Best Smart Cities Companies in California, United States
The 112 best Smart Cities companies in California, United States in 2026, ranked by funding and momentum. Funding, investors, founders, valuation, tech stack and live signals. Top: FreeWire.
Ranked: Best Smart Cities companies in California
| # | Company | Disclosed funding | Last round | Stage | Employees | Founded | Tech stack | Patents & IP focus | Recent signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FreeWire Developer of electric-vehicle charging solutions | $231M | 31 mo ago | Series D | 111 | 2014 | WixSentryApple iCloud Mail+8 | — | — |
| 2 | Hayden AI Developer of AI-powered platform for traffic and parking violation enforcement 60Funding top 23%AI top 30%Moat top 37%Tech top 38% All 11 signals ▾Fundingtop 23% AItop 30% Moattop 37% Techtop 38% Growthtop 40% Talenttop 45% Innovationbottom 48% Globalbottom 40% Newsbottom 39% Marketbottom 37% Patentsbottom 35% Funding: Raised $193M across 7 rounds · 7 rounds over 7 yrs (1.0/yr) AI: Classified as an AI company · Product described with: ai-powered rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 60/100 | $193M | 23 mo ago | Series C | 82 82 → 195 (+138%) · sector median +56% | 2019 | SanitySentryApple iCloud Mail+18 | 6 patents AI-driven employee compensation planning and performance-based pay analytics | 1 job opening · 1 award |
| 3 | Verses Provider of AI-integrated digital twins for data distribution 74Funding top 19%Innovation top 23%Talent top 29%AI top 30% All 12 signals ▾Fundingtop 19% Innovationtop 23% Talenttop 29% AItop 30% Producttop 35% Newstop 46% Globaltop 46% Marketbottom 49% Growthbottom 47% Techbottom 45% Moatbottom 45% Partnersbottom 43% Funding: Raised $78.3M across 14 rounds · 14 rounds over 6 yrs (2.3/yr) Innovation: 4 new-product events in 24 mo · Deep-tech classification: Artificial Intelligence rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 74/100 | $78M | 3 mo ago | Public | 37 | 2018 | HubSpot CMS HubApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+21 | — | — |
| 4 | Sensity Systems Light sensory network solutions | $74M | 128 mo ago | Acqui-Hired | 95 | 2010 | — | — | — |
| 5 | Aclima Provider of connected sensor networks for environment awareness 53Moat top 21%Innovation top 22%Patents top 22%Funding top 30% All 10 signals ▾Moattop 21% Innovationtop 22% Patentstop 22% Fundingtop 30% Talenttop 39% Marketbottom 43% Globalbottom 43% Techbottom 38% Growthbottom 30% Newsbottom 18% Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 8/10 · IP moat: 80 patents Innovation: 80 patents (top 23% of patent-holders) · 44 filings since 2022 vs 22 in 2017-21 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 53/100 | $64M | 21 mo ago | Series B | 51 | 2010 | — | 80 patents Patents concentrated in computing, sensing & instrumentation | — |
| 6 | Ambient Photonics Provider of solar cells for connected devices | $61M | 33 mo ago | Series A | 11 11 → 13 (+18%) · sector median +56% | 2019 | WordPressMySQLPHP+27 | 61 patents Copper‑redox dye‑sensitized solar cell materials and related organic dye chemistries | — |
| 7 | Streetline AI-enabled parking management solution | $59M | 143 mo ago | Acquired | 8 | 2005 | — | — | — |
| 8 | SpaceTime Insight Offering real time analytics solutions for data from varied sources | $55M | 116 mo ago | Acqui-Hired | 130 | 2008 | — | — | — |
| 9 | Neology Provider of a technology company that provides solutions for enhancing mobility, increasing sustainability… | $50M | 53 mo ago | Unfunded | 146 | 1986 | — | 514 patents Vehicle identification and traffic management via ALPR, RFID, and ADAS integration. | 1 partnership |
| 10 | UrbanFootprint Provider of cloud-based urban planning solution | $46M | 49 mo ago | Acquired | 63 | 2014 | WordPressMySQLPHP+37 | — | — |
| 11 | Ketos Water Provider of automated systems for real-time water quality monitoring | $45M | 25 mo ago | Series C | 36 36 → 54 (+50%) · sector median +56% | 2015 | WordPressMySQLPHP+36 | — | — |
| 12 | Verdigris AI and SaaS-driven energy analytics platform for the management of facilities and commercial buildings 48Funding top 23%Growth top 28%Talent top 28%Moat top 41% All 11 signals ▾Fundingtop 23% Growthtop 28% Talenttop 28% Moattop 41% Techtop 42% Producttop 46% Newsbottom 41% Globalbottom 39% Marketbottom 32% Innovationbottom 31% Patentsbottom 24% Funding: Raised $41.7M across 13 rounds · 13 rounds over 15 yrs (0.9/yr) Growth: Headcount 20 → 27 (+35%) across vintages · Fresh capital in last 24 mo rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 48/100 | $42M | 3 mo ago | Series B | 27 | 2011 | WebflowUptimeRobotApple iCloud Mail+18 | 2 patents Electrical load identification and disaggregation via waveform analysis for power monitoring | — |
| 13 | StreetLight Platform offering transportation data and analytics for government, business, consultants | $41M | 72 mo ago | Acquired | 95 95 → 154 (+62%) · sector median +56% | 2010 | WordPressMySQLPHP+29 | — | 1 launch |
| 14 | Fracta Provider of a SaaS platform to assess water conditions for utilities | $37M | 96 mo ago | Acquired | 29 | 2013 | Cart FunctionalitySquarespace CommerceSquarespace+15 | 33 patents AI-driven predictive maintenance and data imputation for water pipeline infrastructure assets | — |
| 15 | Sensys Networks Provider of sensor-based traffic monitoring and analytics solutions | $36M | 124 mo ago | Acquired | 34 34 → 59 (+74%) · sector median +56% | 2004 | WordPressBetterDocsZendesk+27 | 62 patents Locale-based network intrusion detection and denial‑of‑service mitigation systems | — |
| 16 | Compology Visual camera and software solution for waste dumpster monitoring | $35M | 83 mo ago | Acquired | 31 | 2012 | — | 19 patents Smart waste management: sensor-based fill level detection and container location optimization. | — |
| 17 | Lacuna Provider of mobility management software for cities | $34M | 59 mo ago | Deadpooled | 63 | 2018 | — | 4 patents Compactable molds and processes for lightweight concrete block production | — |
| 18 | Remix Transit planning and scheduling software for efficient transportation network management | $27M | 87 mo ago | Acquired | 59 | 2014 | RubyRuby on RailsAmazon Web Services+7 | — | — |
| 19 | Zenysis Technologies Developer of an open-source data analytics platform for health systems | $22M | 48 mo ago | Series B | 16 16 → 31 (+94%) · sector median +56% | 2015 | WordPress Block EditorWordPressMySQL+11 | — | 1 job opening · 2 partnerships |
| 20 | IntelliSite IoT enabled solution for managing energy and assets at remote infrastructure | $22M | 73 mo ago | Series B | 32 | 2001 | — | 5 patents Ozone-based sanitization hardware with safety, monitoring, and thermal/optical analysis | — |
| 21 | Savari Provider of automotive digital transformation solutions, in-cabin experiences, and connected car services | $20M | 97 mo ago | Acquired | 87 | 2008 | — | 9 patents Patents concentrated in electrical & electronics | — |
| 22 | Automotus AI-enabled traffic and parking management solution for traffic operators | $20M | 21 mo ago | Seed | 19 | 2017 | — | 2 patents Computer vision-based parking space detection with automated fee collection | — |
| 23 | Clarity Developer of environment sensors | $16M | 36 mo ago | Series A | 39 | 2014 | WebflowAmazon Web Servicescore-js+25 | 103 patents Patents concentrated in computing, sensing & instrumentation | — |
| 24 | Echelon Provides an open-standard embedded platform for IoT Applications | $16M | 183 mo ago | Acquired | 40 | 1988 | — | 166 patents Patents concentrated in electrical & electronics | — |
| 25 | AtHoc Provider of a cloud-based emergency notifications platform | $16M | 156 mo ago | Acquired | 139 | 1999 | Microsoft ASP.NETBootstrapKnockout.js+7 | 43 patents Emergency mass communication and crisis management platforms with dynamic call throttling | — |
| 26 | Populus Connected mobility management platform for smart cities | $15M | 45 mo ago | Acquired | 19 19 → 22 (+16%) · sector median +56% | 2017 | — | — | 1 partnership |
| 27 | CivicConnect Online suite solutions for government organizations | $13M | 75 mo ago | Early Stage | 5 | 2000 | — | — | — |
| 28 | FUZE Technology IoT-based vehicle charging solutions | $12M | 24 mo ago | Series A | — | 2018 | WebflowApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+20 | 50 patents AI-driven integration of RCS messaging, collaborative communication, and meeting recording services | — |
| 29 | Autolane Developer of infrastructure for autonomous vehicle coordination, authentication, and access | $7M | 6 mo ago | Seed | — | 2024 | WebflowGSAPSwiper+12 | — | — |
| 30 | SpeedInfo Traffic data using solar powered doppler radar combined with wireless network | $7M | 233 mo ago | Deadpooled | 7 | 2002 | — | 4 patents Self-powered vehicle speed sensors and integrated digital mapping for automotive telemetry. | — |
| 31 | GridMatrix AI & SaaS enabled platform offering comprehensive traffic monitoring and analytics solution | $7M | 25 mo ago | Series A | 9 | 2021 | — | 9 patents Patents concentrated in computing, sensing & instrumentation | — |
| 32 | Fleet Provider of a platform for managing employee commuter benefit programs | $5M | 21 mo ago | Seed | 7 | 2019 | WebflowStripeAmazon Web Services+25 | 80 patents Vehicle interior/exterior modular components and safety marking systems | — |
| 33 | chargeFUZE Operator of mobile power bank rental stations | $5M | 49 mo ago | Seed | 41 | 2018 | WebflowThree.jsGoogle Maps+26 | — | — |
| 34 | 2ndnaturewater Provider of a cloud-based storm water management platform | $5M | 60 mo ago | Series A | 36 | 2016 | — | — | — |
| 35 | harbor Provider of an emergency app | $5M | 69 mo ago | Acqui-Hired | 3 | 2017 | — | — | — |
| 36 | Beep Networks Sensors and wireless sensor networks | $4M | 138 mo ago | Deadpooled | — | 2012 | — | — | — |
| 37 | WattIQ Provider of asset management solutions | $3M | 114 mo ago | Series A | 16 | 2013 | — | — | — |
| 38 | Tooshlights Restroom traffic management system | $3M | 104 mo ago | Deadpooled | 10 | 2014 | — | 2 patents Restroom stall occupancy detection and indicator systems | — |
| 39 | Lyt Data Provider of cloud-enabled V2I platform for transportation management | $2M | 57 mo ago | Seed | 23 | 2016 | WordPressMySQLPHP+32 | — | 1 launch |
| 40 | Global Innovations Integrated smart seismic sensor systems for security, energy, medical, industrial applications | $2M | 70 mo ago | Series A | 6 | 2012 | — | 493 patents Patents concentrated in transport & manufacturing processes | — |
| 41 | Valor Water Analytics Provider of smart water management solutions | $2M | 120 mo ago | Acqui-Hired | 7 | 2013 | — | — | 1 partnership |
| 42 | Thinnect Provider of IoT-based lighting solutions | $2M | 109 mo ago | Seed | 14 | 2013 | — | 2 patents IoT-based energy management and optimization for building appliances and systems | — |
| 43 | IPS Group Provider of wireless parking hardware | $1M | 63 mo ago | Early Stage | 182 182 → 154 (-15%) · sector median +56% | 1994 | WordPressApple iCloud MailMySQL+28 | 419 patents Integrated parking meter/pay station hardware and remote payment communication systems | 1 launch |
| 44 | Junar Transforms data into reusable insights for governments, developers, and companies | $1M | 156 mo ago | Seed | 14 | 2010 | PythonLeafletD3+20 | — | — |
| 45 | Fysical Labs Provider of ACMI, charter, and cargo aircraft operations | $800K | 113 mo ago | Seed | 3 | 2014 | — | — | — |
| 46 | GreenQ Sensors and analytical software for waste collection industry | $600K | 90 mo ago | Seed | 6 | 2015 | — | — | — |
| 47 | Roundabout Technologies Provider of software solutions for traffic management | $500K | 24 mo ago | Seed | — | 2024 | Tailwind CSSReactReact Router+7 | — | — |
| 48 | Early Warning Labs Developer of earthquake early warning systems | $235K | 139 mo ago | Funding Raised | 5 | 2013 | — | 361 patents Patents concentrated in computing, sensing & instrumentation | — |
| 49 | Xtelligent Revolutionizing urban transportation with intelligent, connected, and sustainable traffic signal control | $150K | 72 mo ago | Seed | 14 | 2015 | — | 2 patents Real-time traffic management using vehicle-generated sensor data for control systems. | — |
| 50 | Zensors Manufacturer of AI and cloud-based sensor fusion systems for diversified applications | $125K | 57 mo ago | Seed | 20 | 2014 | — | — | 1 partnership |
Top 12 Smart Cities companies in California
#1
Public · Los Angeles, California · founded 2018 · 37 employees$78.3Mraised▾
Provider of AI-integrated digital twins for data distribution. It designs and develops spatial rights management tools for enterprises, organizations, and governments. Its systems enable cognitive computing, order picking, visual navigation, and AI-powered personal assistance.
- Mar 2026Post IPO$518.3K
- Dec 2024Post IPO$9.8M
- Sep 2024Post IPO$3.7M
- Jun 2024Post IPO$10M
#2
Series B · Mountain View, California · founded 2011 · 27 employees$41.7Mraised▾
AI and SaaS-driven energy analytics platform for the management of facilities and commercial buildings. The cloud-based solution allows users to optimize operations, facility uptime, and manage energy costs. Its wireless sensors enable real-time identification, disaggregation, and analysis of the loads in buildings, providing insights into behavior and usage. It also provides an IoT Energy Meter that helps to track energy consumption with its smart sensors.
- Mar 2026Series B—
- Aug 2023Series B$10M
- Dec 2021Series B$1.1M
- Jan 2021Series B$7.1M
#3
Series C · San Francisco, California · founded 2019 · 82 employees$193Mraised▾
Developer of AI-powered platform for traffic and parking violation enforcement. The platform uses vehicle-mounted hardware and vision AI to analyze urban environments. It detects parking and moving violations to improve transit performance. The technology aims to make streets safer and improve transit accessibility. The platform provides tools to enforce violations that disrupt mobility. It helps cities rebalance streets for transit riders.
- Jul 2024Series C$95M
- Feb 2024Grant (prize money)—
- Oct 2023Series B$53M
- Mar 2023Series A—
#4
Seed · Palo Alto, California · founded 2024$7.4Mraised▾
Developer of infrastructure for autonomous vehicle coordination, authentication, and access. The platform includes hardware installed at parking stalls to enable vehicle coordination. The software delivers real-time insights and intelligence for autonomous interactions. The platform supports autonomous vehicle pickups, deliveries, and rideshare services.
- Dec 2025Seed$7.4M
#5
Series B · San Francisco, California · founded 2010 · 51 employees$64Mraised▾
Operator of a purpose-driven technology company intended to catalyze bold climate action that protects public health reduces emissions, and delivers clean air for all. The company diagnoses the health of the air and tracks climate-changing pollution and is powered by its network of roving and stationary sensors, which measures air pollution and greenhouse gases at unprecedented scales and with block-level, hyperlocal resolution, and their professional analytics software, translates billions of scientific measurements into environmental intelligence for governments, companies, and communities, enabling governments, businesses, and communities to harness innovative environmental intelligence to raise awareness, manage climate-related risk and make smarter decisions in service of human and planetary health.
#6
Series D · Newark, California · founded 2014 · 111 employees$231.2Mraised▾
Developer of electric-vehicle charging solutions. It develops various products like boost chargers and offers a battery-integrated electric vehicle charger with features like ease of integration, battery, capacity, etc. It offers portable plugin charging solutions for electric vehicles with features like dual plugs and integrates with a software platform for energy and asset management.
- Nov 2023Series D$29.2M
- Apr 2022Series D$125M
- Apr 2021Grant (prize money)$3.5M
- Jan 2021Series C$50M
#7
Seed · Los Angeles, California · founded 2017 · 19 employees$19.8Mraised▾
Developer of community management platform designed to portray the unprecedented value that the camera network provides. The company's platform equips cities and universities with parking, traffic, and security services powered by their advanced machine vision technology, providing communities with greater financial flexibility, optimized parking management, improved traffic flow, and additional means for maintaining public safety.
#8
Series C · Milpitas, California · founded 2015 · 36 employees$44.8Mraised▾
Provider of automated systems for real-time water quality monitoring. The company offers hardware, software, connectivity, automated reporting, and predictive analytics. It serves industries including agriculture, municipalities, and industrial operations. The company's systems monitor parameters and provide alerts.
- May 2024Series C$10M
- Nov 2022Series C—
- Jun 2022Venture Debt—
- Jun 2022Series C$8.3M
#9
Series A · Scotts Valley, California · founded 2019 · 11 employees$61Mraised▾
Provider of solar cells for connected devices. It offers low-light photovoltaic cells as replacement batteries for IoT devices. It can harvest energy from indoor and outdoor lights to make IoT devices power-independent. Its features include toxic-free substances, reliability, and flexible deployment.
- Sep 2023Series A$30M
- Sep 2022Conventional Debt$17.5M
- May 2022Series A$31M
- Dec 2021Conventional Debt$162M
#10
Seed · Palo Alto, California · founded 2019 · 7 employees$5Mraised▾
Provider of a platform for managing employee commuter benefit programs. The platform supports various commute modes, including transit, parking, bikes, and rideshares. It facilitates pre-tax accounts, per-ride subsidies, and universal allowances. The platform offers features such as automated payroll deductions, customizable programs, and employee notifications. It also provides tools for compliance tracking and centralized reporting.
- Aug 2024Seed$2.5M
#11
Series A · Los Angeles, California · founded 2018$11.5Mraised▾
IoT-based vehicle charging solutions. It offers a network of high-speed charging stations for eletrconic devices. Its application is compatible with smartphones. It also offers advertisement signanges for businesses.
- Jun 2024Series A$11.5M
#12
Acquired · Berkeley, California · founded 2014 · 63 employees$46.1Mraised▾
Provider of cloud-based urban planning solution. The solution is targeted at designers & architects, real estate property developers/construction companies, environmental analysts, urban planners, NGOs, and advocates. It enables users to access clean data, design spaces by viewing a few different alternatives, and sketch alternative growth parts of a city/project. The solution enables property developers & construction companies to plan projects, predict the future value of a property, and analyze census data.
- May 2022Series B$25M
- Feb 2020Series A$11.5M
- Jul 2019Series A$1M
- Jul 2018Series A$3.5M
Funding & investor landscape
Notable founders
Market landscape — 10 sub-themes by coverage
Share of Smart Cities coverage by sub-theme.
Regulatory-risk over time rising
Funding & growth over time
funding rising · growth rising
How research on Smart Cities in California is moving
A read on the academic research around Smart Cities in California — which themes are gaining ground, the institutions and researchers driving them, and how the tone is shifting. Based on 266 papers.
UC Berkeley, USC, and UC Riverside lead California's smart-cities research, focusing optimistically on traffic control, VANETs, and autonomous vehicle safety, with breakthroughs and advancements outweighing concerns.
- University of California, Berkeley59
- University of Southern California33
- University of California, Riverside29
- University of California, Los Angeles23
- University of California, Irvine22
- Intelligent transportation system5→16
- Intersection (aeronautics)1→6
- Cloud computing1→5
- Transport engineering2→4
- Smart city2→11
- Traffic flow (computer networking)2→5
- Intelligent transportation system8→11
- Internet of Things1→4
- Object detection1→3
- Smart city1→9
- Transport engineering2→4
- Context (archaeology)1→3
- Intelligent transportation system8→9
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.