Top Tech Startups in California, US in 2026

Ripple Effect provides professional consulting and exceptional talent for federal, private, and non-profit clients to deliver some of the most crucial policies and programs that shape our nation. We are researchers and communicators, scientists, analysts and more, driven by curiosity and a commitment to positively impact health, safety and prosperity.

Subject is an AI-powered education start-up that partners with school districts and networks across the country to deliver cinematic, video-first courses with personalized learning supports. Our interactive curriculum is guided by AI copilots that adapt to each student’s needs, provide real-time suggestions for teachers, and translate content instantly. Districts benefit from live dashboards that track progress, credit, and early-warning signals, all seamlessly integrated with SIS and LMS systems. Subject is backed by Kleiner Perkins, SoftBank Opportunity Fund, Owl Ventures, and others.

Revivn is a fully integrated hardware lifecycle solution, promoting global responsibility while providing IT with enterprise-class service and security. Working with companies like Instacart, Lyft & Teach for America we are changing the way companies view old technology with a new model that focuses on repurposing electronics. In partnering with Revivn, companies make the vital choice to manage the hardware lifecycle responsibly and consciously — and we’re here to support them every step of the way. This mission and commitment extends to serving our customers worldwide, supporting communities and organizations in need, and cultivating a culture that inspires our employees to find purpose in their work.

Hi! I'm Benji, the Co-Founder and CEO at Ashby. At Ashby, we're improving the productivity of working professionals with intelligent and powerful software. We put a lot of effort into designing products that are approachable to beginners but mastered & extended by power users. In many ways, spreadsheets set the bar here. Our first products provide talent teams with clever automation, powerful analytics tools, and customizable workflows packaged in great UX. We haven't launched publicly, but we have many paying customers who love us and use us every day like Opendoor, Airtable, Duolingo, and Notion. Notion's Head of Talent said Ashby is "probably the tool we are in the most and rely on the most, as a recruiting team." Our culture is motivated by Abhik's (my co-founder and Head of Engineering) and my belief that a small talented team, given the right environment, can build a great product and service fast (and work regular hours!). We hire exceptional people and provide an environment where we can be happy, feel challenged, and do our best work. We are well funded and backed by great investors, including Y Combinator, Elad Gil, and Lachy Groom. We'll share more once we meet!

Ethos is a technology company that makes getting life insurance easier, faster, and better for everyone. We leverage deep technology and data science in our mission to protect the next million families by streamlining the life insurance process so it's more accessible and convenient. We’ve issued billions in coverage each month and eliminated the traditional barriers, ushering the industry into the modern age. This full-stack technology platform is the backbone of family financial health. Ethos has raised over $400 million from Sequoia Capital, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Accel, and Google Ventures (GV). We are listed in Forbes’ Top 50 Fintechs of 2020, and as one of Built In's "Best Places to Work" of 2022. Come join us on our mission to protect the next million families.

At Veo, we're bringing the next generation of mobility sharing to cities and universities globally through our dockless pedal bike, e-bike and e-scooter systems. We also offer fat-tire bikes, cargo bikes and ADA-compliant bikes – making us the only shared mobility provider with this breadth of options. We design and engineer our own vehicles, hardware and software systems to provide a greener, healthier mode of transportation to make the communities we serve more sustainable and livable. Our mission is to offer the best combination of multi-modal sharing technology and seamless customer service, so users can unlock joy in their day. We are looking for exceptionally talented individuals who are ready to take on exciting challenges and own solutions. We are headquartered in Chicago, IL, but we are hiring across the U.S. Join us!

Modern Health is a mental health benefits platform for employers. They are the only solution to cover the full spectrum of mental well-being needs through both evidence-based technology and professional support from a certified coach or therapist. Whether someone wants to proactively manage stress or treat depression, Modern Health guides people to the right care at the right time and helps companies save money in engagement and healthcare costs. Modern Health has raised over $11M from Kleiner Perkins and Y Combinator and works with top companies that want to take a proactive approach to mental well-being.

Sardine helps fintech, crypto, and web3 companies "move money confidently" by developing fraud, compliance, and payment infrastructure. With Sardine, builders can focus on growing their business instead of spending time, fighting against fraudsters. We're growing incredibly fast and powering over 100 customers around the world like Brex, MoonPay, Bakkt, Luno, Transak, Chippercash, Candy Digital, Metamask, Brave, and RelayFi.

At Mixpanel, our mission is to increase the rate of innovation. Not only as a company, but for the businesses we serve. Through our analytics platform, companies can analyze how and why their users engage, convert, and retain in real time across web, mobile, and smart devices. Then they can use that data to improve their business and products.