Top Tech Startups in California, US in 2026

At Magical, we're driven by a mission to change the future of work, empowering organizations by automating their most complex and essential manual workflows. We're building a new, innovative, and cutting-edge AI-first automation platform with reliability at the core. Join us and shape the future of work!

Quantum computing has the potential to impact every area of human society for the better--our goal is to build computers to redefine industries like medicine, materials science, finance, artificial intelligence, machine learning, cryptography, and more.

We invest in companies that define new markets, including Airbnb, AppDynamics, Arista Networks Cloudera, Coinbase, Discord, Dropbox, Facebook, Figma, Instagram, LinkedIn, Medium, Nextdoor, Okta, Pure Storage, and Roblox.

Avela is a platform for organizations and governments to run markets to equitably allocate resources and opportunities. The right person in the right position will change the world. Learning opportunities, field-based experiences, and consultant projects all have something in common. Currently, these opportunities are allocated through a combination of manual processes, spreadsheets, and trial-and-error - rife with implicit bias and questionable outcomes. Our mission is to more equitably and efficiently distribute opportunity. Learn more at avela.org

As Y Combinator's first cannabis start-up, Meadow launched out of the Winter 2015 class. Meadow builds powerful Point of Sale and eCommerce software for retailers in the legal cannabis industry. Meadow’s all-in-one platform allows dispensaries to sell products, manage menus and inventory, reward customers, dispatch delivery and pick-up orders, and create exceptional in-store experiences for customers. Meadow powers dispensaries and delivery services of all sizes, utilizing technology to maintain compliance with local and state regulations, scale with the Adult Use market, and create operational efficiencies that allow these businesses to thrive in a regulated industry. Meadow’s team is dedicated to making the best retail software in cannabis, and to creating a more collaborative and inclusive legal cannabis industry. To learn more about Meadow, visit getmeadow.com.

Lively is the modern HSA experience built for those seeking stability in the ever-shifting and uncertain healthcare landscape. Lively is committed to helping every HSA maximize its potential through intuitive design, accessible support, and ongoing education.

Our mission is to build the world's last hedge fund - autonomously run by a decentralized network of data, intelligence, and capital. youtube.com/watch?v=dhJnt0N497c youtube.com/watch?v=GWeC2PK4yXQ

Braze is the leading customer engagement platform that empowers brands to Be Absolutely Engaging™. Braze helps brands deliver great customer experiences that drive value both for consumers and for their businesses. Built on a foundation of composable intelligence, BrazeAI™ allows marketers to combine and activate AI agents, models, and features at every touchpoint throughout the Braze Customer Engagement Platform for smarter, faster, and more meaningful customer engagement. From cross-channel messaging and journey orchestration to Al-powered decisioning and optimization, Braze enables companies to turn action into interaction through autonomous, 1:1 personalized experiences. The company has been consistently recognized as a Leader in marketing technology by industry analysts, and was named a G2 “Best of Marketing and Digital Advertising Software Product” in 2026. Braze was also named a 2026 Best Places to Work by Built In, a 2025 America’s Greenest Companies by Newsweek, and a 2025 Fortune Best Workplace in Technology™ by Great Place To Work®. The company is headquartered in New York with 15 offices across the Americas, EMEA, and APAC. Learn more at braze.com.

Chime was created with the mission to make financial peace of mind a reality for millions of Americans. We're one of the fastest-growing financial technology companies in the U.S., offering banking services that are helpful, easy, and free—because we want to profit with our members, not from them. Our model doesn’t rely on overdraft, monthly service, minimum balance, or other member fees—it just focuses on delivering member value. How does Chime work? We partner with regional banks to design member-first financial products. This creates a more competitive market with better, lower-cost options for everyday Americans who aren’t being served well by traditional banks. We offer access to bank accounts with fee-free overdraft, provide members the chance to receive early access to their paychecks, help them improve their credit, and more! We help drive innovation, inclusion, and access across the industry with one of the most experienced leadership teams in fintech guiding us along the way. We were recently valued at over $25.5B and we’ve raised over $1.7B in funding from leading investors including Sequoia Capital Global Equities, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, General Atlantic, Tiger Global, Dragoneer, DST, Coatue, Iconiq, Menlo Ventures and others. *Chime is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by, and debit card issued by, The Bancorp Bank or Stride Bank, N.A.; Members FDIC.

Upbound is the industry’s first platform for building internal cloud platforms. Designed around control planes, Upbound offers a new methodology for building an internal cloud platform, purpose-built for your organization. Customers can quickly build, deploy, manage, secure, and use their platforms all from a single point of control.