We Started MaiaEdge to Fix the Big Middle
There’s a familiar rhythm to funding announcements.
A headline. A number. A carefully chosen adjective like thrilled.
Let’s skip that.
Yes, MaiaEdge raised $20 million in a Series A. And yes, we’re grateful for the trust our investors placed in us. But the more important point is this: we’re still here to fix something that has been fundamentally broken for a long time.
MaiaEdge started with a simple, stubborn observation about how networks actually work.
Between data centers and enterprises sits what we’ve always called the big middle. It is a dense, fragmented layer of regional operators, fiber owners, and private networks. It is where real connectivity happens. It is also where coordination quietly falls apart.
For years, this layer has been held together by manual processes, one-off agreements, and a lot of institutional patience. That worked when change was slow. It does not work when businesses expect infrastructure to respond in minutes, not months.
That is why we started MaiaEdge.
Conviction Over Consensus
This Series A reflects how we think about building.
The market is converging on a problem that can no longer be ignored. Networks are being asked to coordinate across providers, regions, and policies in ways they were never designed for.
This is an extremely hard problem in a quiet industry.
Coordinating independent networks on demand isn’t glamorous, and it isn’t obvious how to do it. But as enterprises demand reach without surrendering control, and as distributed AI inference pushes workloads across providers, the cracks are no longer theoretical.
We are building infrastructure we believe in deeply, and that belief shows up in how we execute.
When conviction runs deep, decisions get simpler. Tradeoffs get clearer. Focus stays intact.
The Problem Was Never Bandwidth
Enterprises do not struggle to buy bandwidth. They struggle to connect networks quickly, repeatedly, and without losing control.
For network operators, extending reach usually means giving something up: sovereignty, customer ownership, visibility, or time. Interconnection becomes a tradeoff instead of a capability. Too often, “we’ll figure it out later” turns into 60-to-90-day provisioning cycles and coordination calls where everyone politely agrees the issue is definitely not on their side.
That model does not scale. And it was never designed to.
Federation, Without Giving Up Control
MaiaEdge exists to make federation a first-class capability.
Not federation as a business arrangement. Federation as infrastructure.
We are building purpose-built systems that allow independent networks to interconnect directly, automate how they work together, and preserve sovereignty by default. A network operator in Germany can peer instantly with one in Hawaii without surrendering customer relationships, network visibility, or control.
Operators should not have to choose between speed and sovereignty. They should be able to extend reach, activate services, and remain accountable to their customers at the same time.
That belief has not changed since day one.
Where AI Comes In
AI did not create this problem. It exposed it.
Distributed AI inference, data locality, and governance requirements push existing coordination gaps into the open. When AI workloads move across regions and providers in real time, the old assumption that the network will somehow figure it out collapses.
AI does not demand smarter networks.
It demands networks that can coordinate.
That is why MaiaEdge matters in this moment. Not because we chase AI trends, but because infrastructure is finally being forced to confront reality.
Federation Is an Ecosystem Problem
Federation does not scale if it is built one partnership at a time.
That is why MaiaEdge is designed to operate within an ecosystem, not above it. Real federation requires shared expectations around how networks interconnect, how services are described, and how coordination works across independent operators.
This is where standards and frameworks matter.
We are actively engaged in efforts within Mplify Alliance, a global standards body formerly known as the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF), to help define repeatable models for interconnection and federation. This cannot be solved through bespoke integrations or one-off agreements. Infrastructure only becomes infrastructure when others can rely on it.
Our goal is not to centralize the network. It is to make coordination native, so operators can interconnect on their own terms, with sovereignty and governance preserved by default, without being forced into someone else’s system.
Playing the Long Game
This Series A gives us the resources to keep building the core infrastructure while thoughtfully expanding our go-to-market team to support growing operator adoption.
Markets go through cycles. Narratives shift. Buzzwords expire.
The need for sovereign, federated infrastructure does not.
The big middle is not going away. It is becoming more important.
That is the layer MaiaEdge is building for. Not as a trend. Not as a shortcut. But as foundational infrastructure others can build on.
The problem is real.
That’s why we’re here.
If your networks need to coordinate across providers for AI inference, private connectivity, or cross-connects, let’s connect.
Book a Meeting