How much funding has Proteus Space raised?

Proteus Space has raised $14.75M in total funding. Key investors include Lavrock Ventures, Moonshots Capital, SAIC, The Veteran Fund, Crosscut Ventures.

Who is the CEO of Proteus Space?

David Kervin is the CEO of Proteus Space. The company was founded in 2021.

Where is Proteus Space located?

Proteus Space is headquartered in Los Angeles, USA.

What funding stage is Proteus Space at?

Proteus Space is currently at the Active stage.

How many employees does Proteus Space have?

Proteus Space has approximately 11-50 employees.

Proteus Space

Name: AM Companies Database
Creator: AMPulse
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

PlatformLos Angeles, USAFounded 2021· One of 206 Platform companies tracked by AMPulse

An AI-powered automated satellite design and manufacturing company that creates custom, payload-tailored satellite buses through its MERCURY™ platform, eliminating the constraints of standardized spacecraft buses.

CEO / Founder: David Kervin
Team Size: 11-50
Stage: Active
Total Funding: $14.75M
Latest Round: Seed
Key Investors: Lavrock Ventures, Moonshots Capital, SAIC, The Veteran Fund, Crosscut Ventures

Technology & Products

Key Products

["MERCURY™ AI-enabled Automated Satellite Design Platform","Custom Payload-Tailored Satellite Bus Design & Manufacturing","Full Lifecycle Services (Design, AI&T, Launch Integration, LEOPs, Operations)","Digital Engineering Models & Parametric B-Rep CAD Packages","Launch Brokering & Licensing Services","Comprehensive Environmental Testing & Qualification","Orbital Demonstration & Testing Services (validated with NASA JPL JACC mechanism)"]

Technological Advantage

Combines AI-enabled deterministic physics-anchored multi-objective concurrent engineering with Industry 4.0 digital/physical twin system; autonomously selects components and vendors based on TRL level, lead times, cost, and performance specifications; delivers verified parametric B-Rep CAD and digital engineering models 1000x faster design exploration, 8x faster to CDR, 24x less labor, 90% fewer meetings than traditional approaches; leverages additive manufacturing with titanium and multi-material components to reduce part count by 3x

Differentiation

Value Proposition

Reduces satellite development lifecycle from years to months through AI-automated custom satellite bus design; eliminates standardized bus constraints by designing around payload requirements; delivers 8x faster CDR, 24x less labor, and 1000x more design options with full visibility into BOM, cost, schedule, lead times, and supply chain

How They Differentiate

Proteus Space's MERCURY™ platform is the world's first high-fidelity, physics-based, AI-enabled, deterministic satellite design platform that eliminates the ICD (Interface Control Document) constraint by designing custom satellite buses around payloads rather than forcing payloads to fit standardized buses, using the largest TRL9 flight heritage COTS spacecraft component database

Market & Competition

Target Customers

U.S. Government agencies (DoD, NASA, SpaceWERX, AFRL), commercial satellite operators, payload owners requiring custom satellite bus solutions, aerospace primes

Industry Verticals

["Aerospace & Defense","Government/DoD","Space & Satellite Systems","Earth Observation","Deep Space Exploration","National Security Space"]

Competitors

Cognitive Space; Rocket Lab; Sidus Space

Growth & Milestones

Growth Metrics

Successfully designed and launched first AI-designed satellite (MERCURY ONE) in 9 months from blank sheet to orbit; achieved 8x faster CDR, 24x less labor, and 1000x more design options compared to traditional approaches; secured first commercial payload customer in March 2025

Major Milestones

["Successfully launched M1 ESPA-class satellite in 9 months from design to orbit (2024)","Deployed NASA JPL's first additively manufactured mechanism (JACC) aboard Proteus satellite (2024)","Secured $4.2M Seed round led by Moonshots Capital (Oct 2023)","Won $1.8M AFWERX STTR contract for automated satellite design (Dec 2023)","Raised $6.1M Seed-2 round led by Lavrock Ventures (Mar 2025)","Signed first commercial payload customer (Mar 2025)"]

Notable Customers

NASA JPL (ongoing orbital demonstration collaboration); NASA (selected for Rapid Spacecraft Conceptual Design Study, September 2025); Leonardo DRS; UC Davis; SpaceWERX/AFWERX; Air Force Research Laboratory; GomSpace North America

https://www.proteus-space.com

Recent coverage of Proteus Space

Why this company matters

Proteus Space occupies a distinct position in the satellite manufacturing market by eliminating the interface control document (ICD) constraint that forces payloads into standardized bus architectures. Its MERCURY platform uses AI-enabled, physics-anchored multi-objective concurrent engineering to autonomously design custom satellite buses tailored to specific payload requirements. This approach reduces the satellite development lifecycle from years to months, with the company reporting 8x faster critical design reviews, 24x less labor, and 1000x more design options compared to traditional methods.

The core technology combines deterministic physics modeling with an Industry 4.0 digital-physical twin system and a database of TRL 9 flight-heritage commercial off-the-shelf spacecraft components. MERCURY autonomously selects components and vendors based on technical readiness, lead time, cost, and performance, then outputs verified parametric boundary-representation CAD models and digital engineering packages. The platform leverages metal and polymer additive manufacturing to produce titanium and multi-material components, reducing part count by 3x versus conventional machining and assembly.

Proteus Space serves U.S. government agencies including NASA, the DoD, SpaceWERX, and AFRL, as well as commercial satellite operators and payload owners. Notable engagements include a NASA rapid spacecraft conceptual design study, an ongoing orbital demonstration collaboration with NASA JPL that deployed the agency's first additively manufactured mechanism (JACC) aboard a Proteus satellite, and an AFWERX STTR contract. The company secured its first commercial payload customer in March 2025. Key partners include Morpheus Space, GomSpace North America, Leonardo DRS, UC Davis, and SAIC.

The company's strategic moat rests on its proprietary MERCURY platform and the demonstrated ability to go from blank sheet to orbit in nine months with the MERCURY ONE satellite. However, scaling from custom one-off designs to repeatable production runs for constellations remains an open question. Competitors such as Rocket Lab and Sidus Space offer standardized bus alternatives, and the broader trend toward satellite bus commoditization could pressure Proteus to prove its unit economics at higher volumes. The company has raised $14.75 million from investors including Lavrock Ventures, Moonshots Capital, SAIC, The Veteran Fund, and Crosscut Ventures.