Seaford brings experience across national security, defense, and technology as Aetherflux accelerates its mission to build an American power grid in space

Aetherflux, the orbital energy infrastructure company founded by Robinhood co-founder Baiju Bhatt, today announced the appointment of Matthew Seaford to its Advisory Board. Seaford joins Aetherflux as the company scales its mission to build the first American power grid in space, optimizing energy delivery for both terrestrial needs and orbital AI compute.

Seaford’s appointment comes at a critical inflection point for Aetherflux, following the company’s recent announcement of its first orbital data center project launch, targeted for Q1 2027.

Seaford’s addition to the Advisory Board brings invaluable strategic guidance from someone who has overseen multi‑billion-dollar semiconductor investments and led critical national security and defense technology programs. Most recently, he served as Technical Director for the CIA Directorate of Science and Technology, leading programs that supported U.S. intelligence and defense missions. He also served as Director of the Portfolio Management Office at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s CHIPS Program Office, overseeing a $39 billion portfolio of U.S. semiconductor projects.

Earlier in his career, Seaford was National Security Advisor for the CHIPS Program, and Deputy Director of the Defense Production Act Title III Program within the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Seaford is also Founder and CEO of Manufacturing Legislative Services, Inc., a strategic advisory firm for technology companies, Senior VP for National Security Programs at Applied Research Institute (ARI), and serves on the advisory boards for multiple technology companies, including Applied Energetics, FemtoMetrix, and Akash Systems.

“Matthew has spent his career at the intersection of emerging technology and national security, and we welcome his valuable insights as we enter our next phase of growth,” said Baiju Bhatt, Founder & CEO of Aetherflux. “His experience leading large-scale technology programs and strengthening critical U.S. industrial capabilities will help us accelerate the deployment of reliable space-based energy systems.”

Aetherflux is building the first American power grid in space, capturing energy in orbit and delivering it where it's needed – whether back to Earth or directly to compute in space. The company is focused on two core applications: power beaming to contested environments, and orbital AI compute to bypass the current five-to-eight-year time horizon for data centers to be built on Earth. The team brings together backgrounds from SpaceX, NASA, Anduril, and the U.S. Navy, led by Robinhood co-founder Baiju Bhatt and Chief Operating Officer / Chief Legal Officer Joseph Yaffe, former managing partner of Skadden’s Palo Alto office.

“Both energy and AI infrastructure are at an inflection point, and Aetherflux is at the forefront of defining what these systems can achieve in space,” said Seaford. “The team is advancing technology that solves complex technical challenges and addresses massive energy needs. I’m excited to partner with Baiju and the company as they accelerate into their next phase of growth.”

About Aetherflux

Founded in 2024 by Baiju Bhatt and backed by Index Ventures, NEA, and other leading investors, Aetherflux is building an orbital compute network to power the future of artificial intelligence. With a team featuring veterans from SpaceX, NASA, Anduril, and the U.S. Navy, the company is deploying satellite constellations to harvest solar power and fuel the next generation of off-world infrastructure.

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