Radar · Aerospace Tech in California
Best Aerospace Tech Companies in California, United States
The 79 best Aerospace Tech companies in California, United States in 2026, ranked by funding and momentum. Funding, investors, founders, valuation, tech stack and live signals. Top: Archer.
By Rohit KhannaTrends & Stories
79companies tracked
$4.4Bdisclosed funding
2unicorns
37have raised
Ranked: Best Aerospace Tech companies in California
| # | Company | Disclosed funding | Last round | Employees | Founder | Tech stack | Patents & IP focus | Recent signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Archer 🦄 Developer of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for commercial use 67Funding top 18%Partners top 21%Growth top 24%Tech top 25% All 12 signals ▾Fundingtop 18% Partnerstop 21% Growthtop 24% Techtop 25% Innovationtop 28% Moattop 31% Producttop 32% Newstop 34% Markettop 47% Globalbottom 46% Talentbottom 40% Fin. healthbottom 26% Funding: Raised $1.5B across 5 rounds · 5 rounds over 3 yrs (1.7/yr) Partners: 3 partnership announcements in 12 mo (6 in 24 mo) · 15 contract events in 12 mo rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 67/100 | $1.5B | 6 mo ago | 424 | Brett Adcock Co-Founder | PrismicApple iCloud MailNode.js+19 | — | 1 job opening |
| 2 | Shield AI 🦄 Developer of AI-powered platforms and software for defense applications 93Funding top 9%Product top 18%Talent top 22%Moat top 26% All 12 signals ▾Fundingtop 9% Producttop 18% Talenttop 22% Moattop 26% Markettop 28% Growthtop 29% AItop 30% Innovationtop 32% Techtop 33% Newstop 36% Partnerstop 43% Globaltop 48% Funding: Raised $930M across 16 rounds · 16 rounds over 11 yrs (1.5/yr) Product: 4 distinct product lines · Company stage: Series G rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 93/100 | $930M | 2 mo ago | 364 | Brandon Tseng Co-Founder | WordPressApple iCloud MailMySQL+24 | — | 1 partnership |
| 3 | Joby Aviation Manufacturer of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft 69Partners top 15%Product top 18%Funding top 25%Growth top 26% All 13 signals ▾Partnerstop 15% Producttop 18% Fundingtop 25% Growthtop 26% Moattop 32% Techtop 33% Newstop 33% Markettop 37% Fin. healthtop 46% Globaltop 47% Talentbottom 49% Innovationbottom 46% Patentsbottom 39% Partners: 5 partnership announcements in 12 mo (7 in 24 mo) · 15 contract events in 12 mo Product: 1 product launch event in 12 mo, 1 the year before · Company stage: Public rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 69/100 | $690M | 12 mo ago | 1,777 1,777 → 2,088 (+18%) | Joeben Bevirt Founder & CEO | Apache HTTP ServerCloudflareKlaro+13 | 23 patents Electric VTOL aircraft with pivoting, stowable rotors that emulate rigid‑wing aerodynamics | 2 partnerships · 1 expansion |
| 4 | Wisk Developer of autonomous electric aerial vertical take-off and landing vehicles | $450M | 52 mo ago | 426 426 → 766 (+80%) | Brian Yutko CEO | WordPressApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+35 | — | — |
| 5 | Mach Industries Developer of advanced military aviation platforms | $187M | 13 mo ago | — | Ethan Thornton Founder & CEO | — | 64 patents Patents concentrated in transport & manufacturing processes | — |
| 6 | AEVEX Aerospace Provider of airborne intelligence solution | $160M | 83 mo ago | 341 341 → 536 (+57%) | — | WordPressApple iCloud MailMySQL+25 | — | — |
| 7 | Reliable Robotics Provider of automatic flight control systems 64Innovation top 23%Growth top 26%Patents top 27%Moat top 28% All 10 signals ▾Innovationtop 23% Growthtop 26% Patentstop 27% Moattop 28% Fundingtop 29% Talenttop 38% Newstop 43% Marketbottom 42% Techbottom 36% Globalbottom 33% Innovation: 47 patents (top 32% of patent-holders) · 36 filings since 2022 vs 11 in 2017-21 Growth: Headcount 45 → 72 (+60%) across vintages · Fresh capital in last 24 mo rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 64/100 | $134M | 2 mo ago | 72 | Juerg Frefel Co-founder & CTO | SanityApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+10 | 47 patents Autonomous UAV navigation, landing guidance, and remote flight-control systems | — |
| 8 | Elroy Air Autonomous aircraft systems for cargo delivery purposes 62Growth top 18%News top 20%Funding top 27%Moat top 31% All 10 signals ▾Growthtop 18% Newstop 20% Fundingtop 27% Moattop 31% Talenttop 34% Partnerstop 40% Producttop 49% Techbottom 47% Marketbottom 40% Globalbottom 39% Growth: Headcount 18 → 48 (+167%) across vintages · Fresh capital in last 24 mo News: 6 BI events in 12 mo (of 31 tracked, 6 types) · +200% YoY rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 62/100 | $110M | 19 mo ago | 48 48 → 45 (-6%) | Clint Cope Chief Product Officer & Co-Founder | Apple iCloud MailGoogle WorkspaceTailwind CSS+10 | — | 2 launchs · 2 partnerships |
| 9 | Hydrogen Manufacturer of capsule modules to store hydrogen fuel in aircraft | $85M | 44 mo ago | 2 | Jason Chua Co-Founder | — | 13 patents Patents concentrated in mechanical & energy engineering | — |
| 10 | Xwing Developer of autonomous aircraft technologies | $57M | 62 mo ago | 87 | — | WixSentryApple iCloud Mail+12 | 13 patents Patents concentrated in computing, sensing & instrumentation | — |
| 11 | Grid Aero Developer of uncrewed, long-range cargo aircraft for resilient logistics networks 32Talent top 28%Funding top 31%Tech bottom 44%Global bottom 33% All 5 signals ▾Talenttop 28% Fundingtop 31% Techbottom 44% Globalbottom 33% Marketbottom 30% Talent: 3 named leaders on record · 3 C-suite/founder profiles curated Funding: Raised $26.0M across 2 rounds · 2 rounds over 2 yrs (1.0/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 32/100 | $26M | 4 mo ago | — | Chinmay Patel Co-founder & CTO | Node.jsTailwind CSSReact+8 | — | 1 launch |
| 12 | Sandel Avionics Manufacturer of avionics for rotorcraft and fixed-wing aircraft | $20M | 80 mo ago | 46 | Gerry Block CEO & President | — | 89 patents Integrated aircraft avionics displays and path‑guidance panels for flight navigation. | — |
| 13 | AIBOT Manufacturer of e-VTOLs. | $15M | 30 mo ago | — | Jerry Wang Co-Founder | BootstrapGSAPNginx+8 | 4 patents Design and engineering of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft | — |
| 14 | Odys Aviation Designer and manufacturer of a VTOL aircraft 62Funding top 23%Growth top 35%Tech top 35%Moat top 37% All 11 signals ▾Fundingtop 23% Growthtop 35% Techtop 35% Moattop 37% Talenttop 38% Innovationtop 41% Partnerstop 45% Patentstop 47% Marketbottom 39% Globalbottom 39% Newsbottom 21% Funding: Raised $13.7M across 3 rounds · 3 rounds over 4 yrs (0.8/yr) Growth: Fresh capital in last 24 mo rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 62/100 | $14M | 8 mo ago | 28 28 → 53 (+89%) | Axel Radermacher Co-Founder | PrismicApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+18 | 6 patents Advanced aircraft multi‑mode control architectures and flap drive mechanisms for VTOL/tilt‑rotor systems | — |
| 15 | LaunchPoint Provider of hybrid electric propulsion systems and modeling software | $11M | 26 mo ago | 35 | Brad Paden Co-Founder | WordPress Block EditorWordPressMySQL+24 | 42 patents Advanced electromagnetic energy storage and high-efficiency electric machine technologies | 9 job openings |
| 16 | Poseidon Aerospace Developer of unmanned aircraft systems for commercial and defense applications | $11M | 7 mo ago | — | David Zagaynov Co-Founder & CEO | Framer SitesApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+8 | — | 5 job openings |
| 17 | SkySelect Provider of an AI-powered platform for aircraft parts procurement and sourcing 50Talent top 28%Funding top 36%AI top 45%News top 46% All 8 signals ▾Talenttop 28% Fundingtop 36% AItop 45% Newstop 46% Moattop 48% Techbottom 46% Globalbottom 43% Marketbottom 38% Talent: 3 named leaders on record · 3 C-suite/founder profiles curated Funding: Raised $9.0M across 1 rounds · 1 rounds over 1 yrs (1.0/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 50/100 | $9M | 3 mo ago | 56 | Rain Opik Co-Founder | PrismicNode.jsAmazon Web Services+14 | — | 1 job opening · 2 partnerships |
| 18 | PteroDynamics Developer of autonomous vertical takeoff and landing aircraft systems and platforms 40Moat top 31%Growth top 35%Innovation top 36%Patents top 36% All 10 signals ▾Moattop 31% Growthtop 35% Innovationtop 36% Patentstop 36% Techtop 49% Talentbottom 49% Fundingbottom 47% Globalbottom 36% Marketbottom 24% Newsbottom 22% Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 7/10 · IP moat: 18 patents Growth: Fresh capital in last 24 mo rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 40/100 | $8M | 1 mo ago | 14 14 → 23 (+64%) | Matthew Graczyk CEO and Board Director | WordPressMySQLPHP+25 | 18 patents VTOL aircraft flight control systems and vertical take‑off/landing guidance algorithms. | — |
| 19 | Exosonic Low boom supersonic aircraft manufacturer | $4M | 49 mo ago | 16 | Tim Macdonald Co-founder and CTO | WordPressMySQLPHP+16 | — | — |
| 20 | Mayman Aerospace Developer of dual-use vertical takeoff and landing aircraft with AI autonomy | $3M | 40 mo ago | — | David Mayman Founder & CEO | WordPressMySQLPHP+18 | — | — |
| 21 | Zenith Aerospace Manufacturer of solar-powered aircraft | $3M | 26 mo ago | 10 | Yitao Zhuang Co-Founder | WixSentryEnvoy+11 | — | — |
| 22 | JetPack Aviation Manufacturer of personal VTOL vehicles | $3M | 79 mo ago | 7 | Nelson Tyler Co-Founder | WordPressMySQLPHP+25 | 5 patents Personal jet‑powered VTOL aircraft and back‑mounted propulsion systems | — |
| 23 | AlphaSTAR Corporation Provider of a software simulation tool for additive manufacturing | $2M | 198 mo ago | 59 | — | — | — | — |
| 24 | Seaflight Technologies Designer of electric aircraft | $886K | 36 mo ago | 6 | Graham Doig Co-Founder | — | — | 1 launch |
| 25 | Icarus Developer of autonomous, solar-powered aircraft for sustained flight applications | $500K | 8 mo ago | — | Henry Kwan Founder & CEO | — | 11 patents Integrated solar PV‑thermal co‑generation with heat recovery, storage, and panel cooling | — |
| 26 | Astro Mechanica Developer of supersonic propulsion systems | $500K | 10 mo ago | — | Ian Brooke Founder & CEO | WebflowjsDelivrGoogle Hosted Libraries+8 | — | 1 partnership · 1 award |
| 27 | Elodin Aerospace design software | $500K | 24 mo ago | — | Andrei Khvalko Co-Founder | — | — | — |
| 28 | Hoversurf Developer of commercial drones and electric aircraft | $210K | 116 mo ago | 20 | — | Cart FunctionalityWix eCommerceWix+17 | 18 patents VTOL aircraft control, safety, and maneuverability systems for vertical takeoff/landing. | — |
| 29 | Airhart Developer of fly-by-wire aircraft with intuitive avionics for personal aviation | $125K | 7 mo ago | 5 | — | WebflowreCAPTCHAHSTS+10 | — | — |
| 30 | Talyn Developer of autonomous aircraft systems for cargo and passenger transportation | $125K | 75 mo ago | 22 | — | — | — | — |
| 31 | JetInsight Online marketplace for on-demand aircraft and fleet management system | $120K | 123 mo ago | 36 | Lou Montulli Co-Founder & CTO | SentryZendeskTypeScript+28 | — | — |
Top 12 Aerospace Tech companies in California
#1
Series G · San Diego, California · founded 2015 · 364 employees$930.2Mraised▾
Series G · San Diego, California · founded 2015 · 364 employees
Developer of AI-powered platforms and software for defense applications. The company provides solutions for mission autonomy, surveillance, and object detection. Its offerings include autonomous pilot software, command and control toolkits, and autonomy development platforms. It also manufactures unmanned aircraft for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 93how this company ranks against its industry peers
Funding
top 9%Product
top 18%Talent
top 22%Moat
top 26%Market
top 28%Growth
top 29%Funding: Raised $930M across 16 rounds · 16 rounds over 11 yrs (1.5/yr) · Last round Series G (Mar 2026)
Product: 4 distinct product lines · Company stage: Series G
Talent: Analyst team rating 5/5 · 3 named leaders on record · 3 C-suite/founder profiles curated
Audience (LinkedIn): 151k LinkedIn followers — 20.0% of this cohort's audience
Activity (LinkedIn): 1 partnerships (incl. Hivemind) announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
- Mar 2026Series G$2B
- Feb 2025Series F$591.8M
- Dec 2023Series F$100M
- Dec 2023Venture Debt$200M
Founders & team
Investors
Andreessen Horowitz, Homebrew, Bloomberg Beta, Founder Collective, Riot, Disruptive Ventures
Tech stack
Anime.JsApple Icloud MailCloudflareCloudflare Bot ManagementCore-JsDocusign
#2
Archer 🦄Public · San Jose, California · founded 2018 · 424 employees$1.5Braised▾
Archer 🦄
Public · San Jose, California · founded 2018 · 424 employees
Developer of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for commercial use. The company focuses on aircraft certification, safety, and defense applications. It provides updates through its newsroom and offers various resources. These resources include information for investors, media, and potential employees.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 67how this company ranks against its industry peers
Funding
top 18%Partners
top 21%Growth
top 24%Tech
top 25%Innovation
top 28%Moat
top 31%Funding: Raised $1.5B across 5 rounds · 5 rounds over 3 yrs (1.7/yr) · Last round Post IPO (Dec 2025)
Partners: 3 partnership announcements in 12 mo (6 in 24 mo) · 15 contract events in 12 mo · Named contractor/client in 15 deals
Growth: Headcount 164 → 424 (+159%) across vintages · 6 acquisition/expansion moves in 24 mo · Fresh capital in last 24 mo
Audience (LinkedIn): 169k LinkedIn followers — 22.4% of this cohort's audience
Hiring (LinkedIn): 1 hiring post in 12 mo (public) · hiring: Staff GNC Engineer
Funding rounds
- Dec 2025Post IPO—
- Jun 2025Post IPO$850M
- Dec 2024Post IPO$430M
- Aug 2024Post IPO$220M
Founders & team
Investors
United Airlines, Stellantis, Boeing, ARK Investment Management, Wellington, 2PointZero
Tech stack
Amazon Web ServicesAnimate.CssApple Icloud MailBugherdCdnjsCloudflare
#3
Series C · Mountain View, California · founded 2010 · 72 employees$133.5Mraised▾
Series C · Mountain View, California · founded 2010 · 72 employees
Reliable Robotics is a provider of automatic flight control systems. It provides automated operation of aircraft and commercialization of technologies for cargo and passenger vehicles.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 64how this company ranks against its industry peers
Innovation
top 23%Growth
top 26%Patents
top 27%Moat
top 28%Funding
top 29%Talent
top 38%Innovation: 47 patents (top 32% of patent-holders) · 36 filings since 2022 vs 11 in 2017-21 · Deep-tech classification: Tech Hardware
Growth: Headcount 45 → 72 (+60%) across vintages · Fresh capital in last 24 mo
Patents: 47 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 36 filings since 2022 vs 11 in 2017-21 · Latest publication 2026
Audience (LinkedIn): 17k LinkedIn followers — 2.2% of this cohort's audience
Funding rounds
- Apr 2026Series C$160M
- Oct 2021Series C$100M
- Sep 2020Series B$25M
- Series A$8.5M
Founders & team
Investors
Lightspeed Venture Partners, Pathbreaker Ventures, Teamworthy Ventures, Eclipse, Coatue, Nimble Partners
Tech stack
Amazon SesAmazon Web ServicesApple Icloud MailCloudflareFirebaseGoogle Analytics
#4
Public · Santa Cruz, California · founded 2009 · 1777 employees$690Mraised▾
Public · Santa Cruz, California · founded 2009 · 1777 employees
Manufacturer of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. The company designs and builds aircraft that use electric power for vertical takeoff and landing operations. It focuses on developing innovative solutions for urban air mobility and sustainable aviation. Users include businesses and operators seeking advanced aircraft technologies.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 69how this company ranks against its industry peers
Partners
top 15%Product
top 18%Funding
top 25%Growth
top 26%Moat
top 32%Tech
top 33%Partners: 5 partnership announcements in 12 mo (7 in 24 mo) · 15 contract events in 12 mo · Named contractor/client in 15 deals
Product: 1 product launch event in 12 mo, 1 the year before · Company stage: Public
Funding: Raised $690M across 8 rounds · 8 rounds over 10 yrs (0.8/yr) · Last round Post IPO (May 2025)
Audience (LinkedIn): 186k LinkedIn followers — 24.7% of this cohort's audience
Activity (LinkedIn): 2 partnerships · 1 expansions (incl. Taylor Motor Corporation) announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
- May 2025Post IPO$250M
- Oct 2024Post IPO$500M
- Nov 2023Grant (prize money)$9.8M
- Jun 2023Post IPO$100M
Founders & team
Investors
Capricorn, JetBlue Technology Ventures, SPARX Group, Oryx, Uber, Toyota Ventures
Tech stack
Apache Http ServerApple PayCloudflareCloudflare Bot ManagementCore-JsDreamhost
#5
Seed · California City, California · founded 2017 · 14 employees$7.5Mraised▾
Seed · California City, California · founded 2017 · 14 employees
Developer of autonomous vertical takeoff and landing aircraft systems and platforms. These systems combine fixed-wing aircraft speed and range with vertical takeoff and landing performance. The company's aircraft are designed for delivery of payloads to locations lacking runways. The company focuses on government and commercial applications.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 40how this company ranks against its industry peers
Moat
top 31%Growth
top 35%Innovation
top 36%Patents
top 36%Tech
top 49%Talent
bottom 49%Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 7/10 · IP moat: 18 patents
Growth: Fresh capital in last 24 mo
Innovation: 18 patents (top 52% of patent-holders) · 11 filings since 2022 vs 7 in 2017-21 · Deep-tech classification: Tech Hardware
Audience (LinkedIn): 9k LinkedIn followers
Activity (LinkedIn): 1 partnerships (incl. Scion Aviation) announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
- May 2026Seed—
- Dec 2022Seed$7.5M
Founders & team
Investors
Kairos Ventures, Lavrock Ventures, One Bow River
Tech stack
AosCivicthemeCloudflareCloudflare Bot ManagementCore-JsGoogle Analytics
#6
Series A · San Leandro, California · founded 2024$26Mraised▾
Series A · San Leandro, California · founded 2024
Developer of uncrewed, long-range cargo aircraft for resilient logistics networks. The company focuses on building aircraft designed for moving heavy payloads across long distances. The aircraft are built for low-cost operation and designed for strategic reach. The company's distributed fleet aims to power resilient logistics at scale. The aircraft operate as a distributed mesh, supervised by a small ground team.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 32how this company ranks against its industry peers
Talent
top 28%Funding
top 31%Tech
bottom 44%Global
bottom 33%Market
bottom 30%Talent: 3 named leaders on record · 3 C-suite/founder profiles curated
Funding: Raised $26.0M across 2 rounds · 2 rounds over 2 yrs (1.0/yr) · Last round Series A (Jan 2026)
Tech: 11 technologies across 3/8 capability areas · Cloud: Vercel · Security: Hsts
Audience (LinkedIn): 4k LinkedIn followers
Activity (LinkedIn): 1 product launches announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
- Jan 2026Series A$20M
- Nov 2024Seed$6M
Founders & team
Investors
Calibrate Ventures, Ubiquity Ventures, Boost VC, Commonweal Ventures, Calm Ventures, Bison Ventures
Tech stack
Google WorkspaceHstsNext.JsNext.Js App RouterNode.JsPriority Hints
#7
Series B · Huntington Beach, California · founded 2020$186.7Mraised▾
Series B · Huntington Beach, California · founded 2020
Developer of advanced military aviation platforms. This company designs and develops next-generation aircraft for military applications. Their portfolio includes a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) strike aircraft, a long-range high-altitude glider for munitions delivery, and an airborne satellite platform equipped with advanced sensors and communication capabilities. These platforms are designed to enhance military capabilities and deter conflict.
Funding rounds
- May 2025Series B$102M
- Oct 2023Series A$79M
- Jun 2023Seed$5.7M
Founders & team
Investors
Bedrock, DCVC, Sequoia Capital, Marque Ventures, Champion Hill Ventures, 1517 Fund
#8
Series A · San Francisco, California · founded 2011 · 56 employees$9Mraised▾
Series A · San Francisco, California · founded 2011 · 56 employees
Provider of an AI-powered platform for aircraft parts procurement and sourcing. The platform offers self-service software and full-service options for procurement and order tracking. It provides sourcing and purchase order optimization for cost savings and lead-time reduction. The platform also offers full-service procurement to increase purchasing capacity. It allows supply chain visibility, improves on-time delivery, and scales procurement.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 50how this company ranks against its industry peers
Talent
top 28%Funding
top 36%AI
top 45%News
top 46%Moat
top 48%Tech
bottom 46%Talent: 3 named leaders on record · 3 C-suite/founder profiles curated
Funding: Raised $9.0M across 1 rounds · 1 rounds over 1 yrs (1.0/yr) · Last round Series A (Mar 2026)
AI: Product described with: ai-powered
Audience (LinkedIn): 8k LinkedIn followers
Hiring (LinkedIn): 1 hiring post in 12 mo (public) · hiring: Pre-Sales & Implementation Manager
Activity (LinkedIn): 2 partnerships (incl. Armac) announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
- Mar 2026Series A$9M
Founders & team
Investors
Verb Ventures, The Rock Creek Group, SmartCap, Bain Capital Ventures, Lux Capital, Correlation Ventures
Tech stack
Amazon SesAmazon Web ServicesCloudflareGoogle Font ApiGoogle WorkspaceGsap
#9
Series A · Long Beach, California · founded 2019 · 28 employees$13.7Mraised▾
Series A · Long Beach, California · founded 2019 · 28 employees
Designer and manufacturer of a VTOL aircraft. It mostly covers domestic airline routes and uses city airports and helipads.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 62how this company ranks against its industry peers
Funding
top 23%Growth
top 35%Tech
top 35%Moat
top 37%Talent
top 38%Innovation
top 41%Funding: Raised $13.7M across 3 rounds · 3 rounds over 4 yrs (0.8/yr) · Last round Series A (Oct 2025)
Growth: Fresh capital in last 24 mo
Tech: 24 technologies across 4/8 capability areas · Cloud: Cloudflare, Vercel · Security: Cloudflare Bot Management, Hsts
Audience (LinkedIn): 10k LinkedIn followers
Funding rounds
- Oct 2025Series A$26M
- May 2023Seed—
- Feb 2022Seed$12.4M
- Sep 2021Seed$125K
Founders & team
Investors
Knighthood Global, Countdown Capital, Soma Capital, Giant Ventures, Y Combinator, Nova Threshold
Tech stack
Apple Icloud MailCloudflareCloudflare Bot ManagementCore-JsGoogle AnalyticsGoogle Workspace
#10
Seed · San Francisco, California · founded 2024$11Mraised▾
Seed · San Francisco, California · founded 2024
Developer of unmanned aircraft systems for commercial and defense applications. The company focuses on creating autonomous aircraft designed for diverse environments and missions. These aircraft aim to revolutionize logistics by providing faster and cheaper goods transportation. The company is building unmanned systems to transform future logistics operations.
LinkedIn Pulse recent public activity · Jul 2026
Audience: 6k LinkedIn followers
Hiring: 7 hiring posts in 12 mo (public) · momentum +5 · hiring: Proposal Lead, Manufacturing Design Engineer
Funding rounds
- Nov 2025Seed$11M
Founders & team
Investors
Tamarack Global, Draper, Starship Ventures, Drover Ventures, Cade Venture, GoAhead Ventures
Tech stack
Apple Icloud MailCloudflareFramer SitesGoogle Font ApiGoogle WorkspaceHsts
#11
Series B · San Francisco, California · founded 2016 · 48 employees$109.5Mraised▾
Series B · San Francisco, California · founded 2016 · 48 employees
Autonomous aircraft systems for cargo delivery purposes. It developed a prototype featuring rotor-based vertical takeoff and landing and fixed-wing cruise flight with a hybrid powertrain. It offers various features, including reduced delivery times, minimal human error, enhanced delivery accuracy, and improved safety. It enables users to optimize routes, reduce fuel consumption, and potentially reshape urban infrastructure and logistics, and more.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 62how this company ranks against its industry peers
Growth
top 18%News
top 20%Funding
top 27%Moat
top 31%Talent
top 34%Partners
top 40%Growth: Headcount 18 → 48 (+167%) across vintages · Fresh capital in last 24 mo
News: 6 BI events in 12 mo (of 31 tracked, 6 types) · +200% YoY · 2 high-value events (IPO/M&A/funding/contracts) in 12 mo
Funding: Raised $110M across 6 rounds · 6 rounds over 9 yrs (0.7/yr) · Last round Series B (Oct 2024)
Audience (LinkedIn): 20k LinkedIn followers — 2.7% of this cohort's audience
Activity (LinkedIn): 2 product launches · 2 partnerships (incl. Federal Aviation Administration) announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
- Oct 2024Series B$6.6M
- Jan 2024Series B$48.9M
- Aug 2021Series A$40M
- Apr 2020Seed$6.8M
Founders & team
Investors
Precursor Ventures, Lemnos, Haystack, 122 West Ventures, Shasta Ventures, Levitate Capital
Tech stack
Amazon CloudfrontAmazon S3Amazon Web ServicesApple Icloud MailAstroCloudflare
#12
Seed · El Segundo, California · founded 2023$500Kraised▾
Seed · El Segundo, California · founded 2023
Developer of autonomous, solar-powered aircraft for sustained flight applications. The company designs and builds aircraft capable of autonomous operation. The focus is on creating systems for extended flight durations. The company is scaling its team and systems to expand its capabilities.
Funding rounds
- Sep 2025Seed$500K
Founders & team
Investors
Y Combinator, Boost VC
Funding & investor landscape
$4.4Btotal disclosed funding
32companies funded
107disclosed rounds
4rounds last 90 days
Most active investors
Y Combinator9 rounds
Notable founders
Brandon Tseng
Co-Founder · Shield AI
Ryan Tseng
Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer & President · Shield AI
Brett Adcock
Co-Founder · Archer
Juerg Frefel
Co-founder & CTO · Reliable Robotics
Robert Rose
Co-Founder & CEO · Reliable Robotics
Joeben Bevirt
Founder & CEO · Joby Aviation
Matthew Graczyk
CEO and Board Director · PteroDynamics
Chinmay Patel
Co-founder & CTO · Grid Aero
Brandon F
Co-founder & Chief Commercial Officer · Grid Aero
Ethan Thornton
Founder & CEO · Mach Industries
Rain Opik
Co-Founder · SkySelect
Soufiane Houri
Co-Founder · SkySelect
Prism market signals · United States · country-scoped Prism corpus, 18,573,982 docs
Market landscape — 10 sub-themes by coverage
Share of Aerospace Tech coverage by sub-theme.
Regulatory-risk over time rising
Funding & growth over time
funding rising · growth rising
RESEARCH IN CALIFORNIA · Space & Defense
How research on Space Tech in California is moving
A read on the academic research around Space Tech in California — which themes are gaining ground, the institutions and researchers driving them, and how the tone is shifting. Based on 1,216 papers.
1216 papers · stance +0.35 · 38% breakthrough · 19% concern
top institutions
- California Institute of Technology445
- University of California, Berkeley266
- University of California, Los Angeles232
- California Polytechnic State University91
- University of Southern California50
leading researchers
C. M. S. Cohen · S. D. Bale · A. R. Poppe · Angelopoulos, Vassilis · V. Angelopoulos · J. W. Bonnell
prism intelligence · tone & topics
84% positive · 1% critical tone
Space ExplorationAstronomyCosmologyRoboticsPhysicsAerospace
▲
Breakthroughs306 · 25%
▼ 26%→25% share
▲1.0× share momentum6 median citations49% since 2021mostly methods-led
Breakthroughs are cooling (26%→25% of field), led by Jupiter (rocket family).
rising sub-themes (early→recent)
- Jupiter (rocket family)7→29
- Astrobiology9→25
- Spacecraft42→57
- Astronomy6→17
- Aerospace engineering12→22
Newly emergingScalability 0→7 · Orbit (dynamics) 0→6 · Icy moon 0→5
Landmark The Solar Probe Plus Mission: Humanity’s First Visit to Our Star · 1,247 cites
◆
Advancements343 · 28%
▼ 28%→24% share
▼0.9× share momentum3 median citations43% since 2021mostly methods-led
Advancements are cooling (28%→24% of field), led by Aerospace engineering.
rising sub-themes (early→recent)
- Aerospace engineering8→33
- Spacecraft46→70
- CubeSat9→20
- Propulsion1→7
- Astrobiology9→14
Newly emergingRendezvous 0→5 · New horizons 0→5 · Trajectory 0→4
Landmark Detecting Spacecraft Anomalies Using LSTMs and Nonparametric Dynamic Thresholding · 1,269 cites
▼
Concerns151 · 12%
12%→12% share
▲1.0× share momentum3 median citations48% since 2021mostly empirical
Concerns are cooling (12%→12% of field), led by Spacecraft.
rising sub-themes (early→recent)
- Spacecraft16→34
- Astronomy2→11
- Astrobiology6→12
- Mars Exploration Program1→7
- Solar wind3→8
Newly emergingGeology 0→3 · Cosmic ray 0→3 · Atmosphere of Mars 0→3
Landmark Tracking Dynamic Northern Surface Water Changes with High-Frequency Planet CubeSat Imagery · 213 cites
Common questions
How many Aerospace Tech companies are there in California, United States?
Radar tracks 79 indexable Aerospace Tech companies headquartered in California, United States that meet our profile-completeness bar.
What is the total funding raised by Aerospace Tech companies in California, United States?
The Aerospace Tech companies in California, United States on this list have raised a combined $4.4B in disclosed equity funding across 32 funded companies.
Which is the highest-funded Aerospace Tech company in California, United States?
Archer is the highest-funded Aerospace Tech company in California, United States, with $1.5B in disclosed equity funding.
How many Aerospace Tech companies in California, United States are funded?
32 of the 79 Aerospace Tech companies in California, United States on this list have disclosed at least one equity funding round.
How many Aerospace Tech unicorns are there in California, United States?
2 Aerospace Tech companies in California, United States on this list are valued at $1B or more.
Who are the top investors in California, United States Aerospace Tech companies?
The most active investors in California, United States Aerospace Tech companies on this list include Y Combinator, Soma Capital, Climate Capital, Gaingels, Boeing.
Rohit KhannaTrends & Stories
Rohit lives in the feed. He covers what's moving right now — the funding rounds, launches and shifts breaking across the trade press — and ties them back to where the sector is heading.