Best Fashion Tech Companies in San Diego, United States
The 52 best Fashion Tech companies in San Diego, United States in 2026, ranked by funding and momentum. Funding, investors, founders, valuation, tech stack and live signals. Top: Genomatica.
Our analysis of 116 Fashion Tech companies
$9.4b in tracked funding; 97% of the stack-profiled cohort runs cloud-native; funding activity peaked in 2021.
Ranked: Best Fashion Tech companies in San Diego
| # | Company | Disclosed funding | Last round | Stage | Founder | Founded | Tech stack | Patents & IP focus | Recent signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Genomatica Manufacturer of plant-based nylon materials and renewable chemicals 62Product top 18%Patents top 20%Funding top 26%Moat top 26% All 11 signals ▾Producttop 18% Patentstop 20% Fundingtop 26% Moattop 26% Innovationtop 30% Talenttop 38% Markettop 43% Growthtop 45% Globalbottom 46% Techbottom 37% Newsbottom 32% Product: 4 distinct product lines · Company stage: Series F Patents: 1,721 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 424 filings since 2022 vs 633 in 2017-21 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 62/100 | $388M | 59 mo ago | Series F | Bernhard Palsson Co-Founder | 1998 | — | 1,721 patents Engineered microbial production of renewable chemicals like fatty acids, diamines, and glycol derivatives | — |
| 2 | Creative Force Provider of SaaS-based catalog management software solutions for e-commerce businesses 40Growth top 45%Funding top 47%Market bottom 49%Talent bottom 49% All 7 signals ▾Growthtop 45% Fundingtop 47% Marketbottom 49% Talentbottom 49% Productbottom 48% Globalbottom 43% Techbottom 36% Funding: Raised $17.9M across 2 rounds · 2 rounds over 4 yrs (0.5/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 40/100 | $18M | 33 mo ago | Series A | Tejs Rasmussen Co-Founder & CTO | 2018 | HubSpot CMS HubApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+16 | — | 1 job opening · 1 launch |
| 3 | Gales Internet first brand offering eco-friendly nursing footwear | $5M | 35 mo ago | Seed | Rob Gregg Founder | 2020 | — | 5 patents Footwear design, construction, and manufacturing technologies | 1 award |
| 4 | GRACEDBYGRIT Manufacturer of precision machined components for aerospace and machine tool industries | $2M | 124 mo ago | Acquired | — | 2013 | — | — | — |
| 5 | Montiel Women's activewear designed and made in Los Angeles with a focus on quality | $988K | 146 mo ago | Seed | Maggie Montiel Founder | 2011 | Cart FunctionalityShopifyPHP+34 | — | — |
| 6 | Lalo Internet first brand offering footwear for men & women | $711K | 152 mo ago | Early Stage | Jay Taylor CEO | 1997 | Cart FunctionalityShopifyReact+25 | 9 patents Integrated multifunctional footwear combining various performance and utility features | — |
| 7 | Stella Wearables Wearable tech optimizing sun exposure and health behaviors for wellness | $150K | 81 mo ago | Seed | Nicolas Gonzalez Co-Founder & CEO | 2015 | — | 5 patents Wearable UV radiation monitoring sensors for personal exposure measurement | — |
| 8 | Imperfects Internet first brand of multi category casual wear for women and men | $50K | 43 mo ago | Seed | Michael Lynch Founder & CEO | 2018 | Cart FunctionalityShopifyZonos+40 | — | — |
Top 9 Fashion Tech companies in San Diego
#1
Series A · San Diego, California · founded 2018 · 129 employees$17.9Mraised▾
Provider of SaaS-based catalog management software solutions for e-commerce businesses. Its solutions offered are sample management, cloud video, flow photography, post-production,cloud-based assets management, vendor management, and more. It also increases studio productivity and the speed of the web.
- Oct 2023Series A$8.9M
- Oct 2022Seed$6M
#2
Seed · San Diego, California · founded 2020 · 10 employees$4.8Mraised▾
Internet first brand offering eco-friendly nursing footwear. The company claims that the products are slip-resistant, waterproof, lightweight, anti-microbial, and are produced using solar energy, recycled materials, and more.
- Aug 2023Seed$2.1M
- Aug 2022Seed$2.6M
- Jun 2022Seed$191.4K
- Oct 2021Seed$125K
#3
Series F · San Diego, California · founded 1998 · 153 employees$388Mraised▾
Manufacturer of plant-based nylon materials and renewable chemicals. It develops manufacturing processes to produce intermediate and basic chemicals from renewable feedstocks. Its proprietary biotechnology platform creates fermentation-based manufacturing processes enabling microorganisms to convert renewable feedstocks into intermediate and basic chemicals.
- Aug 2021Series F—
- Jul 2021Series F$118M
- Oct 2018Series E$90M
- Mar 2014Conventional Debt$6.8M
#4
Seed · San Diego, California · founded 2018 · 6 employees$50Kraised▾
Manufacturer of mindfully curated goods intended to make handmade surf, skates, and apparel for the human experience. The company's platform includes items that are thoughtfully, creatively, and functionally designed and handcrafted with the intention of celebrating craftsmanship and individuality, enabling customers to get items that serve as a declaration of ownership and an endorsement of unique ingenuity.
#5
Acquired · San Diego, California · founded 2013 · 7 employees$1.7Mraised▾
Manufacturer of precision machined components for aerospace and machine tool industries. It provides machining services using advanced metal cutting technology. The company produces components from various materials including Inconel, titanium, stainless steel, aluminum, and alloy steels. Its capabilities encompass the manufacture of high-precision components with close tolerances and tight finishes. The company also offers manufacturing solutions and intelligent planning for the aerospace sector. Production facilities include dedicated aerospace and machine tool divisions, each equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and testing facilities.
- Mar 2016Seed$1.7M
#6
Seed · San Diego, California · founded 2011$987.5Kraised▾
Women's activewear designed and made in Los Angeles with a focus on quality. They offer a curated collection of activewear, including bras, tops, tanks, leggings, shorts, skirts, sweats, joggers, and dresses. They prioritize excellence over volume, focusing on selecting the best fabrics and designs. They aim to provide affordable athleisure that excels in quality, function, and versatility. They source local manufacturing partners and maintain a hands-on approach to ensure product integrity. They offer free US shipping and returns. Customers can sign up for emails to receive a discount. The website features a cart, account login, and gift cards.
- May 2014Seed$160K
- Oct 2011Seed$827.5K
#7
Early Stage · San Diego, California · founded 1997 · 20 employees$710.8Kraised▾
Internet first brand offering footwear for men & women. The product offering includes tactical boots, athletic shoes, rapid assault, grinder, bloodbird, zodiac recon, etc. The company also offers a few apparel and accessories.
#8
Seed · San Diego, California · founded 2015$150Kraised▾
Wearable tech optimizing sun exposure and health behaviors for wellness. This is a health technology company focused on developing digital health monitoring platforms using wearable technology and machine learning. The company provides personalized digital guidance to users, helping them optimize their time in the sun and improve overall health-related behaviors. The mission is to design hardware and software that enhances personal healthcare and data access. They advocate for melanoma research, supporting efforts to accelerate research and prevent melanomas. The company offers solutions for UV protection, activity tracking, heart monitoring, and digital health, promoting a balanced lifestyle and improved personal wellness. They provide a new standard in wearable technology, focusing on biometrics, activity, and environment monitoring.
- Oct 2019Seed$150K
- May 2016Seed—
#9
Seed · San Diego, California · founded 2021 · 8 employees—raised▾
Online consignment-based marketplace offering multi-category second-hand fashion products. The product catalog includes coats, jackets, t-shirts, jeans, shorts, joggers, shirts, handbags, footwear, headwear, outerwear, jewelry, and more.
- Dec 2021Seed—
Funding & investor landscape
Notable founders
Market landscape — 10 sub-themes by coverage
Share of Fashion Tech coverage by sub-theme.
Regulatory-risk over time rising
Funding & growth over time
funding rising · growth rising
How research on Textiles & Wearable Materials is moving in the United States
A read on the academic research around Textiles & Wearable Materials — which themes are gaining ground, the institutions and researchers driving them, and how the tone is shifting. Based on 288 United States-affiliated papers.
- North Carolina State University19
- University of California, Los Angeles14
- University of Rhode Island12
- University of Minnesota11
- Utah State University10
- Wearable computer6→14
- Nanotechnology2→8
- Wireless1→6
- Composite material2→6
- Embedded system2→6
- Electrical conductor1→7
- Wearable technology2→7
- Wearable computer8→12
- Composite material2→5
- Electronics2→4
- Wearable computer9
- Wearable technology9
- Clothing7
- Architectural engineering5
- Electronics3
Where textiles tech is researched across United States
Location clusters by institution affiliation — each city's volume, stance tone, and a quick read on its hot topic, what's advancing, the opening opportunity, and the main concern.
Who's filing textiles tech patents in the United States
United States textiles tech patent filing is steady — 46 filings from 40 assignees (2016–2025), led by MMI IPCO, Textronics, Cocona; annual filings 2→2.
- MMI IPCO15
- Textronics13
- Cocona10
- IBM9
- Liquid X Printed Metals7
- MIDE Technology6
- Debock Kimberly ANN5
- Fabian David James5
Common questions
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.