Kapta Space, a Seattle-based satellite radar technology startup, has secured $24 million in a Series A funding round. The company plans to use this capital to scale production and fulfill increasing demand for defense intelligence contracts. This latest funding brings Kapta Space’s total investment to $30 million, following a $5 million seed round. The investment was supported by MetaVC, a fund backed by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and former executive Nathan Myhrvold, as well as other defense-focused investors.
The Series A round was led by Washington Harbour Partners, a firm specializing in defense technology investments, with Bison Ventures co-leading. MetaVC Partners, a previous investor, also participated alongside MYDA Capital, Entrada Ventures, Aurelia Foundry, and Fitz Gate Ventures. Kapta Space also previously received a $1.8 million grant from the Department of Defense.
Founded in 2023 by CEO Milton Perque and Adam Bily, Kapta Space is developing lower-cost, steerable radar sensors for satellites. The company utilizes metamaterials in its proprietary Metamaterial Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) architecture. This technology is designed to provide high-resolution geospatial imagery and track ground targets without the high costs, power requirements, and manufacturing complexities associated with traditional radar systems.
Perque and Bily bring significant experience in radar technology to Kapta Space. Both were previously engineering leaders at radar maker Echodyne. Perque also has experience with Metacept and Intellectual Ventures, while Bily worked as an antenna engineer at Apple and satellite startup Astranis. This expertise is crucial for the development of Kapta’s advanced radar systems.
Scaling Production and Orbital Missions
The newly raised capital will enable Kapta Space to expand its manufacturing capabilities. The company will also focus on qualifying its hardware for spaceflight and preparing for its initial orbital demonstration missions. Kapta’s software-defined architecture is intended to make persistent satellite tracking viable at a constellation scale.
This approach will allow spacecraft to rapidly steer beams to continuously detect and maintain custody of moving targets across air, sea, and land. Milton Perque, Founder and CEO of Kapta Space, stated that the mission requires persistent awareness, necessitating a rethinking of radar operations at constellation scale. He added that traditional architectures are prohibitively expensive and were not designed for the current scale demands.
Mina Faltas, Founder and CEO of Washington Harbour Partners, commented on Kapta’s MESA architecture, describing it as a modular and highly manufacturable approach to electronically steerable radar. Faltas believes Kapta’s combination of performance, cost, and scalability positions it as a foundational supplier for future U.S. and allied space architectures.
The development highlights the growing commercial space sector in the Pacific Northwest. This region hosts numerous venture-backed startups building hardware, alongside major satellite operations such as SpaceX’s Starlink facility and Amazon’s Leo constellation program. The success of companies like Kapta Space contributes to the vibrant ecosystem of innovation in the area.
