The Ford Model T of satellite manufacturing
Key points
Key takeaways from a V the Builders interview with Apex co-founder and CEO Ian Cinnamon (July 2026):
From CV systems to Palantir. Cinnamon's first company built AI and computer-vision models for weapon detection, deployed at US and international airports, federal buildings and the Abu Dhabi F1 race; when COVID emptied the venues, the business stalled and the company was acquired by Palantir.
Lessons from Palantir. A flat hierarchy where employees are empowered to take decisions and talk to customers, combined with deeply felt product-market fit, is what Cinnamon credits with producing so many Palantir alumni entrepreneurs.
The satellite thesis. Working on space programmes at Palantir, Cinnamon saw SpaceX make launches reliably and operators such as Planet, Skybox, DigitalGlobe, Umbra and Hawkeye shift from one exquisite satellite to fleets, yet nobody could build satellites fast enough: manufacturing, not launch or data, was the bottleneck.
The Ford Model T of space. Apex makes only satellite platforms or buses (structure, power, radios, thermal management) rather than payloads, and sells them off the shelf in volume at 40-400kg ESPA-class scale on its Aries bus, treating satellites as products designed once and produced many times.
Defence demand. Nearly every major US defence prime is a customer, with Northrop Grumman now a strong partner on space-based interceptors for the Golden Dome programme.
A methodical founder. Cinnamon quit Palantir to join Village Global as an entrepreneur-in-residence, deliberately weighing crypto and fintech ideas before committing to satellite buses with co-founder Max Benassi, who scaled production at SpaceX.
Valuation and backers. Apex was valued at $2.3 billion in its most recent fundraise, led by Glade Brook Capital Partners with Washington Harbour Partners, while early investors include Andreessen Horowitz, XYZ Venture Capital and Point72 Ventures.
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