Santa Barbara
A bit of history
Santa Barbara grew up around a Spanish presidio established in 1782 and Mission Santa Barbara, founded in 1786 as the tenth in California's mission chain, and the city formally incorporated on April 9, 1850. After the Southern Pacific Railroad arrived in 1887, the city built an economy on tourism, citrus, cattle, and early oil production, and rebuilt much of its downtown in Spanish Colonial style after the 1925 earthquake. In the decades since, the presence of UC Santa Barbara has helped seed a technology sector: companies including Sonos, founded there in 2002, and AppFolio, founded in 2006, are headquartered in the area today.
Series A$48.5MAffinity Biosensors’ LifeScale platform delivers rapid, high-throughput phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing in under four hours, empowering clinical labs to make timely antibiotic decisions and combat drug-resistant infections.
$25.0M
$13.2MButterflies are free to fly
Series D$10.6MNEXT Energy Technologies develops next-gen organic photovoltaic (OPV) solutions for vision and spandrel glass, creating energy-producing solar facades.
Seed$8.9MCognixion develops accessible, non-invasive brain-computer interfaces combining neuroscience, AI, and spatial computing.
Series A$7.6MThe infrastructure for the distribution of liquid hydrogen.
Series A$7.5M
Series A$7.3MBioProtonics is a pioneering company focused on advancing diagnostic imaging through its Magnetic Resonance Histopathology (MRH) technology. MRH offers a non-invasive, high-resolution method for analyzing tissue microarchitecture during routine MRI scans. MRH
Series A$7.1MLive Data Technologies, led by CEO J. Scott Hamilton, has raised $13.3 million from investors including Entrada Ventures and Tappan Hill Ventures.
Series D$6.7MLearning Explorer, founded by Jim Hurley in 1999, has raised about $18.1M in total funding, including a recent $2.5M investment from Founderpath.
Seed$6.2MWe are wholesalers in Japan who import / export Japanese-made products such as everyday items, cosmetics, snacks and food at wholesale prices.We also offer proxy marketing for Japanese companies as well as wholesalers.
Seed$5.6MCLIQ makes the world’s most portable chairs—ultra-compact, quick to set up, and built for everyday adventure. Whether you’re camping, tailgating, or relaxing at the beach, CLIQ chairs offer comfort, durability, and convenience in a sleek, travel-ready design.
$5.0MBorn in '64. Rediscovered in a thrift store. Shop womens & mens sneakers with SeaVees. Legendary style and comfort. Recycled materials in every shoe we make.
$4.9MParker Clay crafts premium leather bags that provide dignified employment and uplifts women out of exploitation.
Seed$3.0MLanguage learning for kids is easy with Shoonya. Designed to be the best language software for kids, we have many languages to choose from.
$2.7MBESPOKE SOLUTIONS FOR A DYNAMIC M&A ENVIRONMENT.
Seed$2.1MCPQ for humans and agents
$2.0MAdaya AI was co-founded by Alicia Evergreen and Justin Evergreen and has raised roughly $2M in seed funding.
Seed$1.8MJoin 9Zero, a climate innovation hub for founders, investors, scientists, and innovators. Explore memberships, events, and workspace in SF and Seattle.
Seed$1.5MFounded by Ryan Davies in 2021 and led by CEO Byron Elton, the company has raised funds through equity crowdfunding on StartEngine.
Seed$1.4MShelter Products Inc. specializes in delivering high-quality building materials for large-scale construction projects nationwide. Discover how we can help you.
Seed$1.3MOperating as "Beni," this company was founded in 2021 by Sarah Pinner and Celine Mol in Santa Barbara, has raised over $5 million in venture funding, and is a Google for Startups alum.
Seed$650KStorygize was founded in 2015 by David Osman and has raised roughly $10 million in total funding for its programmatic advertising platform, headquartered in Santa Barbara.
Seed$500KExplore private in-person and group experiences: Yoga, personal training, kayaking, hiking, surfing, meditation and so much more in Santa Barbara, California!
Remaker Labs, co-founded by Sky Gilbar and David Silverander in Santa Barbara, raised $1.2M from over 15,000 Kickstarter backers in 70 countries for its 'Hitch' cup-and-bottle product, according to Forbes.
Series A$430KAI-enabled productivity and skill optimization for firms using Generative AI
Series C$200KGlimmer Wish is Clean & Fun Beauty. Glimmer Wish was created to make self care, hair care, and beauty products that you can trust to be safe, free of harsh chemicals, and as cute as can be.
$30KCalculated Development LLC was formed to turn author Nova McBee's bestselling "Calculated" novel series into a film franchise, now in development with One Door Studios and Apelles Entertainment.
Building the next Procore