Radar · Auto Tech in California
Best Auto Tech Companies in California, United States
The 1639 best Auto Tech companies in California, United States in 2026, ranked by funding and momentum. Funding, investors, founders, valuation, tech stack and live signals. Top: Uber.
By Riya SenguptaFinancials
1639companies tracked
$95.3Bdisclosed funding
29unicorns
627have raised
FLIAR INTELLIGENCE · AUTO TECH × CALIFORNIA
Our analysis of 69 Auto Tech companies
$46.2b in tracked funding; 92% of the stack-profiled cohort runs cloud-native; funding activity peaked in 2025.
69companies analysed
92%cloud-native stacks
2025funding peak (by rounds)
18unicorns
2017median founding year
4.4Mcombined LinkedIn audience
47%of audience held by top 3
8companies hiring publicly (12 mo)
Ranked: Best Auto Tech companies in California
| # | Company | Disclosed funding | Last round | Employees | Founder | Tech stack | Patents & IP focus | Recent signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Waymo 🦄 Provider of self-driving and autonomous vehicle solutions for safe and accessible transportation 90Funding top 12%Customers top 14%Patents top 15%Moat top 18% All 14 signals ▾Fundingtop 12% Customerstop 14% Patentstop 15% Moattop 18% Markettop 22% Newstop 26% Talenttop 28% AItop 30% Producttop 32% Innovationtop 33% Techtop 37% Partnerstop 37% Globaltop 45% Growthtop 48% Funding: Raised $11.1B across 5 rounds · 5 rounds over 6 yrs (0.8/yr) Customers: Play-Store rating 4.90★ across 47,017 ratings (1 apps) · Review volume +188% in 6 mo rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 90/100 | $11.1B | 4 mo ago | 2,297 2,297 → 4,503 (+96%) · sector median +18% | Anthony Levandowski Co-Founder | Amazon WebstoreContentfulGoogle Cloud+23 | 6,150 patents Autonomous driving perception, prediction, sensor fusion, and vehicle control systems | 1 launch · 2 partnerships |
| 2 | Rivian 🦄 Manufacturer of off-road electric pickup trucks for adventure 90Tech top 9%Patents top 10%Market top 17%Funding top 18% All 13 signals ▾Techtop 9% Patentstop 10% Markettop 17% Fundingtop 18% Innovationtop 22% Moattop 26% Partnerstop 29% Newstop 37% Globaltop 37% Growthtop 42% Producttop 42% Fin. healthtop 44% Customerstop 46% Tech: 83 technologies across 7/8 capability areas · Cloud: Amazon Cloudfront, Amazon S3 Patents: 2,609 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 2347 filings since 2022 vs 262 in 2017-21 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 90/100 | $10.5B | 11 mo ago | 16,790 16,790 → 12,044 (-28%) · sector median +18% | — | ContentfulApple iCloud MailTypeScript+36 | 2,609 patents Electric vehicle powertrain, charging systems, and advanced vehicle perception/control technologies | 1 launch |
| 3 | Faraday Future Manufacturer of electric cars 62Funding top 14%AI top 15%Tech top 28%News top 28% All 14 signals ▾Fundingtop 14% AItop 15% Techtop 28% Newstop 28% Moattop 29% Patentstop 33% Innovationtop 38% Producttop 39% Partnerstop 42% Talentbottom 49% Marketbottom 48% Growthbottom 46% Globalbottom 42% Fin. healthbottom 28% Funding: Raised $3.2B across 19 rounds · 19 rounds over 9 yrs (2.1/yr) AI: Holds AI/ML patents (G06N-family CPC) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 62/100 | $3.2B | 2 mo ago | 586 586 → 550 (-6%) · sector median +18% | Matthias Aydt Global CEO | DrupalApple iCloud MailMicrosoft 365+22 | 674 patents Patents concentrated in electrical & electronics | — |
| 4 | Nuro 🦄 Developer of autonomous driving technology for automakers and mobility providers 89Funding top 13%AI top 20%Growth top 22%Moat top 22% All 13 signals ▾Fundingtop 13% AItop 20% Growthtop 22% Moattop 22% Patentstop 23% Newstop 26% Markettop 32% Talenttop 34% Partnerstop 37% Innovationtop 38% Producttop 41% Techtop 42% Globalbottom 42% Funding: Raised $2.1B across 6 rounds · 6 rounds over 8 yrs (0.8/yr) AI: Classified as an AI company rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 89/100 | $2.1B | 9 mo ago | 1,005 1,005 → 1,117 (+11%) · sector median +18% | Dave Ferguson Co-Founder & Co-CEO | SentryApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+18 | 294 patents Autonomous vehicle sensing, diagnostics, control, and communication systems integration | 1 internship · 1 partnership · 1 expansion |
| 5 | 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 |
| 6 | Pony.ai 🦄 The company specializes in developing autonomous driving technology for robotaxis, robotrucks, and POVs 91Funding top 14%News top 16%AI top 18%Growth top 25% All 13 signals ▾Fundingtop 14% Newstop 16% AItop 18% Growthtop 25% Moattop 25% Producttop 26% Patentstop 32% Partnerstop 32% Markettop 33% Techtop 33% Innovationtop 34% Talenttop 34% Globaltop 47% Funding: Raised $1.2B across 8 rounds · 8 rounds over 9 yrs (0.9/yr) News: 33 BI events in 12 mo (of 87 tracked, 12 types) · +136% YoY rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 91/100 | $1.2B | 18 mo ago | 539 | Tiancheng Lou Co-Founder & CTO | DrupalPHPYouTube+28 | 86 patents Autonomous driving simulation, sensor enclosure design, and perception algorithm validation. | 2 partnerships |
| 7 | Lucid 🦄 Manufacturer of electric vehicles and related technologies for consumer markets 83Market top 16%Funding top 16%Tech top 21%Moat top 26% All 14 signals ▾Markettop 16% Fundingtop 16% Techtop 21% Moattop 26% Talenttop 28% Fin. healthtop 33% Patentstop 36% Newstop 39% Producttop 39% Growthtop 40% Globaltop 40% Partnerstop 40% Innovationbottom 49% Customersbottom 44% Market: 6,500 employees (top 7% of Energy Tech) · Revenue ~$1.4B Funding: Raised $1.1B across 9 rounds · 9 rounds over 17 yrs (0.5/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 83/100 | $1.1B | 2 mo ago | 6,500 6,500 → 7,722 (+19%) · sector median +18% | Peter Rawlinson CEO and CTO | DrupalApple iCloud MailPHP+26 | 114 patents Handheld confocal microscopy and AI-generated synthetic imaging for tissue diagnostics | — |
| 8 | WeRide 🦄 AI-driven autonomous vehicle technologies 76Funding top 18%News top 22%Product top 26%Talent top 28% All 14 signals ▾Fundingtop 18% Newstop 22% Producttop 26% Talenttop 28% AItop 30% Partnerstop 32% Markettop 35% Moattop 35% Techtop 36% Fin. healthtop 38% Growthtop 44% Globaltop 50% Innovationbottom 39% Patentsbottom 39% Funding: Raised $1.1B across 5 rounds · 5 rounds over 9 yrs (0.6/yr) News: 50 BI events in 12 mo (of 93 tracked, 8 types) · +117% YoY rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 76/100 | $1.1B | 10 mo ago | 107 | Tony Han Co-Founder & CEO | DrupalApple iCloud MailMicrosoft 365+27 | 32 patents Autonomous vehicle perception, mapping, and speed control using LiDAR and optical sensors | 2 partnerships · 1 expansion · 1 award |
| 9 | 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%) · sector median +18% | Joeben Bevirt Founder & CEO | Apache HTTP ServerCloudflareKlaro+13 | 23 patents Electric VTOL aircraft with pivoting/stowing rotors that mimic rigid-wing aerodynamics | 2 partnerships · 1 expansion |
| 10 | Applied Intuition 🦄 Developer of vehicle software, simulation, validation, and autonomy AI stacks 80Funding top 17%Product top 18%AI top 20%Innovation top 25% All 11 signals ▾Fundingtop 17% Producttop 18% AItop 20% Innovationtop 25% Moattop 26% Talenttop 28% Techtop 38% Globaltop 48% Markettop 49% Growthtop 50% Newsbottom 21% Funding: Raised $602M across 6 rounds · 6 rounds over 9 yrs (0.7/yr) Product: 7 distinct product lines · Company stage: Series F rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 80/100 | $602M | 12 mo ago | 37 | Qasar Younis Co-Founder & CEO | Webflowcore-jsSlick+16 | — | — |
| 11 | Tekion 🦄 Provider of cloud-native platform for automotive retail and dealership operations 74Patents top 14%Funding top 21%Moat top 22%Innovation top 26% All 13 signals ▾Patentstop 14% Fundingtop 21% Moattop 22% Innovationtop 26% Techtop 26% Markettop 31% Talenttop 33% Globaltop 34% Producttop 43% Partnerstop 45% Growthbottom 38% Newsbottom 24% Customersbottom 23% Patents: 155 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 134 filings since 2022 vs 18 in 2017-21 Funding: Raised $600M across 3 rounds · 3 rounds over 7 yrs (0.4/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 74/100 | $600M | 23 mo ago | 1,845 1,845 → 2,983 (+62%) · sector median +18% | Guru Sankararaman Co-Founder & COO | Apple iCloud MailMicrosoft 365Node.js+21 | 155 patents Real-time data integration and security for automotive service and document management systems. | 1 launch |
| 12 | GoMotive 🦄 AI-powered fleet management platform 91Funding top 18%Market top 23%Tech top 24%Product top 24% All 11 signals ▾Fundingtop 18% Markettop 23% Techtop 24% Producttop 24% Customerstop 24% Moattop 26% Innovationtop 32% AItop 32% Growthtop 36% Globaltop 36% Talentbottom 49% Funding: Raised $567M across 8 rounds · 8 rounds over 13 yrs (0.6/yr) Market: 4,300 employees (top 4% of Transportation and Logistics Tech) · Top-500,000 web property rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 91/100 | $567M | 12 mo ago | 4,300 | Shoaib Makani Co-Founder & CEO | WordPress Site EditorWordPressApple iCloud Mail+41 | — | 1 launch · 1 expansion · 1 award |
| 13 | Aeva Provider of LiDAR-based sensors for autonomous vehicles 69Patents top 14%Funding top 22%Innovation top 32%Product top 35% All 12 signals ▾Patentstop 14% Fundingtop 22% Innovationtop 32% Producttop 35% Moattop 35% Growthtop 37% Talenttop 38% Techtop 40% Markettop 45% Fin. healthtop 48% Globalbottom 44% Newsbottom 25% Patents: 433 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 375 filings since 2022 vs 58 in 2017-21 Funding: Raised $560M across 4 rounds · 4 rounds over 9 yrs (0.4/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 69/100 | $560M | 10 mo ago | 306 306 → 307 (+0%) · sector median +18% | Mina Rezk Co-Founder | DrupalPHPVimeo+27 | 433 patents High-resolution FMCW LiDAR with integrated optical power balancing and fiber-tip scanning. | 1 launch · 1 partnership · 1 award |
| 14 | Zero Motorcycles Manufacturer of electric motorcycles, related accessories, and associated merchandise 74Funding top 13%Tech top 25%Moat top 28%News top 29% All 12 signals ▾Fundingtop 13% Techtop 25% Moattop 28% Newstop 29% Innovationtop 32% Growthtop 32% Producttop 32% Patentstop 33% Markettop 46% Talentbottom 49% Globalbottom 44% Customersbottom 44% Funding: Raised $554M across 55 rounds · 55 rounds over 19 yrs (2.9/yr) Tech: 52 technologies across 5/8 capability areas · Cloud: Amazon Web Services, Cloudflare rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 74/100 | $554M | 1 mo ago | 224 | Sam Paschel CEO | PrismicSentryApple iCloud Mail+29 | 55 patents Electric motorcycle powertrain control, cooling, and braking systems | — |
| 15 | ALSO 🦄 Manufacturer of electric bikes, quadricycles, helmets, gear, and accessories 76Funding top 17%Growth top 28%Market top 34%Tech top 37% All 6 signals ▾Fundingtop 17% Growthtop 28% Markettop 34% Techtop 37% Talentbottom 49% Globalbottom 33% Funding: Raised $505M across 3 rounds · 3 rounds over 1 yrs (3.0/yr) Growth: Web rank 5,000,000 → 1,000,000 YoY · Fresh capital in last 24 mo rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 76/100 | $505M | 2 mo ago | — | Chris Yu Co-Founder | Cart FunctionalityShopifyApple iCloud Mail+30 | — | 1 award |
| 16 | Zum 🦄 Digital platform connects students, drivers, and school districts to create a mobility experience 78Funding top 12%Product top 20%Moat top 25%Innovation top 26% All 12 signals ▾Fundingtop 12% Producttop 20% Moattop 25% Innovationtop 26% Patentstop 28% Customerstop 29% Growthtop 33% Newstop 33% Talenttop 38% Markettop 41% Techtop 43% Globalbottom 39% Funding: Raised $350M across 8 rounds · 8 rounds over 11 yrs (0.7/yr) Product: 4 distinct product lines · 4 published apps (122k installs) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 78/100 | $350M | 2 mo ago | 162 | Ritu Narayan Co-Founder & CEO | WordPressApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+29 | 52 patents Advanced fleet routing and real-time tracking software for logistics optimization | 1 job opening · 2 partnerships · 1 expansion |
| 17 | Bedrock Robotics 🦄 Developer of autonomous technology for transforming construction and industrial equipment 82Funding top 14%AI top 20%Moat top 27%Talent top 28% All 7 signals ▾Fundingtop 14% AItop 20% Moattop 27% Talenttop 28% Markettop 43% Techtop 46% Globalbottom 48% Funding: Raised $350M across 2 rounds · 2 rounds over 1 yrs (2.0/yr) AI: Classified as an AI company rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 82/100 | $350M | 4 mo ago | — | Kevin Peterson Co-Founder & CTO | SanityTurbopackApple iCloud Mail+17 | — | 1 job opening |
| 18 | Metropolis 🦄 AI company developing computer vision–powered systems to make parking spaces frictionless 92Funding top 14%Growth top 17%Tech top 26%AI top 28% All 10 signals ▾Fundingtop 14% Growthtop 17% Techtop 26% AItop 28% Moattop 28% Talenttop 28% Innovationtop 32% Patentstop 34% Markettop 36% Globalbottom 39% Funding: Raised $333M across 6 rounds · 6 rounds over 7 yrs (0.9/yr) Growth: Headcount 30 → 92 (+207%) across vintages · Web rank 100,000 → 50,000 YoY rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 92/100 | $333M | 7 mo ago | 92 | Courtney Fukuda Co-Founder & Chief Integration Officer | Cart FunctionalitySquarespace CommerceSquarespace+23 | 19 patents AI-driven vehicle and human tracking for secure gate and traffic monitoring | 1 partnership · 1 expansion |
| 19 | Ample 🦄 Provider of modular battery swapping for electric vehicles 69Innovation top 21%Funding top 23%Moat top 25%Patents top 26% All 9 signals ▾Innovationtop 21% Fundingtop 23% Moattop 25% Patentstop 26% Talenttop 38% Markettop 41% Growthtop 45% Globaltop 47% Techbottom 37% Innovation: 68 patents (top 29% of patent-holders) · 52 filings since 2022 vs 12 in 2017-21 Funding: Raised $280M across 5 rounds · 5 rounds over 8 yrs (0.6/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 69/100 | $280M | 18 mo ago | 173 | John Souza Co-founder & President | WordPressMySQLPHP+19 | 68 patents Battery swapping systems, thermal protection, and fastener tech for electric vehicles | — |
| 20 | Starship Technologies Operator of autonomous robots for delivery of goods and advertising 72Funding top 17%News top 17%Customers top 29%AI top 30% All 12 signals ▾Fundingtop 17% Newstop 17% Customerstop 29% AItop 30% Moattop 31% Techtop 35% Talenttop 38% Globaltop 39% Markettop 41% Producttop 46% Innovationbottom 47% Growthbottom 44% Funding: Raised $231M across 8 rounds · 8 rounds over 9 yrs (0.9/yr) News: 7 BI events in 12 mo (of 71 tracked, 7 types) · +600% YoY rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 72/100 | $231M | 8 mo ago | 164 | Janus Friis Co-Founder | WordPressMySQLPHP+37 | — | 1 award |
| 21 | SPAN Smart energy management technology platform that modernizes residential electrical systems 82Funding top 13%Innovation top 18%Patents top 20%Growth top 28% All 11 signals ▾Fundingtop 13% Innovationtop 18% Patentstop 20% Growthtop 28% Moattop 28% Producttop 35% Talenttop 38% Techtop 42% Customerstop 42% Markettop 43% Globalbottom 42% Funding: Raised $231M across 10 rounds · 10 rounds over 8 yrs (1.2/yr) Innovation: 78 patents (top 21% of patent-holders) · 64 filings since 2022 vs 14 in 2017-21 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 82/100 | $231M | 5 mo ago | 220 | Jireh Seow Co-Founder | WebflowApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+22 | 78 patents Smart electrical panel and load management systems for residential/commercial energy control | 1 job opening |
| 22 | Netradyne 🦄 AI-powered fleet safety camera system 89Patents top 15%Innovation top 17%Funding top 21%AI top 22% All 13 signals ▾Patentstop 15% Innovationtop 17% Fundingtop 21% AItop 22% Moattop 22% Techtop 24% Producttop 26% Markettop 30% Talenttop 37% Newstop 41% Globaltop 44% Growthtop 48% Customersbottom 25% Patents: 205 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 140 filings since 2022 vs 65 in 2017-21 Innovation: 205 patents (top 11% of patent-holders) · 140 filings since 2022 vs 65 in 2017-21 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 89/100 | $218M | 17 mo ago | 245 | David Julian Co-Founder & CTO | WebflowSentryApple iCloud Mail+31 | 205 patents AI-driven video analytics for driver safety and fleet monitoring on edge devices | 2 partnerships |
| 23 | Swift Navigation Provider of precise positioning solutions for automotive, mobile, and mass markets 74Funding top 19%Innovation top 20%Patents top 22%Tech top 24% All 10 signals ▾Fundingtop 19% Innovationtop 20% Patentstop 22% Techtop 24% Moattop 26% Producttop 29% Growthtop 45% Newstop 46% Marketbottom 47% Globalbottom 42% Funding: Raised $200M across 6 rounds · 6 rounds over 12 yrs (0.5/yr) Innovation: 129 patents (top 9% of patent-holders) · 97 filings since 2022 vs 31 in 2017-21 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 74/100 | $200M | 10 mo ago | 102 102 → 130 (+27%) · sector median +18% | — | WordPressMySQLPHP+40 | 129 patents Real-time GNSS correction, integrity monitoring, and outlier mitigation for precise positioning | 1 award |
| 24 | Saildrone Developer of autonomous unmanned surface vehicle 55Funding top 23%Moat top 31%Growth top 35%Tech top 42% All 10 signals ▾Fundingtop 23% Moattop 31% Growthtop 35% Techtop 42% Markettop 47% Talentbottom 49% Patentsbottom 45% Globalbottom 43% Innovationbottom 37% Newsbottom 22% Funding: Raised $190M across 4 rounds · 4 rounds over 10 yrs (0.4/yr) Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 8/10 · IP moat: 18 patents rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 55/100 | $190M | 13 mo ago | 250 | Richard Jenkins Founder & CEO | WebflowSalesforceGSAP+17 | 18 patents Autonomous unmanned surface vehicles with flexible sensor mounts and square-wing sail propulsion. | 2 job openings · 1 launch |
| 25 | Harbinger Motors Manufacturer offering electric vehicle solutions 64Funding top 21%Talent top 28%Moat top 32%Patents top 34% All 11 signals ▾Fundingtop 21% Talenttop 28% Moattop 32% Patentstop 34% Innovationtop 35% Growthtop 35% Techtop 42% Newstop 43% Marketbottom 39% Globalbottom 39% Partnersbottom 34% Funding: Raised $180M across 5 rounds · 5 rounds over 4 yrs (1.2/yr) Talent: 3 named leaders on record · 3 C-suite/founder profiles curated rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 64/100 | $180M | 7 mo ago | 52 | William Eberts Co-Founder | WordPressApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+26 | 44 patents Electric commercial vehicle powertrain components and safety-integrated battery systems | 1 internship · 1 partnership · 1 award |
| 26 | Kodiak Robotics Developer of AI-powered ground autonomy solutions for trucking, defense, industrial 76Patents top 15%Innovation top 21%Tech top 22%Funding top 26% All 14 signals ▾Patentstop 15% Innovationtop 21% Techtop 22% Fundingtop 26% AItop 26% Moattop 26% Producttop 30% Talenttop 35% Newstop 38% Markettop 49% Fin. healthbottom 47% Growthbottom 46% Globalbottom 40% Partnersbottom 35% Patents: 198 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 194 filings since 2022 vs 4 in 2017-21 Innovation: 198 patents (top 11% of patent-holders) · 194 filings since 2022 vs 4 in 2017-21 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 76/100 | $165M | 1 mo ago | 182 | Don Burnette Co-Founder & CEO | DrupalApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+35 | 198 patents Autonomous vehicle perception, mapping, planning, and control using lidar and occlusion handling | 1 partnership |
| 27 | Arc Boats Manufacturer of electric ships 53Funding top 27%Growth top 35%Tech top 36%Moat top 39% All 9 signals ▾Fundingtop 27% Growthtop 35% Techtop 36% Moattop 39% Producttop 40% Newstop 45% Talentbottom 49% Marketbottom 38% Globalbottom 32% Funding: Raised $137M across 3 rounds · 3 rounds over 5 yrs (0.6/yr) Growth: Fresh capital in last 24 mo rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 53/100 | $137M | 3 mo ago | 55 | Mitch Lee Co-Founder & CEO | SanityNode.jsTailwind CSS+24 | — | 2 job openings · 1 internship · 1 launch |
| 28 | Helm Developer of AI-first software for advanced driver-assistance systems and autonomous driving 78Funding top 19%Product top 21%Talent top 28%AI top 30% All 10 signals ▾Fundingtop 19% Producttop 21% Talenttop 28% AItop 30% Growthtop 31% Moattop 31% Innovationtop 32% Techtop 38% Marketbottom 41% Globalbottom 37% Funding: Raised $124M across 4 rounds · 4 rounds over 6 yrs (0.7/yr) Product: 9 distinct product lines · Company stage: Series D rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 78/100 | $124M | 1 mo ago | 37 | — | WebflowBugHerdBugSnag+21 | — | — |
| 29 | Glydways Developer of electric autonomous shuttles and mass transit solutions 74News top 19%Innovation top 20%Patents top 21%Funding top 23% All 10 signals ▾Newstop 19% Innovationtop 20% Patentstop 21% Fundingtop 23% Growthtop 25% Talenttop 28% Moattop 32% Techbottom 49% Marketbottom 41% Globalbottom 40% News: 7 BI events in 12 mo (of 13 tracked, 3 types) · 6 high-value events (IPO/M&A/funding/contracts) in 12 mo Innovation: 74 patents (top 25% of patent-holders) · 66 filings since 2022 vs 8 in 2017-21 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 74/100 | $96M | 9 mo ago | 76 | Zachary Zeliff Co-Founder | WordPressApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+20 | 74 patents Autonomous vehicle navigation, lidar perception, trajectory planning, and adaptive suspension systems | 1 launch · 1 partnership |
| 30 | Sibros Developer of end-to-end connected vehicle ecosystem 62Funding top 26%Moat top 31%Tech top 36%Growth top 37% All 10 signals ▾Fundingtop 26% Moattop 31% Techtop 36% Growthtop 37% Newstop 41% AItop 45% Talenttop 45% Producttop 49% Globalbottom 45% Marketbottom 36% Funding: Raised $85.5M across 4 rounds · 4 rounds over 7 yrs (0.6/yr) Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 8/10 · Soonicorn rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 62/100 | $86M | 5 mo ago | 39 | Mayank Sikaria Co-Founder | WebflowApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+28 | — | 1 launch |
| 31 | Super73 Platform offering electric bicycles 72Tech top 26%Patents top 26%Funding top 27%Talent top 28% All 11 signals ▾Techtop 26% Patentstop 26% Fundingtop 27% Talenttop 28% Innovationtop 31% Growthtop 32% Moattop 32% Producttop 35% Marketbottom 49% Globalbottom 36% Customersbottom 35% Tech: 59 technologies across 6/8 capability areas · Cloud: Amazon S3, Amazon Web Services Patents: 55 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 35 filings since 2022 vs 20 in 2017-21 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 72/100 | $66M | 8 mo ago | 94 94 → 62 (-34%) · sector median +18% | Aaron Wong Co-Founder & Co-CEO | Cart FunctionalityShopifySentry+38 | 55 patents Electric motorcycles with modular performance control and detachable frame components | 3 job openings |
| 32 | Ethernovia Provider of in-vehicle network-related middleware solutions to the OEMs 62Innovation top 25%Funding top 27%Patents top 28%Moat top 28% All 10 signals ▾Innovationtop 25% Fundingtop 27% Patentstop 28% Moattop 28% Talenttop 28% Growthtop 35% Techbottom 42% Newsbottom 42% Globalbottom 39% Marketbottom 37% Innovation: 49 patents (top 36% of patent-holders) · 45 filings since 2022 vs 4 in 2017-21 Funding: Raised $64.0M across 2 rounds · 2 rounds over 3 yrs (0.7/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 62/100 | $64M | 4 mo ago | 62 | Darren Engelkemier Co-Founder | WordPressApple iCloud MailMicrosoft 365+18 | 49 patents Embedded communication hardware: protocol‑agnostic data forwarding, serialization, safety mechanisms, and testing. | 1 launch |
| 33 | Lightship Manufacturers of electric recreational vehicles 55Growth top 21%Funding top 27%Moat top 31%Tech top 35% All 8 signals ▾Growthtop 21% Fundingtop 27% Moattop 31% Techtop 35% Newstop 41% Talentbottom 49% Globalbottom 37% Marketbottom 30% Growth: Headcount 1 → 28 (+2700%) across vintages · Fresh capital in last 24 mo Funding: Raised $61.2M across 4 rounds · 4 rounds over 5 yrs (0.8/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 55/100 | $61M | 7 mo ago | 28 | Toby Kraus Co-Founder & CEO | PHPTailwind CSSAmazon Web Services+25 | — | 1 launch · 2 expansions |
| 34 | Xona Space Systems Developer of positioning, navigation, and timing infrastructure for connected systems 57Funding top 23%Talent top 23%Growth top 26%Moat top 39% All 8 signals ▾Fundingtop 23% Talenttop 23% Growthtop 26% Moattop 39% Techbottom 44% Globalbottom 39% Marketbottom 34% Newsbottom 18% Funding: Raised $55.0M across 8 rounds · 8 rounds over 6 yrs (1.3/yr) Talent: 5 named leaders on record · 5 C-suite/founder profiles curated rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 57/100 | $55M | 2 mo ago | 41 | Jerami M Co-Founder | Framer SitesReactLenis+8 | — | — |
| 35 | Weave Grid Developer of a platform for electric vehicle and grid integration 45Tech top 24%Talent top 28%Funding top 31%Moat top 31% All 8 signals ▾Techtop 24% Talenttop 28% Fundingtop 31% Moattop 31% Growthbottom 47% Globalbottom 39% Marketbottom 26% Newsbottom 17% Tech: 45 technologies across 6/8 capability areas · Cloud: Amazon Alb, Amazon Web Services Talent: Analyst team rating 4/5 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 45/100 | $50M | 8 mo ago | 10 | — | WebflowApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+27 | — | 2 partnerships |
| 36 | Agtonomy AI-driven automation solutions for agriculture and industrial equipment 69Funding top 24%Patents top 27%Innovation top 28%Moat top 32% All 11 signals ▾Fundingtop 24% Patentstop 27% Innovationtop 28% Moattop 32% Newstop 34% Growthtop 38% AItop 45% Producttop 49% Talentbottom 49% Marketbottom 46% Globalbottom 37% Funding: Raised $46.0M across 6 rounds · 6 rounds over 5 yrs (1.2/yr) Patents: 37 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 37 filings since 2022 vs 0 in 2017-21 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 69/100 | $46M | 7 mo ago | 44 | Tim Bucher Co-Founder & CEO | — | 37 patents Patents concentrated in transport & manufacturing processes | 1 launch · 2 partnerships |
| 37 | Qnovo Battery management software for the e-mobility sector 50Patents top 27%Talent top 28%Moat top 32%Innovation top 33% All 9 signals ▾Patentstop 27% Talenttop 28% Moattop 32% Innovationtop 33% Fundingtop 33% Growthtop 45% Techbottom 47% Globalbottom 42% Marketbottom 29% Patents: 96 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 31 filings since 2022 vs 27 in 2017-21 Talent: 3 named leaders on record · 3 C-suite/founder profiles curated rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 50/100 | $40M | 3 mo ago | 22 22 → 33 (+50%) · sector median +18% | Dania Ghantous Co-Founder & VP | WebflowGSAPTypekit+20 | 96 patents Adaptive battery charging and metal plating detection for lithium‑ion cell management | 1 award |
| 38 | WattEV Platform offering electric trucking infrastructure and services 48Growth top 28%Tech top 29%Funding top 37%Moat top 47% All 11 signals ▾Growthtop 28% Techtop 29% Fundingtop 37% Moattop 47% Talentbottom 49% Patentsbottom 47% Innovationbottom 44% Productbottom 39% Globalbottom 37% Marketbottom 29% Newsbottom 19% Growth: Web rank 50,000,000 → 10,000,000 YoY · Fresh capital in last 24 mo Tech: 44 technologies across 6/8 capability areas · Cloud: Amazon Web Services, Cloudflare rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 48/100 | $37M | 1 mo ago | 30 30 → 42 (+40%) · sector median +18% | Umar Javed Co-Founder | WordPressMySQLPHP+34 | 3 patents Smart matrix switching for optimal EV charging station power and DER management | 1 partnership · 2 expansions · 2 awards |
| 39 | Flux Power Manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries for material handling and ground support equipment 60Talent top 15%Funding top 30%Partners top 31%Product top 35% All 12 signals ▾Talenttop 15% Fundingtop 30% Partnerstop 31% Producttop 35% Markettop 40% Newstop 41% Fin. healthtop 44% Moattop 44% Growthtop 49% Techbottom 49% Innovationbottom 46% Globalbottom 30% Talent: Analyst team rating 5/5 Funding: Raised $33.6M across 14 rounds · 14 rounds over 14 yrs (1.0/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 60/100 | $34M | 10 mo ago | 133 133 → 97 (-27%) · sector median +18% | — | HubSpot CMS HubAmazon Web ServicesIsotope+19 | — | 2 launchs |
| 40 | Automotus Provider of automated curb management solutions for cities, airports, and fleets 57AI top 20%Funding top 30%Talent top 38%Global bottom 46% All 6 signals ▾AItop 20% Fundingtop 30% Talenttop 38% Globalbottom 46% Patentsbottom 39% Innovationbottom 32% AI: Classified as an AI company Funding: Raised $31.4M across 9 rounds · 9 rounds over 9 yrs (1.0/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 57/100 | $31M | 5 mo ago | — | Harris Lummis Co-Founder & CTO | — | 2 patents AI-driven parking space detection and automated payment systems | — |
| 41 | Aeris Platform offering IoT solutions including connectivity, security, and device management 57Funding top 30%Product top 30%Tech top 31%Partners top 34% All 12 signals ▾Fundingtop 30% Producttop 30% Techtop 31% Partnerstop 34% Newstop 35% Moattop 41% Markettop 45% Growthtop 45% Globalbottom 49% Talentbottom 49% Innovationbottom 47% Patentsbottom 43% Funding: Raised $30.0M across 2 rounds · 2 rounds over 28 yrs (0.1/yr) Product: 2 product launch events in 12 mo, 3 the year before · 9 distinct product lines rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 57/100 | $30M | 6 mo ago | 135 | Marc Jones Chairman & CEO | WordPressSentryMySQL+34 | 5 patents Patents concentrated in health & consumer products | — |
| 42 | Mitra EV Provider of electric vehicle leasing, charging, and fleet management solutions 37Talent top 38%Funding top 43%Global bottom 33% All 3 signals ▾Talenttop 38% Fundingtop 43% Globalbottom 33% Talent: 2 named leaders on record · 2 C-suite/founder profiles curated Funding: Raised $28.0M across 2 rounds · 2 rounds over 1 yrs (2.0/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 37/100 | $28M | 6 mo ago | — | James Tong Co-Founder | — | — | — |
| 43 | EV Realty Provider of charging hubs for commercial electric vehicle fleets 45Growth top 23%Talent top 28%News top 29%Funding top 34% All 9 signals ▾Growthtop 23% Talenttop 28% Newstop 29% Fundingtop 34% Moattop 37% Innovationbottom 39% Patentsbottom 38% Globalbottom 31% Marketbottom 27% Growth: 1 acquisition/expansion move in 24 mo · Fresh capital in last 24 mo Talent: 3 named leaders on record · 3 C-suite/founder profiles curated rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 45/100 | $28M | 7 mo ago | 13 | Sean Kiernan Co-Founder & COO | — | 13 patents Patents concentrated in chemistry & materials | 1 partnership · 1 expansion |
| 44 | Kiwibot Provider of AI-based autonomous delivery robots 72Innovation top 23%Talent top 28%Growth top 35%Funding top 38% All 12 signals ▾Innovationtop 23% Talenttop 28% Growthtop 35% Fundingtop 38% Moattop 39% Techtop 45% AItop 45% Fin. healthtop 49% Producttop 49% Marketbottom 45% Globalbottom 39% Newsbottom 24% Innovation: 4 new-product events in 24 mo · Deep-tech classification: Tech Hardware Talent: 3 named leaders on record · 3 C-suite/founder profiles curated rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 72/100 | $24M | 9 mo ago | 150 | Sergio Reyes Co-Founder | Webflow EcommerceCart FunctionalityWebflow+22 | — | — |
| 45 | Nuvve Provider of electric-vehicle charging and bidirectional vehicle-to-grid systems 50News top 23%Patents top 25%Innovation top 27%Tech top 30% All 13 signals ▾Newstop 23% Patentstop 25% Innovationtop 27% Techtop 30% Fundingtop 34% Producttop 34% Partnerstop 36% Talenttop 41% Growthbottom 49% Moatbottom 44% Globalbottom 36% Marketbottom 34% Fin. healthbottom 32% News: 7 BI events in 12 mo (of 14 tracked, 4 types) · +600% YoY Patents: 51 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 42 filings since 2022 vs 9 in 2017-21 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 50/100 | $18M | 5 mo ago | 56 56 → 40 (-29%) · sector median +18% | Gregory Poilasne Chairman and CEO | DrupalApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+29 | 51 patents Virtualized battery aggregation and intelligent local energy management for grid services | 1 partnership |
| 46 | Point One Navigation Provider of precision location technology, including RTK network and positioning engine 57Tech top 12%Funding top 35%Growth top 35%Talent top 35% All 10 signals ▾Techtop 12% Fundingtop 35% Growthtop 35% Talenttop 35% Newstop 38% Moattop 39% Producttop 45% Innovationtop 48% Globalbottom 37% Marketbottom 31% Tech: 58 technologies across 7/8 capability areas · Cloud: Amazon S3, Amazon Web Services Funding: Raised $17.5M across 4 rounds · 4 rounds over 9 yrs (0.4/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 57/100 | $17M | 6 mo ago | 20 | Aaron Nathan Co-Founder & CEO | WordPressMySQLPHP+30 | — | — |
| 47 | Ridepanda Online retailer platform offering multi-category electric vehicles 50Tech top 27%Growth top 35%Funding top 37%Talent top 38% All 7 signals ▾Techtop 27% Growthtop 35% Fundingtop 37% Talenttop 38% Moattop 39% Globalbottom 38% Marketbottom 26% Tech: 45 technologies across 5/8 capability areas · Cloud: Amazon S3, Amazon Web Services Growth: Fresh capital in last 24 mo rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 50/100 | $11M | 3 mo ago | 23 | Chinmay Malaviya Co-founder and CEO | WebflowZohoAmazon Web Services+26 | — | — |
| 48 | 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 | 0 mo ago | 14 14 → 23 (+64%) · sector median +18% | Matthew Graczyk CEO and Board Director | WordPressMySQLPHP+25 | 18 patents Advanced control systems for autonomous VTOL aircraft and vertical lift drones | 1 partnership |
| 49 | Drive Powerline AI-powered solutions for connecting batteries for EVs 22Talent top 38%Funding top 44%AI top 45%Tech bottom 40% All 6 signals ▾Talenttop 38% Fundingtop 44% AItop 45% Techbottom 40% Globalbottom 36% Marketbottom 18% Talent: 2 named leaders on record · 2 C-suite/founder profiles curated Funding: Raised $7.4M across 2 rounds · 2 rounds over 4 yrs (0.5/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 22/100 | $7M | 4 mo ago | 8 | Julian Lamy Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer | Framer SitesUIKitReact+8 | — | — |
| 50 | Scalvy Developer of powertrain system for multiple cateories of electric vehicles 22News top 38%Moat top 38%Talent top 38%Innovation top 41% All 9 signals ▾Newstop 38% Moattop 38% Talenttop 38% Innovationtop 41% Patentstop 43% Fundingtop 48% Globalbottom 37% Techbottom 31% Marketbottom 19% News: 3 BI events in 12 mo (of 3 tracked, 2 types) · Top themes: Funding, Capital raise Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 5/10 · IP moat: 8 patents rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 22/100 | $3M | 2 mo ago | 6 | Amr Ibrahem Co-Founder & CTO | WordPressMySQLPHP+15 | 8 patents Electric power electronics and control systems for automotive drive and distribution | — |
Top 12 Auto Tech companies in California
#1
Waymo 🦄Series D · Mountain View, California · founded 2009 · 2297 employees$11.1Braised▾
Waymo 🦄
Series D · Mountain View, California · founded 2009 · 2297 employees
Provider of self-driving and autonomous vehicle solutions for safe and accessible transportation. It is a developer of autonomous driving technology, focusing on creating safe and easy transportation systems for people and things. Utilizing machine learning, Waymo aims to improve road safety through its self-driving vehicle technology. The company has a strong research focus, publishing studies and datasets to advance the autonomous driving industry.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 90how this company ranks against its industry peers
Funding
top 12%Customers
top 14%Patents
top 15%Moat
top 18%Market
top 22%News
top 26%Funding: Raised $11.1B across 5 rounds · 5 rounds over 6 yrs (0.8/yr) · Last round Series D (Feb 2026)
Customers: Play-Store rating 4.90★ across 47,017 ratings (1 apps) · Review volume +188% in 6 mo · Marquee-customer mentions: top 17% of tracked companies
Patents: 6,150 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 3364 filings since 2022 vs 2779 in 2017-21 · Latest publication 2026
Audience (LinkedIn): 377k LinkedIn followers — 8.6% of this cohort's audience
Activity (LinkedIn): 1 product launches · 2 partnerships (incl. Waze) announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
- Feb 2026Series D$16B
- Oct 2024Series C$5.6B
- Jun 2021Series C$2.5B
- May 2020Series B$750M
Founders & team
Investors
Magna, AutoNation, CPP Investments, Silver Lake, Andreessen Horowitz, Mubadala
Tech stack
Amazon AdvertisingAmazon WebstoreAngularAppnexusCloudflareCloudflare Bot Management
#2
Public · Los Angeles, California · founded 2014 · 586 employees$3.2Braised▾
Public · Los Angeles, California · founded 2014 · 586 employees
Manufacturer of electric cars. It offers a comprehensive solution for electric mobility like smart mobility platforms, designing, engineering services, and more. It develops FF91 electric cars with features that include 3 electric motors,lithium-ion batteries, automated re-loading systems, cloud, and AI-enabled user interfaces, and more.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 62how this company ranks against its industry peers
Funding
top 14%AI
top 15%Tech
top 28%News
top 28%Moat
top 29%Patents
top 33%Funding: Raised $3.2B across 19 rounds · 19 rounds over 9 yrs (2.1/yr) · Last round Post IPO (Apr 2026)
AI: Holds AI/ML patents (G06N-family CPC)
Tech: 52 technologies across 6/8 capability areas · Cloud: Akamai, Amazon Cloudfront · Devops: Nginx
Audience (LinkedIn): 117k LinkedIn followers — 2.7% of this cohort's audience
Funding rounds
- Apr 2026Post IPO$45M
- Jul 2025Post IPO$105M
- Apr 2025Post IPO$8.9M
- Dec 2024Post IPO$30M
Founders & team
Investors
Palantir, Small Business Administration, Birch Lake, Ares Management, Innovatus Capital Partners, Informa
Tech stack
Acquia Cloud PlatformAcquia Cloud Site FactoryAdobe AnalyticsAdobe Experience Platform Identity ServiceAdobe Experience Platform LaunchAkamai
#3
Lucid 🦄Public · Newark, California · founded 2007 · 6500 employees$1.1Braised▾
Lucid 🦄
Public · Newark, California · founded 2007 · 6500 employees
Manufacturer of electric vehicles and related technologies for consumer markets. It offers various models with different range capabilities and features. The company also provides related services, including financing options and vehicle accessories.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 83how this company ranks against its industry peers
Market
top 16%Funding
top 16%Tech
top 21%Moat
top 26%Talent
top 28%Fin. health
top 33%Market: 6,500 employees (top 7% of Energy Tech) · Revenue ~$1.4B · Top-100,000 web property
Funding: Raised $1.1B across 9 rounds · 9 rounds over 17 yrs (0.5/yr) · Last round Post IPO (Apr 2026)
Tech: 67 technologies across 5/8 capability areas · Cloud: Akamai, Amazon Cloudfront · Observability: Bugsnag
Audience (LinkedIn): 616k LinkedIn followers — 14.1% of this cohort's audience · 744 engagements/post (16.7× cohort median)
Funding rounds
- Apr 2026Post IPO$750M
- Nov 2025Post IPO$875M
- Sep 2025Post IPO$300M
- Feb 2024Grant (prize money)$6M
Founders & team
Investors
Venrock, Tsing Capital, Public Investment Fund, BAIC, Uber, Ayar Third Investment
Tech stack
Acquia Cloud PlatformAcquia Cloud Site FactoryAdobe AnalyticsAdobe Experience Platform Identity ServiceAdobe Experience Platform LaunchAkamai
#4
Series G · Scotts Valley, California · founded 2006 · 224 employees$554.2Mraised▾
Series G · Scotts Valley, California · founded 2006 · 224 employees
Manufacturer of electric motorcycles, related accessories, and associated merchandise. The company provides various models across different lines, including options for on-road and off-road use. It offers resources related to electric vehicle advantages, charging, range, and technology. The business also facilitates finding dealers, viewing events, and comparing models.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 74how this company ranks against its industry peers
Funding
top 13%Tech
top 25%Moat
top 28%News
top 29%Innovation
top 32%Growth
top 32%Funding: Raised $554M across 55 rounds · 55 rounds over 19 yrs (2.9/yr) · Last round Series G (May 2026)
Tech: 52 technologies across 5/8 capability areas · Cloud: Amazon Web Services, Cloudflare · Observability: Sentry
Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 8/10 · IP moat: 55 patents · Soonicorn
Funding rounds
- May 2026Series G$15M
- Oct 2024Series G$100.2M
- Sep 2022Series G$107M
- Apr 2022Series F$86.6M
Founders & team
Investors
Invus, Polaris Industries, Hero MotoCorp, Exor, Mbard, California Energy Commission
Tech stack
Amazon Web ServicesAmerican ExpressApple Icloud MailCart FunctionalityCloudflareCloudflare Bot Management
#5
Rivian 🦄Public · Irvine, California · founded 2009 · 16790 employees$10.5Braised▾
Rivian 🦄
Public · Irvine, California · founded 2009 · 16790 employees
Manufacturer of off-road electric pickup trucks for adventure. The platform specializes in premium electric sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks designed for off-road capability and adventure. Its flagship products include the R1T electric pickup and the R1S electric SUV, both built on a flexible skateboard platform that supports future vehicle models. It offers features including quad-motor all-wheel drives, air suspensions, hydraulic roll control, optimum storage capacity, weather-resistant, optimum charging time, and more.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 90how this company ranks against its industry peers
Tech
top 9%Patents
top 10%Market
top 17%Funding
top 18%Innovation
top 22%Moat
top 26%Tech: 83 technologies across 7/8 capability areas · Cloud: Amazon Cloudfront, Amazon S3 · Devops: Envoy, Nginx
Patents: 2,609 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 2347 filings since 2022 vs 262 in 2017-21 · Latest publication 2026
Market: 16,790 employees (top 2% of Energy Tech) · Revenue ~$1.4B · Top-100,000 web property
Audience (LinkedIn): 778k LinkedIn followers — 17.8% of this cohort's audience
Activity (LinkedIn): 1 product launches announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
- Jun 2025Post IPO$1B
- Feb 2022Post IPO—
- Jul 2021Series E$2.5B
- Jan 2021Series E$2.6B
Investors
T. Rowe Price, Ford, BlackRock, Amazon, Illinois, General Motors
Tech stack
Amazon CloudfrontAmazon S3Amazon SesAmazon Web ServicesAmplitudeAngular
#6
Zum 🦄Series F · Redwood City, California · founded 2014 · 162 employees$350Mraised▾
Zum 🦄
Series F · Redwood City, California · founded 2014 · 162 employees
Digital platform connects students, drivers, and school districts to create a mobility experience. The platform offers route optimization, real-time tracking, and communication tools for parents, schools, and drivers. It facilitates efficient and safe student transit through integrated applications and dashboards. The company provides multi-size vehicle fleets, including electric vehicles, to meet diverse transportation needs.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 78how this company ranks against its industry peers
Funding
top 12%Product
top 20%Moat
top 25%Innovation
top 26%Patents
top 28%Customers
top 29%Funding: Raised $350M across 8 rounds · 8 rounds over 11 yrs (0.7/yr) · Last round Series F (Apr 2026)
Product: 4 distinct product lines · 4 published apps (122k installs) · Company stage: Series F
Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 9/10 · IP moat: 52 patents · Unicorn
Audience (LinkedIn): 13k LinkedIn followers · 71 engagements/post (1.6× cohort median)
Hiring (LinkedIn): 1 hiring post in 12 mo (public) · hiring: drivers
Activity (LinkedIn): 2 partnerships · 1 awards · 1 expansions (incl. Zum) announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
- Apr 2026Series F$100M
- Mar 2024Series E$4M
- Jan 2024Series E$140M
- Oct 2021Series D$130M
Founders & team
Investors
AngelPad, Citi Ventures, BMW i Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Volvo Cars, NGP Capital
Tech stack
AddtoanyAddtoany Share ButtonsAdobe Audience ManagerApple Icloud MailBasis TechnologiesCloudflare
#7
ALSO 🦄Series C · Palo Alto, California · founded 2025$505Mraised▾
ALSO 🦄
Series C · Palo Alto, California · founded 2025
Manufacturer of electric bikes, quadricycles, helmets, gear, and accessories. The company offers electric bikes with features like integrated lighting and modular top frames. It also provides quadricycles designed for commercial cargo and personal transportation. Helmets with built-in speakers and lighting are available, alongside compatible gear and accessories.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 76how this company ranks against its industry peers
Funding
top 17%Growth
top 28%Market
top 34%Tech
top 37%Talent
bottom 49%Global
bottom 33%Funding: Raised $505M across 3 rounds · 3 rounds over 1 yrs (3.0/yr) · Last round Series C (Mar 2026)
Growth: Web rank 5,000,000 → 1,000,000 YoY · Fresh capital in last 24 mo
Market: Top-1,000,000 web property · Unicorn
Audience (LinkedIn): 21k LinkedIn followers · 270 engagements/post (6.1× cohort median)
Activity (LinkedIn): 1 product launches · 2 partnerships · 3 awards (incl. TurneDash) announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
- Mar 2026Series C$200M
- Jul 2025Series B$200M
- Mar 2025Series B$105M
Founders & team
Investors
Eclipse, Greenoaks, DoorDash, Prysm Capital
Tech stack
Apple Icloud MailApple PayCart FunctionalityCloudflareCore-JsEmotion
#8
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 — 3.9% 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
#9
Public · Palo Alto, California · founded 2018 · 182 employees$165Mraised▾
Public · Palo Alto, California · founded 2018 · 182 employees
Developer of AI-powered ground autonomy solutions for trucking, defense, industrial. It develops integrated driverless technology for heavy trucks, combining advanced artificial intelligence, perception systems, and vehicle hardware. The technology combines artificial intelligence, modular hardware, and offboard services into an integrated platform. It focuses on creating solutions to transform transportation and enhance efficiency.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 76how this company ranks against its industry peers
Patents
top 15%Innovation
top 21%Tech
top 22%Funding
top 26%AI
top 26%Moat
top 26%Patents: 198 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 194 filings since 2022 vs 4 in 2017-21 · Latest publication 2026
Innovation: 198 patents (top 11% of patent-holders) · 194 filings since 2022 vs 4 in 2017-21 · 1 product line
Tech: 63 technologies across 6/8 capability areas · Cloud: Akamai, Amazon Ses · Devops: Envoy
Audience (LinkedIn): 35k LinkedIn followers
Activity (LinkedIn): 1 partnerships (incl. Banda) announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
- May 2026Post IPO$100M
- Dec 2025Post IPO$499K
- Dec 2022Grant (prize money)$49.9M
- Oct 2022Conventional Debt$30M
Founders & team
Investors
BMW i Ventures, Bridgestone Americas, Defense.gov, SIP Global Partners, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Battery Ventures
Tech stack
Acquia Cloud PlatformAcquia Cloud Site FactoryAdobe AnalyticsAdobe Experience Platform Identity ServiceAdobe Experience Platform LaunchAkamai
#10
Nuro 🦄Series E · Mountain View, California · founded 2016 · 1005 employees$2.1Braised▾
Nuro 🦄
Series E · Mountain View, California · founded 2016 · 1005 employees
Developer of autonomous driving technology for automakers and mobility providers. The company offers a self-driving system designed to empower the scaling of autonomy. It provides a universal autonomy platform that is vehicle-agnostic and cost-efficient. Automakers and mobility platforms can license the technology to power robotaxis, commercial fleets, and personal vehicles.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 89how this company ranks against its industry peers
Funding
top 13%AI
top 20%Growth
top 22%Moat
top 22%Patents
top 23%News
top 26%Funding: Raised $2.1B across 6 rounds · 6 rounds over 8 yrs (0.8/yr) · Last round Series E (Aug 2025)
AI: Classified as an AI company
Growth: Headcount 644 → 1,005 (+56%) across vintages · Fresh capital in last 24 mo
Audience (LinkedIn): 113k LinkedIn followers — 2.6% of this cohort's audience
Activity (LinkedIn): 1 partnerships · 1 expansions (incl. Ultra and Lucid Motors) announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
- Aug 2025Series E$97M
- Apr 2025Series E$106M
- Nov 2021Series D$600M
- Mar 2021Series C—
Founders & team
Investors
Greylock Partners, Connor, Clark & Lunn Financial Group, Gaorong Capital, SoftBank Vision Fund, Chipotle, Fidelity Investments
Tech stack
Apple Icloud MailCdnjsCloudflareCore-JsFlickityGoogle Tag Manager
#11
Series D · Redwood City, California · founded 2016 · 37 employees$124Mraised▾
Series D · Redwood City, California · founded 2016 · 37 employees
Developer of AI-first software for advanced driver-assistance systems and autonomous driving. The company provides comprehensive artificial intelligence solutions for real-time deployment, offline training, and validation. It builds artificial intelligence models using unsupervised learning methods and generative artificial intelligence. The company's technology enables continuous improvement of autonomous driving software for mass production.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 78how this company ranks against its industry peers
Funding
top 19%Product
top 21%Talent
top 28%AI
top 30%Growth
top 31%Moat
top 31%Funding: Raised $124M across 4 rounds · 4 rounds over 6 yrs (0.7/yr) · Last round Series D (May 2026)
Product: 9 distinct product lines · Company stage: Series D
Talent: Analyst team rating 4/5
Funding rounds
- May 2026Series D—
- Dec 2022Series C$55M
- Jan 2022Series B$30M
- Nov 2021Series B$26M
Investors
Sound Ventures, Amplo, Fontinalis Partners, A.Capital Ventures, Binnacle Capital, SV Angel
Tech stack
Apple Icloud MailCloudflareCloudflare Bot ManagementCloudflare TurnstileContentfulGatsby
#12
Series B · San Francisco, California · founded 2024$350Mraised▾
Series B · San Francisco, California · founded 2024
Developer of autonomous technology for transforming construction and industrial equipment. The technology adapts to project needs and improves operational capabilities continuously. It enables machines to work safely and seamlessly, expanding team capabilities. The technology aims to accelerate project schedules with new efficiencies. It also seeks to protect people and equipment, and measure progress.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 82how this company ranks against its industry peers
Funding
top 14%AI
top 20%Moat
top 27%Talent
top 28%Market
top 43%Tech
top 46%Funding: Raised $350M across 2 rounds · 2 rounds over 1 yrs (2.0/yr) · Last round Series B (Feb 2026)
AI: Classified as an AI company
Moat: Unicorn · 5 curated direct competitors tracked
Audience (LinkedIn): 23k LinkedIn followers · 103 engagements/post (2.3× cohort median)
Hiring (LinkedIn): 1 hiring post in 12 mo (public) · hiring: engineers
Funding rounds
- Feb 2026Series B$270M
- Jul 2025Series A$80M
- Jul 2025Seed—
Founders & team
Investors
8VC, Eclipse, Two Sigma Ventures, Valor Equity Partners, NVentures, Crossbeam
Tech stack
Apple Icloud MailCloudflareCloudflare Bot ManagementDocusignGoogle AnalyticsGoogle Workspace
Funding & investor landscape
$95.3Btotal disclosed funding
562companies funded
1,703disclosed rounds
11rounds last 90 days
Most active investors
Y Combinator56 rounds
Techstars17 rounds
Notable founders
Anthony Levandowski
Co-Founder · Waymo
Dmitri Dolgov
Co-CEO · Waymo
Matthias Aydt
Global CEO · Faraday Future
Peter Rawlinson
CEO and CTO · Lucid
Bernard Tse
CEO · Lucid
Sam Paschel
CEO · Zero Motorcycles
Ritu Narayan
Co-Founder & CEO · Zum
Vivek Garg
Co-Founder & COO · Zum
Chris Yu
Co-Founder · ALSO
Brett Adcock
Co-Founder · Archer
Don Burnette
Co-Founder & CEO · Kodiak Robotics
Dave Ferguson
Co-Founder & Co-CEO · Nuro
Prism market signals · United States · country-scoped Prism corpus, 1,863,214 docs
Market landscape — 10 sub-themes by coverage
Share of Auto Tech coverage by sub-theme.
Regulatory-risk over time rising
Funding & growth over time
funding rising · growth rising
RESEARCH IN CALIFORNIA · Mobility
How research on Autonomous Vehicles in California is moving
A read on the academic research around Autonomous Vehicles in California — which themes are gaining ground, the institutions and researchers driving them, and how the tone is shifting. Based on 272 papers.
UC Berkeley, UC Irvine, and USC lead California's autonomous-vehicle research, predominantly advancing safety and neural-network-driven AV technology with a cautiously optimistic, breakthrough-oriented tone.
272 papers · stance +0.48 · 48% breakthrough · 21% concern
top institutions
- University of California, Berkeley69
- University of California, Irvine40
- University of Southern California22
- University of California, San Diego18
- University of California, Davis17
leading researchers
Masayoshi Tomizuka · Jianyu Chen · Wei Zhan · Qi Alfred Chen · Ching‐Yao Chan · Francesco Borrelli
prism intelligence · tone & topics
92% positive · 6% critical tone
Artificial IntelligenceTransportationComputer ScienceMachine LearningAutomotiveRobotics
▲
Breakthroughs116 · 43%
▲ 35%→45% share
▲1.3× share momentum20 median citations72% since 2021mostly methods-led
Computer vision research is surging — papers quadrupled from 3 to 13, with Perception and Lidar newly emerging at 10 and 7 papers.
rising sub-themes (early→recent)
- Computer vision3→13
- Trajectory1→6
- Robustness (evolution)2→6
- Benchmark (surveying)1→5
- Remote sensing1→5
Newly emergingPerception 0→10 · Reinforcement learning 0→8 · Lidar 0→7
Landmark SqueezeDet: Unified, Small, Low Power Fully Convolutional Neural Networks for Real-Time Object Detection for Autonomous · 584 cites
◆
Advancements74 · 27%
▼ 30%→25% share
▼0.8× share momentum13 median citations62% since 2021mostly methods-led
Reinforcement learning in advancements jumped 1 to 7 papers, mirroring its breakthrough-segment debut simultaneously.
rising sub-themes (early→recent)
- Reinforcement learning1→7
- Human–computer interaction1→5
- Control theory (sociology)2→5
- Architecture1→4
- Perception1→4
Newly emergingAutomotive engineering 0→3 · Computer vision 0→3 · Context (archaeology) 0→3
Landmark Kinematic and dynamic vehicle models for autonomous driving control design · 741 cites
▼
Concerns51 · 19%
▼ 22%→19% share
▼0.9× share momentum9 median citations69% since 2021mostly empirical
Adversarial system and Computer security threats newly emerged at 4 and 3 papers as robustness vulnerabilities intensify.
rising sub-themes (early→recent)
- Humanities2→5
- Philosophy1→3
- Key (lock)1→3
- Systems engineering1→3
Newly emergingAdversarial system 0→4 · Robustness (evolution) 0→3 · Computer security 0→3
Landmark Adversarial Sensor Attack on LiDAR-based Perception in Autonomous Driving · 417 cites
Common questions
How many Auto Tech companies are there in California, United States?
Radar tracks 1639 indexable Auto Tech companies headquartered in California, United States that meet our profile-completeness bar.
What is the total funding raised by Auto Tech companies in California, United States?
The Auto Tech companies in California, United States on this list have raised a combined $95.3B in disclosed equity funding across 562 funded companies.
Which is the highest-funded Auto Tech company in California, United States?
Uber is the highest-funded Auto Tech company in California, United States, with $13.2B in disclosed equity funding.
How many Auto Tech companies in California, United States are funded?
562 of the 1639 Auto Tech companies in California, United States on this list have disclosed at least one equity funding round.
How many Auto Tech unicorns are there in California, United States?
29 Auto Tech companies in California, United States on this list are valued at $1B or more.
Who are the top investors in California, United States Auto Tech companies?
The most active investors in California, United States Auto Tech companies on this list include Y Combinator, Plug and Play Tech Center, Alumni Ventures, Climate Capital, Andreessen Horowitz.
Riya SenguptaFinancials
Riya reads income statements for fun. She covers the real money in a sector — revenue, growth, who actually earns — and never met a vague claim she didn't want a number for.