• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admits he criticizes everything his 42,000-plus employees show him: ‘You can’t go a day without some criticism’

2

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

3

Current price of oil as of May 27, 2026

1

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admits he criticizes everything his 42,000-plus employees show him: ‘You can’t go a day without some criticism’

2

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

3

Current price of oil as of May 27, 2026
NewslettersTerm Sheet

The key disclosures missing from SpaceX’s S-1

Allie Garfinkle
By
Allie Garfinkle
Allie Garfinkle
Term Sheet Editor
Down Arrow Button Icon
Allie Garfinkle
By
Allie Garfinkle
Allie Garfinkle
Term Sheet Editor
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 28, 2026, 5:23 AM ET
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk unveiling the company's new manned spacecraft in Hawthorne, Calif. on May 29, 2014. (Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk unveiling the company's new manned spacecraft in Hawthorne, Calif. on May 29, 2014. Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

The particular joy of an S-1 is that it cracks open a business long held close. 

Recommended Video

So, when SpaceX finally and officially filed to go public last week, it was momentous. At long last, there was visibility: We know the company’s 2025 revenue was $18.67 billion, that its losses are also up to nearly $5 billion, and that Elon Musk’s pay package is partially linked to establishing a minimum-one-million-citizen colony on Mars.

But, as a recent note from PitchBook’s Franco Granda pointed out, there’s also a lot we didn’t see, and that even in this wave of disclosures, crucial pieces of information didn’t come to light. Granda wrote that SpaceX’s S-1 isn’t nearly as granular as you might expect when it comes to, say, information around subscriptions, which appear in the business not only in the context of X (formerly Twitter) but Starlink. 

This is especially material, as Starlink is clearly the economic engine of the business in so many ways and has stunning margins (an adjusted EBITDA margin of 63%).

“Most major subscription businesses that have gone public (T-Mobile, AT&T, Spotify, Duolingo, Peloton, Chewy) disclose retention or churn metrics, whereas SpaceX does not,” Granda writes. “With 10.3 million [Starlink] subscribers… and aggressive international expansion into lower-priced tiers, investors cannot decompose whether headline subscriber growth reflects durable cohort retention or is masking attrition behind elevated gross adds… This is among the most important metrics for modeling subscriber economics, and its absence is conspicuous.”

Granda also notes that there’s no delineation of the cost of each Falcon 9 launch and that, while clearly the reusability of SpaceX’s rockets has provided tailwinds, “the core unit economics of the most prolific launch vehicle in history remain hidden.” 

And we didn’t learn as much about AI unit economics as we may have expected, given the intensity of SpaceX’s AI pitch. “AI segment revenue (excluding advertising) contributes just 6.7% of company revenue, with the balance flowing through legacy X social platform advertising,” Granda notes. “There is no way to isolate Grok subscription revenue, X subscription revenue, xAI API revenue, or growth trajectories for them.”

Similarly, though we know SpaceX has deployed $20 billion into AI infrastructure, the filing makes clear that number doesn’t reflect utilization. Hence, there’s no way to know if that $20 billion has led to enough capacity for the foreseeable future (not just for SpaceX, but for its multi-billion deal with Anthropic). 

So, while we know a whole lot more than we did before, some things never change. Parts of SpaceX, as the company looks to raise as much as a mammoth $80 billion in its IPO, remain close to the chest.

See you tomorrow,

Allie Garfinkle
X:
@agarfinks
Email: alexandra.garfinkle@fortune.com

Submit a deal for the Term Sheet newsletter here.

Joey Abrams curated the deals section of today’s newsletter. Subscribe here.

VENTURE CAPITAL

- Thea Energy, a Kearny, N.J.-based fusion power company, raised $100 million in Series B funding from Thomas Tull’s U.S. Innovative Technology Fund, General Innovation Capital Partners, Linse Capital, Calm Ventures, and others. 

- ClearNote Health, a San Diego, Calif.-based cancer detection company, raised $52 million in Series D funding. Mattias Westman led the round and was joined by others.

- LightTable, a Denver, Colo.-based developer of AI-powered construction quality control software, raised $22 million in Series A funding. Innovation Endeavors led the round and was joined by Blackhorn Ventures, DivcoWest Ventures, 9Yards Capital, and existing investors.

- Solstice, a New York City-based AI-native marketing agency for pharma brands, raised $21 million in Series A funding. Transformation Capital led the round and was joined by Twelve Below, Virtue Ventures, and others.

- Lastwall, a Fredericton, New Brunswick-based cybersecurity company protecting against quantum computing threats, raised $11.5 million in funding. BDC Capital’s StrongNorth Fund led the round and was joined by the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation, Frostbite Capital, and existing investors.

- Olyzon, a New York City and Paris, France-based AI advertising technology company for streaming TV, raised $10 million in Series A funding. S4S Ventures led the round and was joined by Eurazeo and others.

- Protuoso Biosciences, a San Carlos, Calif.-based developer of AI-designed protein therapies, raised $9.5 million in seed funding. Taya Venture and Darwin Ventures led the round and were joined by NSG Ventures, SEEDS, and others.

- Caudal Energy, an Oxford, U.K.-based renewable energy company, raised £4.3 million ($5.8 million) in funding. Oxford Science Enterprises and Empirical Ventures led the round and were joined by Zero Carbon Capital and Creator Fund.

- Go Swag, a Glasgow, Scotland-based corporate gifts company, raised $5 million in funding. Mercia Ventures led the round and was joined by Techstart Ventures and angel investors.

PRIVATE EQUITY

- DigitalBridge Group agreed to acquire ArcLight Capital Partners, a Boston, Mass.-based infrastructure investment firm, for up to $1.05 billion. 

- Align Capital Partners acquired Heritage Imaging, a Boise, Idaho-based medical imaging services company. Financial terms were not disclosed.

- Bregal Sagemount acquired a minority stake in LSPedia, a Farmington Hills, Mich.-based pharmacy supply chain software company. Financial terms were not disclosed.

- Coupa, a portfolio company of Thoma Bravo, acquired Tonkean, a Palo Alto, Calif.-based business process automation software company. Financial terms were not disclosed.

- No Dig Alliance, backed by Ambienta, acquired JS Drilling Solutions, a Sundsvall, Sweden-based underground pipe installation company. Financial terms were not disclosed.

This is the web version of Term Sheet, a daily newsletter on the biggest deals and dealmakers in venture capital and private equity. Sign up for free.
About the Author
Allie Garfinkle
By Allie GarfinkleTerm Sheet Editor
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Allie Garfinkle is a senior writer and editor at Fortune, where she runs Term Sheet; leads coverage of private capital, investors, and startups; and co-chairs the Brainstorm conference series.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Newsletters

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Newsletters

Why some CEOs still choose Europe over the U.S.
NewslettersCEO Daily
Why some CEOs still choose Europe over the U.S.
By Diane BradyMay 28, 2026
28 minutes ago
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk unveiling the company's new manned spacecraft in Hawthorne, Calif. on May 29, 2014. (Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
NewslettersTerm Sheet
The key disclosures missing from SpaceX’s S-1
By Allie GarfinkleMay 28, 2026
1 hour ago
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on March 07, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
NewslettersFortune Tech
With subscription plans, Meta finally moves to diversify its revenue
By Andrew NuscaMay 28, 2026
2 hours ago
Sanofi is building its own AI ecosystem to give the French pharma giant an edge
NewslettersCIO Intelligence
Sanofi is building its own AI ecosystem to give the French pharma giant an edge
By John KellMay 27, 2026
17 hours ago
Fortune’s 2026 Most Powerful Women list has a new No. 1
NewslettersMPW Daily
Fortune’s 2026 Most Powerful Women list has a new No. 1
By Emma HinchliffeMay 27, 2026
20 hours ago
The 2026 Fortune Most Powerful Women list is here—and 11 CFOs made the cut
NewslettersCFO Daily
The 2026 Fortune Most Powerful Women list is here—and 11 CFOs made the cut
By Sheryl EstradaMay 27, 2026
22 hours ago

Most Popular

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admits he criticizes everything his 42,000-plus employees show him: ‘You can’t go a day without some criticism’
Success
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admits he criticizes everything his 42,000-plus employees show him: ‘You can’t go a day without some criticism’
By Preston ForeMay 26, 2026
2 days ago
Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
Success
Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
By Preston ForeMay 21, 2026
7 days ago
Current price of oil as of May 27, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of May 27, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 27, 2026
21 hours ago
Techlash grows in education: 'My daughter went to middle school and was sent home with a screen addiction in her backpack'
North America
Techlash grows in education: 'My daughter went to middle school and was sent home with a screen addiction in her backpack'
By Jocelyn Gecker and The Associated PressMay 26, 2026
2 days ago
Jamie Dimon said the American Dream was slipping away. JPMorgan just put $40 million on the table to fix it
Banking
Jamie Dimon said the American Dream was slipping away. JPMorgan just put $40 million on the table to fix it
By Nick LichtenbergMay 27, 2026
22 hours ago
Even if every California billionaire left tomorrow, it would take 25 years for the state to lose as much as it stands to gain from proposed wealth tax
Economy
Even if every California billionaire left tomorrow, it would take 25 years for the state to lose as much as it stands to gain from proposed wealth tax
By Tristan BoveMay 27, 2026
18 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.