Philip Johnston

Yo, you gotta hear about Philip Johnston. Dude’s a total beast in the startup game. He just jumped into YC S24 with his new gig, Starcloud, but this guy’s been around the block a few times. He’s not some rookie, he’s a second-time founder who’s already crushed it before.

So, here’s the deal-Philip’s all about pushing the boundaries of tech, especially in space. He’s the CEO and co-founder of Starcloud, which is basically building data centers in space. Yeah, space! The idea is to tap into cheap solar energy and passive cooling in orbit, so these data centers can scale way beyond what’s possible on Earth. Think about it-no more terrestrial limits, no more power constraints, just endless space-based computing. Holy shit, that’s advanced.

But here’s what’s crazy-before all this, Philip was a McKinsey consultant. He worked on satellite projects for national space agencies, so he’s got serious chops in both consulting and space tech. His background’s stacked: he’s got an MPA from Harvard in National Security & Tech, an MBA from Wharton, and an MA in Applied Math & Theoretical Physics from Columbia. Plus, he’s a CFA Charter holder. Basically, the guy’s a brainiac but also a total tech and startup nerd.

He’s also done some real leadership stuff-was Harvard’s class president, which shows he’s got the hustle and the charisma. And he’s not just talking; he’s had successful exits before, so this isn’t his first rodeo. He’s in it to shake things up.

Starcloud was founded in 2024 in Redmond, WA, with some solid co-founders-Ezra Feilden and Adi Oltean. They’re all about revolutionizing AI computing by deploying solar-powered data centers in orbit. With launch costs dropping fast, this is the bad situation for space-based infrastructure. Philip’s mission? To make AI and data processing way faster, cheaper, and more expandable by taking it off-planet.

Bottom line? Philip Johnston is a total big change. He’s blending his space know-how, business smarts, and a passion for pushing tech to its limits. The dude’s not just building a startup, he’s building the future of how we handle data-way out in space. No Cap, he’s the real deal.