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Radar · Food and Agriculture in San Diego

Best Food and Agriculture Companies in San Diego, United States

The 154 best Food and Agriculture companies in San Diego, United States in 2026, ranked by funding and momentum. Funding, investors, founders, valuation, tech stack and live signals. Top: BlueNalu.

154companies tracked
$288.7Mdisclosed funding
0unicorns
25have raised
FLIAR INTELLIGENCE · FOOD AND AGRICULTURE × SAN DIEGO

Our analysis of 175 Food and Agriculture companies

$22.9b in tracked funding; 93% of the stack-profiled cohort runs cloud-native; funding activity peaked in 2025.

175companies analysed
93%cloud-native stacks
2025funding peak (by rounds)
7unicorns
2015median founding year
189kcombined LinkedIn audience
63%of audience held by top 3
4companies hiring publicly (12 mo)

Ranked: Best Food and Agriculture companies in San Diego

#CompanyDisclosed fundingLast roundEmployeesFoundedFounderTech stackRecent signals
1BlueNalu
Produces and supplies seafood products using fish cells
62Growth top 15%Funding top 20%Product top 30%Moat top 31%
All 11 signals ▾
Growthtop 15%
Fundingtop 20%
Producttop 30%
Moattop 31%
Innovationtop 32%
Newstop 32%
Patentstop 33%
Talentbottom 49%
Marketbottom 39%
Globalbottom 39%
Techbottom 34%
Growth: Fresh capital in last 24 mo
Funding: Raised $118M across 5 rounds · 5 rounds over 8 yrs (0.6/yr)
rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 62/100
$118M5 mo ago502017Lou Cooperhouse
Co-Founder & CEO
Squarespace CommerceSquarespaceTwitch Player+152 launchs · 1 award
2MUSH
Ready-to-eat oats and protein snacks for convenient, healthy lifestyles
$27M45 mo ago492015Katherine Thomas
Co-Founder
Cart FunctionalityShopifySentry+351 launch · 1 award
3Urban Plates
Owns and operates a restaurant
$27M34 mo ago288
288 → 225 (-22%)
2011Saad Nadhir
Co-Founder & CEO
Cart FunctionalitySentryAtlassian Statuspage+24—
4JuneShine
Brand of organic kombucha
$24M28 mo ago1722018—ShopifyShop PayLazySizes+221 launch
5Epic Gardening
Your one-stop shop for simple, practical gardening tips and supplies
$18M52 mo ago412016—Cart FunctionalityShopifyDigioh+50—
6Karl Strauss
Award-winning craft brewery and brewpubs, pioneering independent beer since 1989
$16M119 mo ago1621989Matt Rattner
Co-Founder
WordPressMySQLPHP+21—
7Anthology
Operates supper clubs
$14M91 mo ago—2007Howard Berkson
Founder & CEO
——
8Luna Grill
Chain of casual dining restaurant
$9M105 mo ago2412004—WordPress Block EditorCart FunctionalityWooCommerce+32—
9Plant Power Fast Food
Vegan fast food restaurant chain
$8M60 mo ago842015—Cart FunctionalityGoogle MapsMUI+19—
10Yummers
Internet first brand offering pet food on a subscription basis
$6M44 mo ago182022Antoni Porowski
Founder
Cart FunctionalityShopifyShop Pay+16—
11Scout Distribution
Distributor of beer & wine
$5M27 mo ago772012Anthony Levas
Co-Founder & VP
Cart FunctionalityShopifyApple iCloud Mail+19—
12Drink Spa Girl Cocktails
Brand of vodka
$5M60 mo ago82020———
13SouthNorte
Brand of beer
$2M33 mo ago—2016Ryan Brooks
Founder Head Brewer SouthNorte Beer co.
WordPress Block EditorBeaver BuilderWordPress+25—
14Monterrey The Natural Choice
Distributor of food & beverages products
$2M149 mo ago511972Luke Abbott
CEO
——
15Trinity Foods
Milk production and processing company
$2M70 mo ago12015———
16Flav
Provider of an online platform for medical cannabis products
$2M184 mo ago—2010Steven Dang
Founder & CEO
Cart FunctionalityWooCommerceWordPress+29—
17Improv Booze
Provider of non-alcoholic cocktails
$1M40 mo ago42022———
18Rau Chocolate
Chocolate drink brand
$835K104 mo ago42013Brian Watrous
Co-Founder
——
19NuttZo
Organic nut and seed butters for health-conscious consumers
$715K80 mo ago142008Danielle Dietz-LiVolsi
Founder & CEO
Cart FunctionalityShopifySentry+35—
20Second Chance Beer
Dog-friendly brewery crafting quality beer and supporting animal rescues
$393K148 mo ago—2013Curtis Hawes
Co-Founder
Cart FunctionalitySquarespace CommerceSquarespace+14—
21Planet Based Foods
Platform offering planet-based meat substitute food products
$270K30 mo ago102017———
22Healthy Crop
Provider of agriculture crops farming sevrices
$250K33 mo ago——Sydney Chasin
CEO
——
23The Kebab Shop
Chain of limited service restaurant offering Chicken
$200K83 mo ago3752007—Cart FunctionalityWordPressBugHerd+34—
24Story House Spirits
Restaurant bar serving vodkas and gins under its own brand
$100K108 mo ago—2016Matt Kidd
Founder
WordPressMySQLPHP+15—

Top 12 Food and Agriculture companies in San Diego

#1
Series B · San Diego, California · founded 2017 · 50 employees
$118Mraised
▾

Produces and supplies seafood products using fish cells. Its product offerings include finned fish, crustaceans, and mollusks. The company's products are developed by isolating living cells from fish tissue which is placed into a culture media for proliferation and then assembled. The company claims its products are serum-free. The company supplies its products to CPG product companies, the food service & retail industry, and food processors.

Fliar Intelligence Index™ 62how this company ranks against its industry peers
Growth
top 15%
Funding
top 20%
Product
top 30%
Moat
top 31%
Innovation
top 32%
News
top 32%
Growth: Fresh capital in last 24 mo
Funding: Raised $118M across 5 rounds · 5 rounds over 8 yrs (0.6/yr) · Last round Series B (Dec 2025)
Product: 9 distinct product lines · Company stage: Series B
Audience (LinkedIn): 16k LinkedIn followers — 8.2% of this cohort's audience
Activity (LinkedIn): 3 product launches · 1 awards announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
  • Dec 2025Conventional Debt—
  • Dec 2025Series B$11M
  • Oct 2023Series B$33.5M
  • Jan 2021Series A$60M
Founders & team
Lou CooperhouseCo-Founder & CEO
Investors
Stray Dog Capital, CPT Capital, New Crop Capital, Clear Current Capital, Griffith Foods, Richs
Tech stack
Squarespace CommerceSquarespaceStimulusUsercentricsGoogle AnalyticsGoogle Font Api
#2
Series B · San Diego, California · founded 2018 · 172 employees
$24Mraised
▾

Brand of organic kombucha

LinkedIn Pulse recent public activity · Jul 2026
Audience: 38k LinkedIn followers — 20.1% of this cohort's audience
Activity: 1 product launches · 1 awards announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
  • Jan 2024Series B—
  • Nov 2021Series B$24M
  • Jun 2021Series A—
  • 2019Seed—
Investors
Litani Ventures, Amberstone Ventures, Plus Capital, InvestBev, Sauna Ventures, Saltwater
Tech stack
AccessibeAttentiveAwinCdnjsCloudflareCore-Js
#3
Early Stage · San Diego, California · founded 2011 · 288 employees
$27Mraised
▾

Urban Plates owns and operates a restaurant. The restaurant offers grass-fed steak, Jidori free range chicken, wild caught albacore tuna, turkey meatloaf, and salmon. Claims its ingredients are sourced locally and sustainably. The company is based in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California.

LinkedIn Pulse recent public activity · Jul 2026
Audience: 4k LinkedIn followers — 2.1% of this cohort's audience
Activity: 1 awards announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
  • Aug 2023Convertible Debt$27M
  • Sep 2018Conventional Debt$38M
Founders & team
Saad NadhirCo-Founder & CEOAhmed DinaryCo-FounderJohn R ZagaraCo-Founder
Investors
Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Silver Falcon Capital
Tech stack
Apple Icloud MailAtlassian StatuspageAttentiveCart FunctionalityCdnjsCloudflare
#4
Seed · San Diego, California · founded 2012 · 77 employees
$5.1Mraised
▾

Distributor of beer & wine

Funding rounds
  • Mar 2024Seed$568K
  • Mar 2021Seed$2.2M
  • Aug 2019Seed$2.9M
Founders & team
Anthony LevasCo-Founder & VPJeff HanssonCo-Founder & COO
#5
Series B · San Diego, California · founded 2015 · 49 employees
$27.2Mraised
▾

Ready-to-eat oats and protein snacks for convenient, healthy lifestyles. They offer fridge-fresh, clean ingredient products designed to fuel busy lives. Specializing in overnight oats, protein bars, and oatmeal smoothies, they provide tasty and healthy options without refined sugar. They focus on real, nutrient-dense ingredients, offering gluten-free and kosher choices. Their products are available in stores and online, promoting easy access to healthy eating. They aim to remove the friction between consumers and healthy choices, offering a convenient solution for breakfast and snacks. They foster a community focused on healthy mornings, providing recipes and product updates. They are a B2C company in the food and beverage industry, emphasizing convenience and health. They offer products that can be added to cart, and checkout is available. They also have login functionality for existing users.

LinkedIn Pulse recent public activity · Jul 2026
Audience: 12k LinkedIn followers — 6.5% of this cohort's audience
Activity: 1 product launches · 6 awards announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
  • Sep 2022Series B$23M
  • May 2021Series A$4.2M
Founders & team
Katherine ThomasCo-FounderAshley ThompsonCo-Founder | CEO
Investors
Litani Ventures, Clerisy
Tech stack
Amazon AlbAmazon Web ServicesApple PayAudioeyeBabelBootstrap
#6
Series B · San Diego, California · founded 2016 · 41 employees
$17.5Mraised
▾

Your one-stop shop for simple, practical gardening tips and supplies. We are dedicated to helping you grow your own food, flowers, and cultivate beautiful spaces. We provide gardening education through videos and articles, offering tips, tricks, and tools for a successful growing season. Our online shop features a curated selection of gardening products, including raised beds, seeds, soil, and seed-starting supplies. We offer a wide variety of non-GMO veggies, herbs, and flowers. We also provide gardening resources like books, e-books, and a garden planner. We aim to make gardening accessible and enjoyable for everyone, from beginners to experienced gardeners. We offer free shipping on orders over a certain amount, along with quizzes and support to help you succeed. We also have a shopping cart, login, and wishlist features.

LinkedIn Pulse recent public activity · Jul 2026
Audience: 5k LinkedIn followers — 2.7% of this cohort's audience
Hiring: 1 hiring post in 12 mo (public) · hiring: hybrid
Funding rounds
  • Jan 2022Series B$17.5M
Investors
TCG
Tech stack
AdthriveAmazon AdvertisingAmazon PayAmerican ExpressApple PayAttentive
#7
Seed · San Diego, California · founded 2016
$2.5Mraised
▾

Brand of beer

LinkedIn Pulse recent public activity · Jul 2026
Audience: 338 LinkedIn followers
Activity: 1 partnerships (incl. Brazurthru Beverage Group) announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
  • Sep 2023Seed$2.5M
Founders & team
Ryan BrooksFounder Head Brewer SouthNorte Beer co.Brandon RichardsCo-Founder
Tech stack
Beaver BuilderCloudflareCloudflare Bot ManagementContact Form 7ElfsightFlywheel
#8
Seed · San Diego, California · founded 2022 · 18 employees
$6.3Mraised
▾

Internet first brand offering pet food on a subscription basis. The company offers food products like gourmet mixes and functional mixes in various flavors like beef, cheddar cheese, salmon & sweet potato, turkey, and more. The company offers products on a weekly subscription basis. The company claims its products are natural and free from preservatives.

Funding rounds
  • Oct 2022Seed$6.3M
Founders & team
Antoni PorowskiFounderJonathan NessFounder
Investors
L Catterton, Futurefamilyoffice, Platinum Mile Ventures, FS Investors, Caravan
Tech stack
Apple PayCart FunctionalityCloudflareCore-JsGodaddyGoogle Tag Manager
#9
Series A · San Diego, California · founded 1989 · 162 employees
$15.9Mraised
▾

Award-winning craft brewery and brewpubs, pioneering independent beer since 1989. They are dedicated to crafting innovative beers across a wide range of styles. With multiple brewpub locations, they offer a variety of beers on tap and in bottles, including their popular Oktoberfest lager. They also distribute their beers to other locations. The company fosters a culture of growth, collaboration, and a passion for craft beer, offering career opportunities for those who share their love for brewing. They also support other independent beverage producers through their distribution services, providing an avenue for them to bring their products to market. They offer private events and a club membership with perks like free appetizers.

Funding rounds
  • Jun 2016Series A$5.9M
  • Dec 2014Series A$9.7M
  • Jun 2010Unattributed$317K
  • Jul 2007Conventional Debt$6.5M
Founders & team
Matt RattnerCo-Founder
Tech stack
AppnexusCart FunctionalityContact Form 7Core-JsElfsightFacebook Pixel
#10
Series A · San Diego, California · founded 2015 · 84 employees
$7.5Mraised
▾

Vegan fast food restaurant chain

Funding rounds
  • May 2021Series A$7.5M
  • Dec 2019Series A—
Investors
Eat & Beyond
Tech stack
AccessibeAmazon CloudfrontAmazon S3Amazon Web ServicesAngularCart Functionality
#11
Series A · San Diego, California · founded 2007
$13.8Mraised
▾

Operates supper clubs

Funding rounds
  • Oct 2018Series A$13.8M
Founders & team
Howard BerksonFounder & CEO
Tech stack
Apache Http Server
#12
Series B · San Diego, California · founded 2004 · 241 employees
$9.5Mraised
▾

Chain of casual dining restaurant

Funding rounds
  • Sep 2017Series B—
  • Mar 2017Series B$5.5M
  • Nov 2016Conventional Debt$30M
  • Jan 2015Series A$4M
Investors
PWP Growth Equity, CapitalSpring, ClearVision Equity
Tech stack
AccessibeAmazon Web ServicesApple Icloud MailAzureAzure Front DoorBootstrap

Funding & investor landscape

$288.7Mtotal disclosed funding
25companies funded
42disclosed rounds
0rounds last 90 days
Most active investors
SDSI3 rounds
Centre Partners2 rounds
Litani Ventures2 rounds
Richs2 rounds
Wolfpack Ventures2 rounds
91 Ventures1 rounds
Ad Astra Ventures1 rounds
Agronomics1 rounds
AiiM Partners1 rounds
Alwyn Capital1 rounds

Notable founders

Lou Cooperhouse
Co-Founder & CEO · BlueNalu
Saad Nadhir
Co-Founder & CEO · Urban Plates
Ahmed Dinary
Co-Founder · Urban Plates
Anthony Levas
Co-Founder & VP · Scout Distribution
Jeff Hansson
Co-Founder & COO · Scout Distribution
Katherine Thomas
Co-Founder · MUSH
Ashley Thompson
Co-Founder | CEO · MUSH
Ryan Brooks
Founder Head Brewer SouthNorte Beer co. · SouthNorte
Brandon Richards
Co-Founder · SouthNorte
Antoni Porowski
Founder · Yummers
Jonathan Ness
Founder · Yummers
Matt Rattner
Co-Founder · Karl Strauss
Prism market signals · United States · country-scoped Prism corpus, 2,042,753 docs

Market landscape — 10 sub-themes by coverage

Share of Food and Agriculture coverage by sub-theme.

Regulatory-risk over time rising

Funding & growth over time

funding rising · growth rising

RESEARCH SIGNALS · United States

How research on Agritech is moving in the United States

A read on the academic research around Agritech — which themes are gaining ground, the institutions and researchers driving them, and how the tone is shifting. Based on 652 United States-affiliated papers.

research sentiment over time
201020192026
enthusiastic · positive · guarded tone
Tone is overwhelmingly optimistic and intensifying — the enthusiastic (strongly-positive) share moved 24% → 62% across 2010–2026.
top research entities
  • International Food Policy Research Institute25
  • University of California, Davis22
  • Cornell University22
  • University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign17
  • Agricultural & Applied Economics Association17
leading researchers
Saraju P. Mohanty · Bouali Et-taibi · Mohamed Riduan Abid · H.S. Jat · Andrea Cattaneo · Leslie Lipper · El‐Mahjoub Boufounas · Driss Benhaddou
▲ Breakthroughs103 · 16%
▲ 2%→22% share
▲11.0× share momentum2 median citations92% since 2021mostly methods-led
Robot research surged 1→19 papers, driving Breakthroughs field-share from 2%→22% in US agritech.
rising sub-themes (early→recent)
  • Robot1→19
Newly emergingAgriculture 0→51 · Precision agriculture 0→17 · Cloud computing 0→11
Landmark The Robotanist: A ground-based agricultural robot for high-throughput crop phenotyping · 151 cites
◆ Advancements253 · 39%
▲ 32%→42% share
▲1.3× share momentum3 median citations71% since 2021mostly empirical
Advancements intensifying — Agriculture papers rose 24→127 and IoT newly emerged with 18 papers, lifting share 32%→42%.
rising sub-themes (early→recent)
  • Agriculture24→127
  • Robot4→21
  • Climate change2→17
  • Agroforestry3→15
  • Productivity2→13
Newly emergingInternet of Things 0→18 · Agricultural engineering 0→15 · Precision agriculture 0→13
Landmark Responses of soil carbon sequestration to climate‐smart agriculture practices: A meta‐analysis · 470 cites
▼ Concerns186 · 29%
▼ 39%→25% share
▼0.6× share momentum6 median citations57% since 2021mostly empirical
Concerns cooling overall (39%→25%) despite Food security papers tripling 7→25 across US agritech institutions.
rising sub-themes (early→recent)
  • Agriculture35→83
  • Food security7→25
  • Productivity2→10
  • Agricultural economics2→10
  • Internet of Things1→8
Newly emergingAgroforestry 0→10 · Sustainability 0→9 · Agricultural science 0→7
Landmark Climate-smart agriculture: what is it good for? · 334 cites
RESEARCH HOTSPOTS · United States

Where agritech 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.

New York23 · +0.10
Hot · AgricultureOpportunity · Robot
SF Bay Area15 · +0.03
Hot · Natural resource economicsOpportunity · AgronomyConcern · Agriculture
Ann Arbor7 · +0.01
Opportunity · Cover crop
Boston6 · +0.60
Hot · AgricultureOpportunity · Agricultural engineering
Atlanta6 · +0.75
Opportunity · Internet of Things
PATENT SIGNAL · United States

Who's filing agritech patents in the United States

United States agritech patent filing is accelerating — 24 filings from 35 assignees (2016–2025), led by Microsoft, Vision Robotics, Koselka Harvey; annual filings 1→5.

24 filings35 assigneespeak 5/yr2016–2025
filing momentum (YoY 2016–2025)
top patent filers
  • Microsoft7
  • Vision Robotics5
  • Koselka Harvey5
  • Wallach BRET5
  • IBM4
  • X DEV3
  • Gerrish Steven R3
  • CROP One Holdings2

Common questions

How many Food and Agriculture companies are there in San Diego, United States?
Radar tracks 154 indexable Food and Agriculture companies headquartered in San Diego, United States that meet our profile-completeness bar.
What is the total funding raised by Food and Agriculture companies in San Diego, United States?
The Food and Agriculture companies in San Diego, United States on this list have raised a combined $288.7M in disclosed equity funding across 25 funded companies.
Which is the highest-funded Food and Agriculture company in San Diego, United States?
BlueNalu is the highest-funded Food and Agriculture company in San Diego, United States, with $118M in disclosed equity funding.
How many Food and Agriculture companies in San Diego, United States are funded?
25 of the 154 Food and Agriculture companies in San Diego, United States on this list have disclosed at least one equity funding round.
How many Food and Agriculture unicorns are there in San Diego, United States?
None of the Food and Agriculture companies in San Diego, United States on this list currently has a disclosed valuation of $1B or more.
Who are the top investors in San Diego, United States Food and Agriculture companies?
The most active investors in San Diego, United States Food and Agriculture companies on this list include SDSI, Centre Partners, Litani Ventures, Richs, Wolfpack Ventures.
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.

Coming soon