StartupBlink

59 Top startups in Santa Cruz for October 2026

We rank Future Motion, Gooder Foods and MakerDAO in Santa Cruz along with 56 other startups based on an algorithm that scores startups based on total investment, employee count, and quarterly website traffic. Santa Cruz startup ecosystem ranks #137 globally and #44 in United States.

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Startups

Unicorns

Exits

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Accelerators

Top Unicorn Startups in Santa Cruz for 2026

Prometheus is the only unicorn in Santa Cruz raising more than USD 1.5B. It is the undefined ranked unicorn in North America.
1st
Prometheus logo
PrometheusSB Score: 245

Prometheus streamlines enterprise asset optimization by integrating planning, scheduling, work management, and analytics for maintenance, turnarounds, and production. Maximize efficiency and minimize downtime with a unified approach.

View Full Page
Website
www.prometheusgroup.com
Employee range
1,001 – 5,000
Web Traffic (Monthly)
—
Funding amount
—
National Rank(United States)
—
Regional Rank(North America)
—
Global Rank(Worldwide)
—

Total amount:1

Best Startups in Santa Cruz for 2026

1st
Future Motion logo
Future MotionSB Score: 454

Future Motion is a pioneering new entrant to the boardsports world. Future Motion is committed to designing and developing inspiring vehicles that include both elegant form and unprecedented function. Future Motion's products Onewheel and Onewheel+, exemplify its dedication to crafting products that bridge recreation and transportation. Future Motion is based in Santa Cruz, California.

View Full Page
Website
onewheel.com
Employee range
51 – 100
Web Traffic (Monthly)
—
Funding amount
$3.8M
National Rank(United States)
—
Regional Rank(North America)
—
Global Rank(Worldwide)
—
2nd
Gooder Foods logo
Gooder FoodsSB Score: 439

Gooder Foods is a manufacturer of processed food products. The company offers veggie-boosted, protein-packed, mac and cheese, helping customers have healthy options in packaged food products.

View Full Page
Website
goodles.com
Employee range
11 – 50
Web Traffic (Monthly)
—
Funding amount
$23.2M
National Rank(United States)
—
Regional Rank(North America)
—
Global Rank(Worldwide)
—
3rd
MakerDAO logo
MakerDAOSB Score: 411

Sky is a decentralized autonomous organization on the Ethereum blockchain to minimize the price volatility of its own stable token.

View Full Page
Website
makerdao.com
Employee range
51 – 100
Web Traffic (Monthly)
—
Funding amount
$54.5M
National Rank(United States)
—
Regional Rank(North America)
—
Global Rank(Worldwide)
—
4th
Capstan Medical logo
Capstan MedicalSB Score: 407

Capstan Medical is creating minimally invasive technologies to treat heart valve disorders.

View Full Page
Website
capstanmedical.com
Employee range
51 – 100
Web Traffic (Monthly)
—
Funding amount
$141.4M
National Rank(United States)
—
Regional Rank(North America)
—
Global Rank(Worldwide)
—
5th
Emboline logo
EmbolineSB Score: 365

Emboline is a medical device company with a game-changing device for total embolic protection during percutaneous heart valve repair and replacement procedures and other cardiovascular procedures with embolic risks.

View Full Page
Website
www.emboline.com
Employee range
11 – 50
Web Traffic (Monthly)
—
Funding amount
$80M
National Rank(United States)
—
Regional Rank(North America)
—
Global Rank(Worldwide)
—
6th
MURJ logo
MURJSB Score: 352

Murj is a Santa Cruz, California digital health company dedicated to helping clinicians streamline care for patients with implantable cardiac devices. Murj greets the challenge of managing the rapid growth of cardiac device data as an opportunity to improve care and deliver insight. Murj aims to liberate device clinics from paper reports and inadequate management tools, freeing clinicians to get back to the heart of the matter – their patients.

View Full Page
Website
www.murj.com
Employee range
1 – 10
Web Traffic (Monthly)
—
Funding amount
$14.1M
National Rank(United States)
—
Regional Rank(North America)
—
Global Rank(Worldwide)
—
7th
Unnatural Products logo
Unnatural ProductsSB Score: 344

Unnatural Products is a startup pairing AI with chemistry to create treatments for drug targets. Its AI-enhanced technology platform creates entirely new drugs by engineering passively permeable, macrocyclic peptides that access traditionally undruggable targets. Unnatural Products was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Santa Cruz, California.

View Full Page
Website
www.unnaturalproducts.com
Employee range
11 – 50
Web Traffic (Monthly)
—
Funding amount
$12.2M
National Rank(United States)
—
Regional Rank(North America)
—
Global Rank(Worldwide)
—
8th
SellHound logo
SellHoundSB Score: 338

PawaPay is a payments company that provides mobile payment solutions to African consumers or businesses. The company takes the technical integrations from telecom operators like AirtelTigo, Econet, MTN, Safaricom, Orange, and Vodafone and collapses them into one API for businesses. Founded in 2020, pawaPay is focused on the mobile money infrastructure provided by telecommunications companies (telco) in Africa. Each telco in each country provides its own unique mobile money product, which makes the mobile money infrastructure as a whole - across borders and telcos - highly fragmented and opaque. For merchants, this fragmentation means that it is unnecessarily expensive to use and frustratingly unstable. Through pawaPay’s simple API, merchants can access more than 300 million customers in more than ten markets and enjoy seamless, transparent, and highly reliable payments.

View Full Page
Website
www.sellhound.com
Employee range
101 – 250
Web Traffic (Monthly)
—
Funding amount
$9M
National Rank(United States)
—
Regional Rank(North America)
—
Global Rank(Worldwide)
—
9th
SupplyShift logo
SupplyShiftSB Score: 337

At SupplyShift, we’re committed to helping businesses create more transparent, responsible, and resilient supply chains. We believe that, when properly managed, a company’s supplier network can deliver incredible value for the company, the greater economy, and can play an important role in changing our world for the better. For business to thrive, collaboration in the supply chain is critical. That’s why we built a network for supply chain transparency. A place for buyers and suppliers to engage on critical aspects of risk without repeating their efforts. A place where information can be shared quickly and insights can be found efficiently. We help some of the world’s most influential companies turn supplier information into action, improving their risk resilience and sustainable business practices. With tens of thousands of companies across 133 countries exchanging data every day, SupplyShift is the world’s largest supply chain transparency network.

View Full Page
Website
supplyshift.net
Employee range
51 – 100
Web Traffic (Monthly)
—
Funding amount
$19.2M
National Rank(United States)
—
Regional Rank(North America)
—
Global Rank(Worldwide)
—
10th
Cruz Foam logo
Cruz FoamSB Score: 336

Cruz Foam develops structural foams intended to help end the global issue of plastic pollution from oceans. It produces bio-benign foam and eco-friendly EPS-alternative solutions that powers key industry leaders to be the catalyst for a cleaner environment. The company's products are produced from naturally sourced biopolymers that create a scalable, compostable alternative using the existing supply chain and at a similar cost. Current industry partners include consumer electronics, appliances, shipping, and consumer packaged goods. Cruz Foam was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Santa Cruz, California.

View Full Page
Website
www.cruzfoam.com
Employee range
11 – 50
Web Traffic (Monthly)
—
Funding amount
$25.3M
National Rank(United States)
—
Regional Rank(North America)
—
Global Rank(Worldwide)
—
11th
Outsite logo
OutsiteSB Score: 332

Outsite is a collection of unique work+play accommodations that cater to the growing community of entrepreneurs, business travelers and digital nomads who are looking for alternatives to uninspired hotels and conference halls. Whether you want to surf famous waves, ski mountains, climb walls or just bike around town between working sessions, Outsite offers a place to stay with creative co-working spaces and a growing list of innovative “New Networking” activities, designed to spur meaningful and creative collaborations.

View Full Page
Website
outsite.co
Employee range
51 – 100
Web Traffic (Monthly)
—
Funding amount
$125K
National Rank(United States)
—
Regional Rank(North America)
—
Global Rank(Worldwide)
—

Total amount:34

Most Funded Startups in Santa Cruz for 2026

The top three most funded startups in Santa Cruz have raised total funding of more than USD 276M. Capstan Medical has 0.77% more funding than Emboline.
1st
Capstan Medical logo
Capstan MedicalSB Score: 407

Capstan Medical is creating minimally invasive technologies to treat heart valve disorders.

View Full Page
Website
capstanmedical.com
Employee range
51 – 100
Web Traffic (Monthly)
—
Funding amount
$141.4M
National Rank(United States)
—
Regional Rank(North America)
—
Global Rank(Worldwide)
—
2nd
Emboline logo
EmbolineSB Score: 365

Emboline is a medical device company with a game-changing device for total embolic protection during percutaneous heart valve repair and replacement procedures and other cardiovascular procedures with embolic risks.

View Full Page
Website
www.emboline.com
Employee range
11 – 50
Web Traffic (Monthly)
—
Funding amount
$80M
National Rank(United States)
—
Regional Rank(North America)
—
Global Rank(Worldwide)
—
3rd
MakerDAO logo
MakerDAOSB Score: 411

Sky is a decentralized autonomous organization on the Ethereum blockchain to minimize the price volatility of its own stable token.

View Full Page
Website
makerdao.com
Employee range
51 – 100
Web Traffic (Monthly)
—
Funding amount
$54.5M
National Rank(United States)
—
Regional Rank(North America)
—
Global Rank(Worldwide)
—

Total amount:34

Top Hiring Startups in Santa Cruz by Employee Number

The top three hiring startups in Santa Cruz have an median employee size that is between [51-100]
1st
SellHound logo
SellHoundSB Score: 338

PawaPay is a payments company that provides mobile payment solutions to African consumers or businesses. The company takes the technical integrations from telecom operators like AirtelTigo, Econet, MTN, Safaricom, Orange, and Vodafone and collapses them into one API for businesses. Founded in 2020, pawaPay is focused on the mobile money infrastructure provided by telecommunications companies (telco) in Africa. Each telco in each country provides its own unique mobile money product, which makes the mobile money infrastructure as a whole - across borders and telcos - highly fragmented and opaque. For merchants, this fragmentation means that it is unnecessarily expensive to use and frustratingly unstable. Through pawaPay’s simple API, merchants can access more than 300 million customers in more than ten markets and enjoy seamless, transparent, and highly reliable payments.

View Full Page
Website
www.sellhound.com
Employee range
101 – 250
Web Traffic (Monthly)
—
Funding amount
$9M
National Rank(United States)
—
Regional Rank(North America)
—
Global Rank(Worldwide)
—
2nd
Future Motion logo
Future MotionSB Score: 454

Future Motion is a pioneering new entrant to the boardsports world. Future Motion is committed to designing and developing inspiring vehicles that include both elegant form and unprecedented function. Future Motion's products Onewheel and Onewheel+, exemplify its dedication to crafting products that bridge recreation and transportation. Future Motion is based in Santa Cruz, California.

View Full Page
Website
onewheel.com
Employee range
51 – 100
Web Traffic (Monthly)
—
Funding amount
$3.8M
National Rank(United States)
—
Regional Rank(North America)
—
Global Rank(Worldwide)
—
3rd
MakerDAO logo
MakerDAOSB Score: 411

Sky is a decentralized autonomous organization on the Ethereum blockchain to minimize the price volatility of its own stable token.

View Full Page
Website
makerdao.com
Employee range
51 – 100
Web Traffic (Monthly)
—
Funding amount
$54.5M
National Rank(United States)
—
Regional Rank(North America)
—
Global Rank(Worldwide)
—
4th
Capstan Medical logo
Capstan MedicalSB Score: 407

Capstan Medical is creating minimally invasive technologies to treat heart valve disorders.

View Full Page
Website
capstanmedical.com
Employee range
51 – 100
Web Traffic (Monthly)
—
Funding amount
$141.4M
National Rank(United States)
—
Regional Rank(North America)
—
Global Rank(Worldwide)
—

Total amount:59

Explore More Top Startups

Explore the Startup Ecosystem of Santa Cruz

National Rank

(United States)

44th

new

Regional Rank

(North America)

42nd

1

Global Rank

(WorldWide)

137th

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Top Cities for Startups in United States - Ranked by StartupBlink

StartupBlink ranks the startup ecosystems of more than 100 countries and 1,000 cities. Download our latest Global Startup Ecosystem Report.
2026 National Rank CityGlobal RankTotal Score & National ShareAnnual Growth

Access subscores for 1000 cities and 100 countries

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