce mission costs in a way similar to how reusable rockets transformed launch economics—a necessary evolution as the industry scales from dozens to thousands of satellites annually.

Apex's progress represents a broader shift in space infrastructure from bespoke engineering toward industrial-scale manufacturing. The company's founder, Ian Cinnamon, recently discussed the origin story, the complexities of satellite construction, and that milestone first launch—including a selfie from space—on the This Week in Startups podcast. As Apex moves into its next growth phase, the startup will test whether production-line speed can be sustained as deployment schedules intensify.