Aspire Fiber, a fiber-optic internet provider serving Southern California, closed an $80 million senior secured credit facility. The facility, led by Third Coast Bank and CIBC, will support the continued expansion of Aspire’s 10 Gigabit-capable fiber network across Southern California markets and beyond.
Aspire’s equity partner, Arenova Capital, also increased its equity commitment to $75 million to accelerate the expansion of Aspire Fiber’s services across Southern California. Arenova Capital partnered with Aspire’s founding team in February 2026 to establish Aspire Fiber as Southern California’s local internet service provider, bringing next-generation fiber-optic connectivity to communities across the region.
“We are deeply excited about the additional capital and partnership from Arenova, Third Coast Bank and CIBC,” Stephen Weatherford, founder and CEO of Aspire Fiber, said. “As a local company, we see first-hand the underinvestment in 100% fiber infrastructure in Southern California and we see huge opportunities to use the capital to accelerate our vision.”
David Li, managing partner of Arenova Capital, added, “Partnering with Stephen Weatherford and the Aspire Fiber team has been incredibly rewarding and the tremendous progress to date has given us further conviction behind their vision to bring future-proof 100% fiber internet to the many underserved markets across Southern California.”
Tim Sackson, executive vice president, corporate banking at Third Coast Bank, said, “We are pleased to support Aspire Fiber as it expands its network and brings high-quality fiber connectivity to more communities across Southern California. Aspire has a strong vision for growth, and we value the opportunity to provide financing that supports the company’s continued investment and expansion.”
