Best Nanotechnology Companies in San Diego, United States
The 45 best Nanotechnology companies in San Diego, United States in 2026, ranked by funding and momentum. Funding, investors, founders, valuation, tech stack and live signals. Top: Bionano.
Our analysis of 50 Nanotechnology companies
$6.5b in tracked funding; 78% of the stack-profiled cohort runs cloud-native; funding activity peaked in 2025.
Ranked: Best Nanotechnology companies in San Diego
| # | Company | Disclosed funding | Last round | Employees | Founder | Tech stack | Patents & IP focus | Recent signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bionano Provider of genome analysis solutions to researchers and clinicians | $124M | 27 mo ago | 364 | Erik Holmlin President & CEO | WordPressMySQLPHP+25 | 59 patents Iron-based nanoemulsion drug formulations and metal‑ion nanocluster delivery systems | — |
| 2 | DTx Pharma Provider of RNA-based therapeutics for multiple health purposes | $113M | 65 mo ago | 50 | — | — | — | — |
| 3 | Ignyta Personalized medicine for cancer and autoimmune diseases | $97M | 106 mo ago | 30 | Gary Firestein Co-Founder | — | 240 patents Patents concentrated in health & consumer products | — |
| 4 | Biological Dynamics Provider of molecular diagnostics plaform | $68M | 69 mo ago | 54 | — | Cart FunctionalitySquarespace CommerceSquarespace+20 | 78 patents Biomedical diagnostics and biomaterials: biomarker detection, analyte processing, dielectric materials, surface modification. | — |
| 5 | Electronic Bio Provider of nanotech-based DNA sequencing solutions 10Funding top 37%Talent bottom 45%Global bottom 29%Market bottom 24% All 5 signals ▾Fundingtop 37% Talentbottom 45% Globalbottom 29% Marketbottom 24% Techbottom 15% Funding: Raised $40.7M across 49 rounds · 49 rounds over 19 yrs (2.6/yr) Talent: 1 named leader on record rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 10/100 | $41M | 14 mo ago | 15 | Eric Ervin President and CEO | — | — | — |
| 6 | Illumina Developer of technologies for analysis of genetic variation and function | $28M | 79 mo ago | 5,548 5,548 → 9,678 (+74%) | Mark Chee Co-Founder | Cart FunctionalityAdobe Experience ManagerApple iCloud Mail+32 | 10,583 patents High-throughput DNA sequencing hardware, reagents, and AI-driven base‑calling technologies. | — |
| 7 | Cellics Developing therapies for infectious diseases & autoimmune disorders using Nanosponge technology | $26M | 70 mo ago | 18 18 → 21 (+17%) | Lili Xie Co-Founder & Director | — | — | — |
| 8 | Direct Electron Developer of cameras for electron microscopy 57Innovation top 20%Growth top 35%Tech top 41%Funding top 42% All 8 signals ▾Innovationtop 20% Growthtop 35% Techtop 41% Fundingtop 42% Producttop 46% Talentbottom 45% Globalbottom 29% Marketbottom 23% Innovation: 11 product lines Growth: Fresh capital in last 24 mo rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 57/100 | $25M | 15 mo ago | 13 | Rob Bilhorn Founder & President | WordPressMySQLPHP+34 | — | 1 launch |
| 9 | Optimum Linking academic discoveries to clinical treatments for maximum cancer research benefits | $19M | 152 mo ago | — | Robert Marder Co-Founder | — | 10 patents Patents concentrated in electrical & electronics | — |
| 10 | Ocean NanoTech Provider of dispensable quantum dots | $11M | 86 mo ago | 6 | Andrew Wang CEO & President | — | — | — |
| 11 | Ormet Circuits Advanced materials and adhesive solutions for electronics assembly and thermal management | $10M | 148 mo ago | 9 | — | — | 83 patents Low‑temperature solder, conductive paste, and metallic adhesive solutions for electronic packaging. | — |
| 12 | NanoImaging Services Provider of cryo-electron microscopy, protein production, and nanoparticle characterization services | $9M | 23 mo ago | 44 44 → 40 (-9%) | Clint Potter Co-Founder | WebflowApple iCloud MailMicrosoft 365+19 | 2 patents Electron microscopy and image analysis for particulate material characterization | 1 launch |
| 13 | Cello Therapeutics Developer of cell membrane-coated nanoparticles for cancer drug delivery | $7M | 48 mo ago | 9 | Jie Zhang Chief Executive Officer | — | — | — |
| 14 | Traversa Therapeutics Development and commercialization of RNAi Delivery Technologies | $7M | 208 mo ago | — | — | — | — | — |
| 15 | NOD Pharmaceuticals Developing drug delivery technology for oral drugs | $6M | 235 mo ago | — | William Lee CEO & Founder | — | — | — |
| 16 | Nanocomposix Nanomaterials design, development, and manufacturing for diverse applications | $4M | 84 mo ago | 64 | — | Cart FunctionalityShopifySalesforce+23 | 73 patents Silver nanoplate antimicrobial agents for biomedical and diagnostic applications | 1 launch |
| 17 | Nanome Provider of VR-based molecular visualization, modeling and simulation tool | $3M | 66 mo ago | 31 31 → 19 (-39%) | Edgardo Leija Co-Founder & CXO | Node.jsYouTubeVue.js+19 | 7 patents Computational molecular design, simulation, and VR visualization tools for chemistry research | 3 launchs |
| 18 | Fabrus Platform for therapeutic antibody discovery and development. | $2M | 189 mo ago | 5 | Vaughn Smider Founder | — | 34 patents Therapeutic antibody discovery and engineering, including combinatorial libraries and affinity maturation. | — |
| 19 | Arcturus Therapeutics Developer of RNAi technologies for the treatment of rare orphan diseases | $1M | 34 mo ago | 337 | — | DrupalPHPAmazon Web Services+25 | 488 patents Ionizable lipid nanoparticle platforms for RNA therapeutics and vaccine delivery | 1 partnership |
| 20 | 2W iTech Developer of nanopowder and graphene | $1M | 39 mo ago | — | Qingwu Wang CEO & President | — | — | — |
| 21 | Arytha Biosciences Developer of biomimetic nanotherapeutics integrating nanoparticles with natural cellular membranes | $922K | 136 mo ago | 2 | Huiqing Zhu CEO | — | — | — |
| 22 | GrollTex Developed a patented technology to synthesize and transfer Graphene onto flexible substrates. | $600K | 107 mo ago | 5 | Jeff Draa CEO | WordPressMySQLPHP+24 | 3 patents Hydrogel-encapsulated 2D‑material biosensor devices for analyte detection and diagnostics | — |
| 23 | Advanced Resin Therapeutics Premium domain name provider specializing in high-value digital real estate | $454K | 182 mo ago | 1 | Howard Edelman CEO | — | — | — |
| 24 | Agile Nanotech Nanotechnology based compressible energy absorbing liquid for military safety | $273K | 186 mo ago | — | Doug Giese CEO | — | — | — |
| 25 | Galiana Technologies Revolutionizing brain-computer interfaces with nanotechnology for neuromuscular disorder solutions | $159K | 143 mo ago | — | Mark Wells Co-Founder & President | — | 2 patents Intracellular activity monitoring devices for physiological measurement | — |
Top 12 Nanotechnology companies in San Diego
#1
Funding Raised · San Diego, California · founded 2002 · 15 employees$40.7Mraised▾
Provider of nanotech-based DNA sequencing solutions. It offers systems for ion channel characterization, and chemical sensing and develops systems for nanopore and ion channel measurements. The instruments developed by the company aids with applications in DNA sequencing, ion channel characterization, and chemical sensing.
- May 2025Grant (prize money)$400K
- May 2025Grant (prize money)$350K
- Apr 2025Grant (prize money)$350K
- Mar 2025Grant (prize money)$386.5K
#2
Funding Raised · San Diego, California · founded 2007 · 13 employees$24.5Mraised▾
Developer of cameras for electron microscopy. It is engaged in innovating in the field of camera technology and other tools for electron microscopy. It offers a detection device for transmission electron microscopy.
- May 2025Grant (prize money)$1.5M
- May 2025Grant (prize money)$1.9M
- Apr 2025Grant (prize money)$2.5M
- Feb 2023Grant (prize money)$3.5M
#3
Public · San Diego, California · founded 2002 · 364 employees$124.2Mraised▾
Provider of genome analysis solutions to researchers and clinicians. It offers Saphyr system that uses a non-sequencing based optical mapping technology to analyse extremely long strands of genomic DNA. It is used for detecting genomic variants missed by next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies and conventional cytogenetic techniques.
- May 2024Post IPO$20M
- Mar 2019Post IPO$2.5M
- Dec 2014Series C$68.4M
- Jun 2014Series B$5M
#4
Series A · San Diego, California · founded 2007 · 44 employees$9Mraised▾
Provider of cryo-electron microscopy, protein production, and nanoparticle characterization services. They offer structural biology solutions, including sample preparation and computational infrastructure. The company’s services support structure-based drug design. They also offer method validation services.
- Sep 2024Series A$12.2M
- Jun 2023Series A—
- Jun 2021Grant (prize money)$1.1M
- Jun 2014Grant (prize money)$223.2K
#5
Acquired · San Diego, California · founded 2017 · 50 employees$113Mraised▾
DTx Pharma is a provider of RNA-based therapeutics for personalized treatment across a wide range of therapeutic areas. The company has developed a proprietary technology based on lipidation allowing direct conjugation of long-chain fatty acids to siRNA, which enables delivery of siRNA therapeutics across multiple cell types.
- Mar 2021Series B$100.2M
- Sep 2020Grant (prize money)$2M
- Jun 2020Series A$200K
- Sep 2019Series A$12M
#6
Series C · San Diego, California · founded 2010 · 54 employees$67.6Mraised▾
Biological Dynamics has developed a proprietary lab-on-chip (LOC) platform (ACE) for direct and selective isolation of nanoparticles from physiological solutions. Its platform uses a direct-to-analyte approach for nanoparticles isolation (no isolation or sample prep). The company is developing minimally invasive diagnostic assays that detect cell-free dsDNA, exosomes, and other cellular debris.
- Nov 2020Series C$26.8M
- Feb 2020Grant (prize money)$1M
- Oct 2019Series C$12M
- Feb 2019Conventional Debt$4M
#7
Acquired · San Diego, California · founded 2011 · 30 employees$96.9Mraised▾
Ignyta employs an integrated Rx/Dx strategy of combining highly targeted drug discovery and development with companion diagnostics for patient selection. The main drugs in its pipeline include - Entrectinib (An orally available, selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor), Taladegib (A small molecule hedgehog/smoothened antagonist), RXDX-105 (small-molecule multikinase inhibitor), RXDX-107 (an alkyl ester of bendamustine encapsulated in human serum albumin (“HSA”) to form nanoparticles). Most of these drugs are at an early clinical stage. On the diagnostic side, Ignyta has launched Trailblaze Pharos™, a multiplex assay for identifying actionable gene rearrangements in solid tumors that can be treated with entrectinib.
- Oct 2017Post IPO$160M
- May 2016Post IPO—
- Nov 2015Post IPO$30M
- Mar 2015Post IPO$42M
#8
Public · San Diego, California · founded 1993 · 5548 employees$28Mraised▾
Developer of technologies for analysis of genetic variation and function. The company provides laboratory instruments, kits, and reagents for research, drug development, and the development of molecular tests. The product categories include gene panel and array finder, microarray kits, clinical research, and IVD products.
- Jan 2020Grant (prize money)—
- Aug 2019Grant (prize money)$55.4K
- Aug 2014Grant (prize money)$346.9K
- Sep 2010Grant (prize money)$5.6M
#9
Public · San Diego, California · founded 2013 · 337 employees$1.3Mraised▾
Developer of RNAi technologies for the treatment of rare orphan diseases. The company uses two proprietary technologies, LUNAR lipid-mediated delivery and STARR mRNA Technology, to develop RNA medicines for rare and infectious diseases. The company's lead candidate is LUNAR OTC to treat ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency.
- Sep 2023Grant (prize money)—
- Jan 2018Post IPO$67.8M
- May 2017Grant (prize money)$3M
- Oct 2015Post IPO$5.9M
#10
Series B · San Diego, California · founded 2014 · 18 employees$26Mraised▾
Cellics Therapeutics is a preclinical stage company, developing therapies for various diseases using cell membrane coating technology. The company's proprietary Nanosponge Technology is based on coating nanoparticles and nanomaterials with cellular membranes taken directly from cells. The company focuses on the development of red blood cell membrane (RBC) coated Nanosponges to develop therapies for infectious diseases, autoimmune disorders, anti-venom, and vaccines. The company claims that the nanocoated RBC membrane-coated particles would remove toxins and venoms from the bloodstream & divert them from attacking normal cells. The company has product pipeline of therapies for bacterial infections, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, malaria, anti-venam and MRSA vaccine.
- Oct 2020Grant (prize money)$3.9M
- Jun 2020Series B$13M
- Apr 2018Series A$7M
- Apr 2017Series A$6M
#11
Series A · San Diego, California · founded 2016 · 9 employees$7.1Mraised▾
Developer of cell membrane-coated nanoparticles for cancer drug delivery. The drug pipeline includes CE120, CE001, CE002, CE003, CE004, AND CE005 for colorectal, pancreatic, ovarian, breast, lung, prostate, and others.
- Aug 2022Series A$7.1M
#12
Funding Raised · San Diego, California · founded 2016$1.2Mraised▾
2W iTech develops nanopowder and graphene. Its products include silicon nanopowder, vapor grown graphene, zeolite colloids, ceramic nanopowders, exfoliated graphene, graphene oxide, and graphene composites. The products have application in water treatment, environmental pollution, energy conversion, and storage.
- May 2023Grant (prize money)$173.1K
- Feb 2022Grant (prize money)$256.5K
- Aug 2020Grant (prize money)$256K
- Apr 2018Grant (prize money)$150K
Funding & investor landscape
Notable founders
Market landscape — 10 sub-themes by coverage
Share of Nanotechnology coverage by sub-theme.
Regulatory-risk over time rising
Funding & growth over time
funding rising · growth rising
How research on Nanomaterials is moving in the United States
A read on the academic research around Nanomaterials — which themes are gaining ground, the institutions and researchers driving them, and how the tone is shifting. Based on 7,242 United States-affiliated papers.
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology149
- Purdue University West Lafayette140
- Argonne National Laboratory125
- Stanford University124
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory114
- Nanoparticle166→713
- Quantum dot32→282
- Catalysis58→282
- Quantum3→158
- Nanocomposite38→186
- Nanoparticle166→683
- Nanocomposite24→211
- Quantum dot30→162
- Catalysis46→170
- Photocatalysis17→137
- Quantum dot11→28
- Catalysis4→17
- Nanoparticle57→68
- Perovskite (structure)1→11
- Polymer5→14
Where nanomaterials 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 nanomaterials patents in the United States
United States nanomaterials patent filing is cooling — 47,771 filings from 8,000 assignees (2016–2025), led by IBM, Intel, UNIV California; annual filings 4825→4147.
- IBM5896
- Intel3517
- UNIV California3266
- Massachusetts INST Technology2026
- 3M Innovative Properties2006
- Hewlett Packard Development1430
- UNIV Texas1095
- Molecular Imprints1053
Common questions
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.