The Squall drone tested in Ukraine was 3D-printed in San Diego. Last month, the Department of War awarded Firestorm a $30M contract to scale the platform that built it.

That's one of three SD companies worth knowing about this week.

Plus a medtech company that recently IPO'd, and a quantum startup whose customers include NASA, Quantinuum, and Infleqtion.

Howl yeah, let's dive in.

Pack Partners:

Head of Electronics Engineering - Seasats ($170,000-$230,000)

Design the brains of Seasats’ autonomous vessels that crossed the Pacific within meters of a Chinese warship, set the Atlantic speed record, and operate in the Taiwan Strait.

Reports to the CTO. They’re looking for an engineering leader who loves electronics and loves managing engineers.

All open roles at Seasats

Pack Partners pay to feature their roles here and support the Career Coyote. Want your role featured? Reply to this email.

Firestorm - 44 Open SD Roles

3D-printed drones tested in Ukraine. $100M U.S. Air Force IDIQ contract. xCell mobile manufacturing units deploying in the Indo-Pacific.

Why they matter:

In a Pacific conflict, the nearest U.S. drone factory is thousands of miles away.

Firestorm's answer: a drone factory that fits inside a shipping container.

Their xCell platform packs an industrial HP 3D printer into two shipping containers that can be flown to a forward base. The Tempest drone (55 pounds, 6-foot fuselage) prints in 9 hours and assembles in 36. Their Squall drone, co-developed with Croatian company Orqa, has already been tested in Ukraine.

Since the Career Coyote last featured Firestorm in April, the company added a $100M U.S. Air Force IDIQ contract for 3D-printed drones, plus a $30M Pentagon APFIT contract (boostable to $50M) to deploy xCell units and 200+ Tempest drones into the Indo-Pacific.

The team is hiring 44 in San Diego.

Momentum signals:

• $100M U.S. Air Force IDIQ contract (five-year) for 3D-printed unmanned aircraft systems

• $30M Pentagon APFIT contract, boostable to $50M, funding five xCell mobile manufacturing units and 200+ Tempest drones in the Indo-Pacific

• Squall drone, co-developed with Croatian company Orqa, tested in Ukraine

• Five-year global exclusive with HP for industrial 3D printing in mobile deployment

Open roles across:

• Drone Engineering and Avionics

• Manufacturing and Production

• Software and Systems

• Operations and Program Management

• All 44 open SD roles

Most defense companies win huge contracts long before the product ships. Firestorm flipped that. Squall has flown in Ukraine, xCell is deploying in the Indo-Pacific, and the Air Force just bet $100M on what comes next. If you want hardware that's already shaping the geopolitical map, here are 44 seats in San Diego.

Carlsmed - 6 Open SD Roles

AI-designed, 3D-printed personalized spine implants. Publicly traded on NASDAQ (CARL). Q1 2026 revenue $16.1M, up 58% year over year.

Why they matter:

Spine surgery has a precision problem.

Most spine implants are stock. Surgeons pick from a standard set and shape the patient's anatomy around the hardware. Carlsmed flips that. Their aprevo platform uses AI to design a custom titanium implant for each patient's specific anatomy, then 3D-prints it for surgery.

The company went public this year. In Q1 2026, they reported $16.1M in revenue, up 58% year over year, and raised 2026 full-year guidance to $72-77M, up from $70-75M. A published clinical study on the aprevo platform shows a 74% reduction in reoperations. Their cervical fusion extension of the platform, aprevo Cervical, commercially launched in early December 2025.

Founded in San Diego in 2018 by CEO Mike Cordonnier.

Momentum signals:

• IPO'd on NASDAQ as CARL in 2025, raising approximately $101M in net proceeds; total capital raised to date approximately $200M

• Q1 2026 revenue $16.1M, up 58% year over year; raised 2026 full-year guidance to $72-77M, up from $70-75M

• Published clinical study on the aprevo platform shows 74% reduction in reoperations; cervical fusion extension (aprevo Cervical) commercially launched December 2025

• AI-driven design platform with 3D-printed personalized titanium spine implants, FDA-cleared and reimbursed

Open roles:

• Engineering

• Quality

• Commercial

• All 6 open roles

When you watch which SD companies survive the gauntlet from venture-backed to publicly traded to actually growing, Carlsmed is the one most people missed. Six SD seats, a public company, and a market that's only getting bigger.

Monarch Quantum - 28 Open SD Roles

Quantum Light Engines for the companies building real quantum hardware. Customers include Quantinuum, Infleqtion, and NASA. Just closed a $55M growth round. Salary transparency on every listing.

Why they matter:

When the Career Coyote featured Monarch Quantum in April, they were six months old with $100M in combined capital and contracts. We thought that was the story.

Three months later: a $55M growth round, NASA on the customer list, and 28 active SD roles. The careers page still shows the old count. LinkedIn shows the actual hiring spree.

Monarch Quantum builds Quantum Light Engines, integrated photonics systems that make quantum computing, sensing, and communications work outside a laboratory. Customers include Quantinuum and Infleqtion (NYSE: INFQ), the quantum technology companies whose hardware Monarch's photonics power. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory selected Monarch's Quantum Light Engines for the Quantum Gravity Gradiometer Pathfinder, the first planned space deployment of a quantum gravity gradiometer. Infleqtion will integrate Monarch's laser-optical subsystems into the quantum sensor itself.

Founder Dr. Timothy Day previously built Daylight Solutions, which sold to Leonardo DRS for $150M in 2017. He's doing it again with photonics for quantum.

Momentum signals:

• $55M growth round closed March 31, 2026, led by Serendipity Capital

• Total capital and contracts now exceed $115M, up from approximately $100M at the April feature

• Customer roster expanded to include Quantinuum, Infleqtion (NYSE: INFQ), and NASA

• 28 active SD roles posted on LinkedIn within the last two weeks, with full salary transparency from $125K to $250K

Open roles across:

• Photonics Engineering (multiple levels: 3, 4, 5)

• Electrical Engineering (multiple levels: 3, 4, 5)

• Firmware Engineering (levels 4 and 5)

• Mechanical Engineering and Quantum Systems

• Process Development and Operations

• All 28 SD roles

A serial founder rebuilding what worked. Customers in the actual quantum hardware companies you've heard of. Salary bands posted publicly on every listing. If you're a photonics, electrical, or firmware engineer, here's what a serious second-act company looks like.

On the Radar

Three companies from last week still hiring and worth your time:

• Biolinq - 9 open SD roles. FDA just cleared the first fully autonomous, needle-free continuous glucose sensor. Commercial launch underway, valued near $400M.

• South 8 Technologies - 2 open SD roles. UCSD spinout building lithium-ion batteries that run from -60°C to +60°C. Backed by Lockheed Martin Ventures and W.L. Gore.

• Flock Freight - 6 open SD roles. Fast Company 2025 Next Big Things in Tech winner. The largest shared truckload freight brokerage in the U.S., based in Encinitas.

One pattern this week:

Air Force contracts. NASDAQ listings. NASA on the customer list.

Firestorm, Carlsmed, and Monarch Quantum have each cleared a different institutional bar in the last six months: the Pentagon, the public markets, and NASA.

San Diego's edge keeps showing up the same way: physical-world technology that earns federal, regulatory, or market validation before the rest of the country notices.

Let's help good people find great San Diego teams.

Jonah 🐺

P.S. Know someone job-hunting in SD tech? Forward this email. They can join us at thecareercoyote.beehiiv.com

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A few helpful links:

Hiring in San Diego? DM us your open roles
Looking to get more connected in San Diego? The Social Coyote

The FDA just cleared the first fully autonomous, needle-free continuous glucose sensor for the U.S. market. The company that built it is in San Diego, hiring around 10 roles, and valued near $400M heading into commercial launch.

Three SD companies worth knowing about this week. Plus a battery chemistry startup with $11M from Lockheed Martin Ventures and W.L. Gore, and one of San Diego's few tech unicorns still scaling.

Howl yeah, let's dive in.

Pack Partners:

Head of Electronics Engineering - Seasats ($170,000-$230,000)

Design the brains of Seasats’ autonomous vessels that crossed the Pacific within meters of a Chinese warship, set the Atlantic speed record, and operate in the Taiwan Strait.

CTO direct report. Looking for an engineering leader who loves electronics and loves managing engineers → All open roles 

Pack Partners pay to feature their roles here and support the Career Coyote. Want your role featured? Reply to this email.

Biolinq - 9 Open SD Roles

FDA just cleared the first fully autonomous, needle-free continuous glucose sensor (September 2025). $100M Series C closed in April 2025. Commercial launch underway.

Why they matter:

Millions of Americans with type 2 diabetes still avoid continuous glucose monitoring because it means a needle under the skin. Biolinq is the first company cleared to change that.

Their Biolinq Shine sensor is a coin-sized forearm patch with a microsensor array that sits just beneath the surface. No needle, no phone required. Glucose status displays directly on a color-coded LED on the device itself.

The FDA's clearance makes Biolinq the only company shipping a fully autonomous, needle-free continuous glucose sensor in the U.S. Commercial launch is underway, initially for type 2 diabetes patients not on insulin.

Momentum signals:

• FDA De Novo Classification granted September 23, 2025, the first autonomous needle-free CGM cleared in the U.S.

• Microsensor array up to 20x more shallow than conventional CGM, manufactured with semiconductor-grade processes

• $100M Series C closed April 2025, led by Alpha Wave Ventures with participation from RiverVest, AXA IM Alts, LifeSci Venture Partners, M Ventures, and others

• Approximately $265M total raised across rounds; PitchBook values the company near $400M heading into commercial launch

Open roles:

• Senior Software Engineer/ iOS

• Manufacturing Engineer

• Staff Algorithm Engineer / Data Scientist

• Clinical Research Associate I

• All 9 open SD roles

A De Novo FDA clearance is a moat. So is being first to commercial launch in a category with millions of patients who've refused the previous generation of devices. If you're a hardware engineer, biosensor specialist, or commercial leader who wants to ship a medical device through its first revenue year, this is the medtech seat to study this week.

South 8 Technologies - 2 Open SD Roles

LiGas® liquefied-gas electrolyte lets lithium-ion batteries run from -60°C to +60°C. $9.2M California PowerForward grant and $11M follow-on co-led by Lockheed Martin Ventures and W.L. Gore.

Why they matter:

Most lithium-ion batteries fail in extreme cold and extreme heat because of the liquid electrolyte inside them. South 8 swaps that liquid for a blend of liquefied non-toxic gases held under pressure, letting cells operate from -60°C to +60°C. The exact range defense, aerospace, and grid storage need.

The investor list reads like a who's-who of strategic capital: Lockheed Martin Ventures, W.L. Gore Ventures, Porsche Ventures, LG Technology Ventures, IQT, and Anzu Partners. The customer list is even more interesting. A strategic collaboration with LG Energy Solution, KULR Technology Group, and NASA to co-develop space-rated batteries.

When this much defense, aerospace, and automotive money lines up behind a battery chemistry company, the technology has passed the demo stage.

Momentum signals:

• $11M follow-on round (December 2025) co-led by W.L. Gore Ventures and Lockheed Martin Ventures

• $9.2M California PowerForward grant (2026) funding production targets of 100 MWh of electrolyte and 2 MWh of cells per year, with gigafactory readiness targeted for 2028

• In U.S. Army testing, LiGas cells burned for 6 seconds versus 5-10 minutes for conventional lithium-ion, at roughly $100/kWh versus $150

• 39 patents granted across 7 countries; named to TIME's Best Inventions of 2024 in the Green Energy category

Open roles:

• Battery Pack Applications Engineer (San Diego)

• Assembly Lab Technician (San Diego)

If you're a hardware or chemistry engineer who wants to build cells that ship into the toughest environments engineering can target, here are two seats in San Diego.

Flock Freight - 6 Open SD Roles

Patented shared-truckload platform that pools shipments so trucks run full. Fast Company 2025 Next Big Things in Tech Award winner, certified B Corp, and one of San Diego's few tech unicorns.

Why they matter:

Half-empty trucks are everywhere in freight. Shippers pay for space they don't use. Empty miles add cost and emissions to every delivery.

Flock Freight's patented shared-truckload (STL) platform pools shipments from multiple shippers onto a single full truck. Goods move terminal-free, costs drop, and emissions fall alongside.

The freight market has been brutal for two years. Flock kept raising, kept winning awards, and kept shipping.

Momentum signals:

• Fast Company 2025 Next Big Things in Tech Award winner (October 2025), recognizing the STL AddOns Carrier Product

• 2025 BIG Sustainability Initiative of the Year Award, plus continued certified B Corp status

• $60M Series E (May 2025) led by O'Neil Strategic Capital; approximately $460M raised across rounds to date

• Largest shared truckload (STL) freight brokerage in the U.S., headquartered in a 40,000 sq ft Encinitas campus

Open roles:

• All 6 open SD roles

If you work in logistics, marketplaces, or more sustainable supply chains and want to join a unicorn that's been winning the slowest part of the cycle, this North County team is the place to study.

Want us to keep tracking SD roles for you?

Tell us what you're looking for, and we'll tap you on the shoulder when we find a real fit. Not just what happens to be open.

It takes 2 minutes.

Tell us what you're looking for

On the Radar

Three companies from last week still hiring and worth your time:

• 9amHealth - 20 open remote roles, SD HQ. Just closed a $26M Series B led by Define Ventures to expand AI-driven virtual specialty care into the chronic conditions driving most employer pharmacy spend.

• Cordial - 5 open remote roles, SD HQ. Just named a Leader in The Forrester Wave: Email Marketing Service Providers, Q1 2026. Customers include Levi's, L.L.Bean, and Boot Barn.

• Looq AI - 9 open SD roles. DTECH 2026 Power Player and Constructech Top Products winner. Spatial AI for infrastructure: survey-grade 3D point clouds without LiDAR or drones.

One pattern this week:

FDA De Novo Classification. TIME Best Inventions. Fast Company Next Big Things in Tech. Three San Diego companies, three different industry honors in the last 18 months.

SD's edge keeps showing up in the same shape: hardware, chemistry, and physical-world platforms where awards from regulators, scientific bodies, and tech press separate real products from prototypes.

Let's help good people find great San Diego teams.

Jonah 🐺

P.S. Know someone job-hunting in SD tech? Forward this email. They can join us at thecareercoyote.beehiiv.com

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A few helpful links:

Hiring in San Diego? DM us your open roles
Looking to get more connected in San Diego? The Social Coyote

Chronic conditions drive up to 70% of employer pharmacy spend. Most virtual care companies tackle one of them. 9amHealth, previously focused on Diabetes, just raised $26M to take on the whole stack.

That's the headline. But the deeper story this week might be a marketing automation leader that nobody outside enterprise MarTech is talking about. Or a spatial AI startup, backed by the TL Foundation, rewiring how utilities map the grid.

Howl yeah, let's dive in.

Featured Jobs: 

Head of Electronics Engineering - Seasats ($170,000-$230,000)

Design the brains of Seasats autonomous vessels that crossed the Pacific within meters of a Chinese warship, set the Atlantic speed record, and operate in the Taiwan Strait. CTO direct report. Looking for an engineering leader who loves electronics and loves managing engineers → All open roles 

Featured Jobs are paid placements. We only feature roles we'd already vouch for editorially. Hiring in San Diego? Reply to this email.

9amHealth — 20 Open Remote Roles, SD HQ

Just closed a $26M Series B led by Define Ventures (May 2026). Virtual specialty care expanding beyond cardiometabolic to address the chronic conditions driving most employer pharmacy spend. SD-headquartered, fully remote team.

Why they matter:

Chronic conditions drive up to 70% of every dollar employers spend on prescriptions. Diabetes, obesity, hypertension, heart disease. Most are managed reactively, through clinic visits that don't fit how people actually live.

9amHealth built the alternative. Their virtual specialty care platform combines AI-driven personalized treatment plans, at-home monitoring kits, mail-in lab diagnostics, and medication delivery. Patients get one care team, one app, and one plan that adjusts as conditions change.

Recently they closed a $26M Series B led by Define Ventures, with participation from SemperVirens VC, Catalio Capital Management, and NewHealth Ventures. The raise is funding their expansion beyond cardiometabolic care into the broader chronic conditions that account for the majority of employer spend.

San Diego based, founded in 2021.

Momentum signals:

• ~$35M total raised across Series A, Series A extension, and Series B

• $9.5M Series A extension led by The Cigna Group Ventures (February 2024) opened an employer-first distribution channel

• This raise repositions 9amHealth from virtual cardiometabolic care to AI-driven specialty care

Open roles across:

• Clinical Care (7 roles, including Medical Director, Care Delivery)

• Commercial (3 roles, including Strategic Account Executive)

• Data (3 roles, including a new VP of Data)

• Product and Engineering (3 roles, including Senior PM for AI Care Experience)

• Cross-functional senior leadership (4 roles across Customer Success, Marketing, Operations, and People)

• All 20 open roles

This is what Series B execution looks like. If you've helped scale a digital health company through this inflection, every door is open.

Want us to keep an eye out for the right role for you? Pack members tell us what they're looking for, and we tap you on the shoulder when we find a fit. It takes 2 minutes

Cordial — 5 Open Remote Roles, SD HQ

Just named a Leader in the Forrester Wave: Email Marketing Service Providers, Q1 2026. AI-powered cross-channel platform used by Levi's, L.L.Bean, and Boot Barn. Fully remote team headquartered in San Diego.

Why they matter:

Enterprise marketing teams are drowning in disconnected tools. The email platform doesn't know what SMS is doing and the mobile app doesn't share data with the marketing cloud. And the brand promise of "personalized at scale" turns into "the same campaign sent to everyone with their first name pasted in."

Cordial built the platform that connects it. Their cross-channel system handles email, SMS, mobile app, and push messages from a single data layer. Real-time customer data activation, AI-driven message generation, and identity resolution that knows the same customer across every touchpoint.

In March 2026, Forrester named Cordial a Leader in the Forrester Wave Email Marketing Service Providers Q1 2026 report. One of only three Leaders out of 12 vendors evaluated. Cordial received the highest possible scores in 10 criteria, including identity resolution, dynamic messaging, data governance, and AI roadmap.

AI now accounts for 30% of Cordial's R&D spend. Customers include Levi's, L.L.Bean, Boot Barn, Eddie Bauer, BuzzFeed, and Forbes.

Momentum signals:

• Perfect scores in 10 of 27 evaluation criteria, including identity resolution and AI roadmap

• Founded in San Diego in 2014, $71M raised across three rounds; last raise was a $50M Series C in July 2022

• AI is now 30% of R&D spend, with customers including Levi's, L.L.Bean, Boot Barn, Eddie Bauer, BuzzFeed, and Forbes

Open roles across:

• Client Experience (Senior Client Success Manager, plus a Japan-based Technical Account Manager)

• Engineering (Data Scientist, Production Engineering)

• Sales (Principal Sales Engineer, Strategic Sales Director)

• All 5 open roles

If you've built or sold AI-driven enterprise MarTech and want to work at one of the three companies analysts say is shaping the category, this one is worth a serious look.

Looq AI — 9 Open SD Roles

Spatial AI for infrastructure. Just named a DTECH 2026 Power Player and Constructech Top Products winner. Survey-grade 3D point clouds without LiDAR or drones.

Why they matter:

Utilities and infrastructure teams have a measurement problem. Mapping a substation, a transmission corridor, or a city block in survey-grade detail traditionally requires LiDAR rigs, drone fleets, or expensive ground-based scanners. Each adds cost, complexity, and time before any real engineering work begins.

Looq AI built the alternative. Their handheld photogrammetry plus AI-powered processing turns a smartphone-sized camera and a walk through into a survey-grade 3D point cloud and geospatial dataset. Built for land surveyors, civil engineers, T&D engineers, utility asset managers, and infrastructure owners.

In 2026, Looq was named a DTECH Power Player in the utility innovation cohort. They also won a 2026 Constructech Top Products Award. And in December 2025, they expanded their global partner ecosystem by seven new partnerships across North America, Europe, and Asia.

The company is San Diego based, founded in 2021 by CEO Dominique Meyer, PhD.

Momentum signals:

• Backed by TL Foundation in San Diego

• Launched qPole, an AI-enabled solution that analyzes utility poles to improve grid reliability

• Global partner ecosystem expanded with seven new partnerships across North America, Europe, and Asia (December 2025)

• Founded 2021 by CEO Dominique Meyer, PhD; $3.75M total raised across pre-seed and a $2.6M seed led by BootstrapLabs

Open roles across:

• Engineering and AI (Deep Learning Engineer, Backend Engineer, Front-End Web Developer)

• Product (Jr. Product Engineer)

• Hardware and IT (Electromechanical Assembly Technician, System Administrator)

• Commercial and Customer Success (Business Development Manager, Customer Success Specialist, Technical Support Specialist)

• All 9 open roles

If utilities, civil engineering, or field data capture is where you want to work, this is one of the rare SD options.

Want us to keep tracking SD roles for you?

Tell us what you're looking for, and we'll tap you on the shoulder when we find a real fit. Not just what happens to be open.

It takes 2 minutes.

Tell us what you're looking for

One pattern this week:

Three different sectors. One shared theme. AI is no longer the product pitch. It's the underlying infrastructure. 9amHealth is using it to scale virtual specialty care. Cordial is using it to scale enterprise messaging. Looq is using it to scale how infrastructure gets measured.

The companies hiring most aggressively right now are the ones where AI isn't the headline anymore, but the operating system.

Let's help good people find great San Diego teams.

Jonah 🐺

-

A few helpful links:

Hiring in San Diego? DM us your open roles
Looking to get more connected in San Diego? The Social Coyote

A San Diego company just closed a $2 billion funding round.

Not a biotech this time. A defense-AI company building autonomous aircraft out of San Diego, now valued at $12.7 billion.

That's the headline. But the more interesting story this week might be a 30-person battery company in Carlsbad you've never heard of that's hiring 13 engineers.

Howl yeah, let's dive in.

Proper Voltage - 13 Open Carlsbad Roles

Carlsbad battery-tech company building custom energy storage, including for defense. Small team, ~$3.6M raised, and hiring 13 engineers right now.

Why they matter:

I hadn't heard of Proper Voltage until I started digging into TL Fund and one of their portfolio companies. That pull of the thread turned up something I should have known already: San Diego is quietly becoming a battery hub. Proper Voltage is one of the reasons why.

Here's the problem they're chasing. Battery technology is mostly one-size-fits-all, so if your product's power needs don't fit an off-the-shelf cell, you re-engineer around it or pay for capability you'll never use. Proper Voltage builds custom energy storage that matches the right battery to the right application, from critical power to defense to commercial, without that overhead.

They're early, around $3.6 million raised, backed by TL Fund and Commonweal Ventures, and based in Carlsbad. But the hiring is the tell: 13 open roles, almost entirely engineering, and every one of them local. When a seed-stage company opens this many engineering seats at once, something is about to scale.

Momentum signals:

• Backed by TL Fund and Commonweal Ventures, building out of Carlsbad

• Product lines across defense, critical power, and commercial

• 13 roles open at once across battery systems, embedded, electrical, and mechanical

Open roles (all Carlsbad, several remote-eligible):

• Lead Electrical Engineer

• Lead PCB Designer

• Mechanical Engineer III — Battery Systems

• Senior Embedded Software Engineer

• Chief Engineer — Critical Power

• All 13 open roles

This is the discovery pick of the week. If you build hardware, power systems, or embedded software and want in early somewhere that's clearly ramping, go take a look.

Want us to keep an eye out for the right role for you? Pack members tell us what they're looking for, and we tap you on the shoulder when we find a fit. It takes 2 minutes

Clinically AI - 6 Open SD Roles

SD-built AI for behavioral health and long-term care. Founder-led, bootstrapped, and hiring across product, design, and clinical adoption.

Why they matter:

Most AI startups raise a big round before they hire. Clinically AI did it the other way around, $0 in outside funding and a growing team in San Diego.

I was at their office a few weeks ago for the AI Tinkerers event. Ross, their CEO, and I are tied 1-1 on the ping-pong table, and I still owe him a rubber match. What I saw between points: an office that's clearly set up for new hires, and a company sourcing its talent right here in San Diego.

The problem they're solving is a real one. Clinicians in behavioral health and long-term care lose hours every day to documentation, chart audits, and paperwork instead of patients, and it's a leading driver of burnout. Clinically AI handles that documentation, chart auditing, and workflow load, the corners of healthcare most AI companies skip right past. That they're hiring leadership on revenue instead of a raise tells you the product is landing.

Momentum signals:

• Founded in San Diego (2023), fully bootstrapped, hiring on revenue rather than a raise

• Bringing on both a Head of Product and a Head of Growth at once, a real build-out moment

• Two of six roles are clinical AI adoption, a sign of live, in-the-field deployment

Open roles (San Diego):

• Head of Product

• Head of Growth Marketing (Player-Coach)

• UX/UI Designer (AI Workflow & Product Experience)

• Quality & Reliability Engineer

• Clinical AI Adoption Lead and Adoption Specialist

• All 6 open SD roles

A bootstrapped, founder-led SD team building its first leadership layer. If you want real ownership at an applied-AI company solving a problem clinicians feel every day, this is the kind of early seat that matters. (Ross, if you're reading, the table's still warm.)

Shield AI - 33 Open SD Roles

SD-built defense autonomy. Just closed a $2B Series G at a $12.7B valuation. Never been featured here. Now the deepest engineering board in San Diego tech.

Why they matter:

Most autonomous systems still depend on GPS and a constant comms link. Jam the signal and they go blind.

Shield AI builds the alternative. Their Hivemind software lets aircraft fly and make decisions on their own, no GPS and no pilot, in exactly the contested environments where everything else fails. It powers the V-BAT drone already in the field, and it's the brain behind X-BAT, the vertical-takeoff fighter they're now developing.

In March, that work earned them a $2 billion raise, one of the largest in San Diego history. A San Diego company is now one of the most valuable defense-tech startups in the country, and the open roles show exactly where the money is going.

Momentum signals:

• Series G led by Advent International, with Blackstone adding $500M in preferred financing

• Projecting 80%+ revenue growth to $540M+ in 2026

• Hiring weighted heavily toward the X-BAT vertical-takeoff fighter program

Open roles across (SD and remote):

• Autonomy systems integration & test

• Software (C++/networking, DevOps, modeling & simulation)

• Mechanical, electrical, and power electronics engineering

• AI platforms product management

• All 33 open SD roles

The deepest board on our entire list. If you want to build autonomy at the company defining where defense tech is going, and do it without leaving San Diego, this is the one to study this week.

Want us to keep tracking SD roles for you?

Tell us what you're looking for, and we'll tap you on the shoulder when we find a real fit. Not just what happens to be open.

It takes 2 minutes.

Tell us what you're looking for

On the Radar

Two companies still very much worth your time:

• Netradyne — 9 open SD & remote roles. The SD-headquartered AI fleet-safety unicorn ($1.34B) just acquired Moove Connected Mobility (May 5). AI, computer vision, and a global board if you're open to it.

• Seasats — 13 open SD roles. Still at the center of San Diego's aquatic drone scene, still hiring across engineering and maritime systems after their $20M Series A and $24M Navy APFIT award.

One pattern this week:

The range is the story. A $2 billion defense raise (Shield AI), a 30-person battery company hiring a full engineering bench (Proper Voltage), and a founder-led healthcare-AI team building its first leadership layer (Clinically AI). Big or small, San Diego is hiring engineers at every stage at once.

Let's help good people find great San Diego teams.

Jonah 🐺

P.S. Know someone job-hunting in SD tech? Forward this email. They can join in too at thecareercoyote.beehiiv.com.

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A few helpful links:

Hiring in San Diego? DM us your open roles
Tell me what you’re looking for: It takes 2 minutes.

Looking to get more connected in San Diego? The Social Coyote

Keysight Technologies just co-led a $50M Series C in a San Diego company.

This isn’t a normal venture round. Keysight is the dominant incumbent in test and measurement. When the incumbent invests in the disruptor and signs a commercial agreement with them, it tells you the industry is shifting.

That's one of three SD companies worth knowing about this week.

Howl yeah, let's dive in.

Liquid Instruments - 4 SD Roles

Just closed a $50M Series C co-led by Keysight Technologies. Reconfigurable test equipment used by quantum startups, defense primes, and top research institutes. All four open SD roles are on the commercial team.

Why they matter:

For decades, lab benches looked the same. An oscilloscope here, a signal generator there, a spectrum analyzer wedged in between. Each instrument doing one job. Each costing thousands of dollars. Each separate hardware.

Liquid Instruments built the alternative. Their Moku platform is a single reconfigurable device that does the work of 15+ traditional instruments. Software-defined hardware. The same box becomes an oscilloscope when you need one, a signal generator when you need that, and an AI-driven measurement platform when you need something custom.

On April 28, 2026, the company closed a $50M Series C co-led by Keysight Technologies and Australia's National Reconstruction Fund Corporation. Keysight isn't just an investor here. They're also entering a commercial arrangement with Liquid Instruments to accelerate AI-driven instrumentation. That's the dominant incumbent of the test-and-measurement industry partnering with the company building its software-defined replacement.

Moku is already deployed at top tech companies, research institutes, quantum startups, and defense primes. With this raise, they're scaling go-to-market across aerospace, defense, and semiconductor.

Momentum signals:

• $50M Series C co-led by Keysight Technologies and Australia's National Reconstruction Fund Corporation (April 28, 2026)

• Commercial partnership with Keysight to accelerate AI-driven instrumentation

• Moku platform consolidates 15+ traditional instruments into one reconfigurable device

• Funds will scale go-to-market in aerospace, defense, and semiconductor

Open roles (all San Diego):

• Sales

• Account management

• Marketing Engineer

• GTM Operations Specialist

• All 4 Open Roles

$50M Series C. The test-and-measurement incumbent on the cap table. All four open SD roles are on the commercial team. If you sell into engineers and scientists in aerospace, defense, or semiconductor, this is the GTM build-out that's going to define how Moku scales over the next two years.

Want us to keep an eye out for the right role for you? Pack members tell us what they're looking for, and we tap you on the shoulder when we find a fit. It takes 2 minutes

Art of Problem Solving - 15 Open SD Roles

Every 2024 US Math Olympiad team member trained on their software. SD-based for 22 years. Founder just came back as CEO and they're hiring across nearly every function.

Why they matter:

San Diego's tech ecosystem runs on engineers and scientists who grew up doing math. Most of the strongest young mathematicians in America grew up doing Art of Problem Solving.

AoPS is the K-12 math and STEM education company that's been quietly producing the next generation of technical talent for over two decades. Online courses, in-person classes, textbooks, and competition prep built for students who want to go further than the standard curriculum.

How far does it go? Every single member of the 2024 USA International Math Olympiad team was an AoPS alumnus. The IMO is the top-tier mathematics competition for high school students worldwide.

In February 2026, founder Richard Rusczyk returned as CEO to guide the company's next chapter. Rusczyk had moved to a board role in March 2025 when Ben Kornell took the CEO seat. He came back just under a year later. He also won the 2025 Bezos Courage & Civility Award the same year he stepped back.

15 open SD roles. And the spread tells the story.

Momentum signals:

• Founder Richard Rusczyk returned as CEO (February 2026)

• Founder won the 2025 Bezos Courage & Civility Award

• Every 2024 USA International Math Olympiad team member is an AoPS alumnus

• Launched new Honors and Scholars course structure (2025)

Open roles across:

• Engineering

• Design

• Product

• Data and Analytics

• Marketing

• All 15 open SD roles

Education companies don't usually make Career Coyote. AoPS does because of who they produce. And right now, with a new Director of Product Design alongside 14 other roles, they're also clearly investing in how AoPS shows up to students. The platform that's produced every recent US Math Olympiad team is hiring for its next chapter.

EyePop.ai - 1 SD Role

Just won two top honors at ISC West 2026, including Judges' Choice. Computer vision deployment without machine learning expertise.

Why they matter:

Building a custom computer vision model used to take a machine learning team, a year of work, and a lot of trial and error.

EyePop built a self-service platform that turns it into hours. Their cloud-based interface lets developers, security operators, and non-ML teams build, train, and deploy custom computer vision models without writing model code.

In March 2026, the Security Industry Association recognized them with two awards at ISC West 2026: the Judges' Choice Award and the Video Analytics category award. Judges' Choice is one of only two top honors in the entire SIA program, which has been recognizing industry innovation since 1979.

EyePop is also a Qualcomm AI Hub collaborator. That means their models deploy directly to Snapdragon-powered Windows devices and Android phones without extra coding.

Eleven employees just beat the entire security industry to two ISC West awards.

Momentum signals:

• Two ISC West 2026 SIA Awards: Judges' Choice + Video Analytics category (March 2026)

• Qualcomm AI Hub collaborator with direct deployment to Snapdragon devices

• Self-service computer vision platform launched for non-ML teams

• 11-person team based in San Diego

Open role:

• Account Engineer

A small SD team just beat the entire security industry to two ISC West awards. One open role. If you're a builder who wants in early at a Judges' Choice-caliber computer vision company, here's the opening.

Want us to keep tracking SD roles for you?

Over 460 of you have told us exactly what you're looking for. That's how we find the right fit instead of just sharing what's open.

Tell us yours. It takes 2 minutes.

Tell us what you're looking for

On the Radar

Three companies from last week still hiring and worth your time:

• Seasats - 13 open SD roles. The center of San Diego's aquatic drone scene. Just landed $24M in Department of War APFIT funding and a $20M Series A led by Konvoy Ventures.

• Neomorph - 3 open SD roles. Just closed $100M Series B led by Deerfield Management with participation from Regeneron Ventures, advancing their molecular glue degrader platform toward Phase 1/2 cancer trials.

• Cloudbeds - 9 open roles across SD and remote. The 2026 State of Independent Hotels Report shows OTA share of independent bookings hit 63.4%. Cloudbeds is building the AI tools to address it.

One pattern this week:

Defense tech is mainstreaming (Liquid plus Keysight). Legacy education companies are now tech employers (AoPS). And an 11-person SD team just beat the entire security industry (EyePop). The opportunity surface in San Diego is wider than people think.

Let's help good people find great San Diego teams.

Jonah 🐺

P.S. Know someone job-hunting in SD tech? Forward this email. They can join in too at thecareercoyote.beehiiv.com.

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A few helpful links:

Hiring in San Diego? DM us your open roles
Tell me what you’re looking for: It takes 2 minutes.

Looking to get more connected in San Diego? The Social Coyote

I visited Seasats HQ in San Diego last week.

Two dogs greeted me at the door. The office had clearly taken over the space next door, then run out of room again. The energy was the kind you feel at a company that is moving faster than its walls can keep up with.

Someone told me something I didn't know: San Diego is the aquatic drone capital of the United States. There are hubs in the Gulf and Rhode Island, but San Diego is where it's happening. On any given day, you'll see three or four different groups deploying boats in the bay: companies, military, and research teams. All testing at the same time.

Seasats is at the center of it.

Howl yeah, let's dive in.

Seasats — 14 Open SD Roles

Solar-powered Navy USVs. Just raised $20M Series A and won a $24M APFIT award.

Why they matter:

The Navy is building toward a hybrid fleet, one that integrates autonomous systems alongside traditional vessels. Seasats is building the autonomous side of that equation.

Their small, solar-powered uncrewed surface vehicles operate continuously at sea for months at a time, collecting ocean data, supporting naval operations, and running surveillance missions. The Quickfish USV completed an eight-day continuous sea trial earlier this year. Their vessels have crossed the Atlantic and Pacific fully autonomously.

$100M+ in U.S. government contracts. $24M APFIT award from the Department of War in January 2026. $40M+ in total funding.

Their values are posted on the wall: Get Shit Done. Be Kind. Fight Entropy. Attack with Overwhelming Force. Ask More Questions. Lines, Not Dots.

That's not corporate values copy. That's how a team building autonomous vessels for the Navy actually thinks.

Momentum signals:

• $20M Series A raised led by Konvoy Ventures, February 2026 to scale USV production

• $24M DoD APFIT award January 2026 to accelerate fielding

• Quickfish USV completed eight-day continuous sea trial (March 2026)

• $100M+ in U.S. government contracts including Navy and USMC

Open roles across:

• Engineering

• Maritime systems

• Operations

• All 14 open SD roles

A company that has outgrown its office and still has 14 open roles. If you want to work on autonomous maritime systems at the center of where this technology is being built, this is the one.

Neomorph — 5 Open SD Roles

Molecular glue degrader platform. Just closed $100M Series B with Regeneron Ventures.

Why they matter:

Most cancer drugs try to block disease-causing proteins. Neomorph is engineering a way to destroy them entirely.

Their molecular glue degrader platform works by creating a kind of biological trap, engineering protein surfaces that recruit the cell's own disposal machinery to eliminate the target protein. It's a fundamentally different approach to targeted protein degradation, and it's opening up disease targets that conventional drugs can't reach.

In April 2026, Neomorph closed a $100M Series B led by Deerfield Management with Regeneron participating. In May 2026, they appointed Robert J. Hugin, former CEO of Celgene, as Chairman of the Board. Their lead program NEO-811 is advancing into a Phase 1/2 cancer trial in 2026.

San Diego biotech at its highest level.

Momentum signals:

• $100M Series B closed April 2026, led by Deerfield Management with Regeneron participating

• Robert J. Hugin appointed Chairman of the Board (May 2026)

• NEO-811 advancing into Phase 1/2 cancer trial (2026)

• Proprietary platform with novel E3 ubiquitin ligase portfolio and unique molecular glue libraries

Open roles:

• All 5 open SD roles

Five roles at a biotech company that just raised $100M and has Regeneron and a former Celgene CEO backing it. If you're in drug discovery, computational biology, or biotech research, this is worth a close look.

Cloudbeds — 9 Open Roles, SD Hub and Remote

Property management platform serving 26,000+ properties in 150 countries. 2026 State of Independent Hotels Report shows OTA share of independent bookings hit 63.4%.

Why they matter:

Most hotels are running on legacy software that was never designed for how guests book, communicate, and experience travel today.

Cloudbeds built the modern alternative. Their unified platform handles property management, booking, channel management, and revenue tools for independent hotels and lodging businesses worldwide. Founded in San Diego in 2012, they now serve hoteliers across 150+ countries.

Their AI innovation hub, Cloudbeds Labs, is scaling with two products built in-house: Signals (revenue and marketing AI) and Engage (24/7 voice concierge for hotels). Their 2026 State of Independent Hotels Report identified tightening margins, shifting traveler behavior, and OTA dominance as the defining challenges for the industry right now. Cloudbeds is building the software to address all three.

San Diego HQ. Global reach.

Momentum signals:

• 2026 State of Independent Hotels Report (March 2026): OTA share of independent bookings hit 63.4%, with OTA cancellation rates more than 2x direct bookings (21.8% vs 10.6%)

• Cloudbeds Labs AI innovation hub scaling with Signals (revenue/marketing AI) and Engage (24/7 voice concierge)

• 26,000+ properties served across 150 countries from San Diego HQ

• 7-night bookings surged 25% year over year per their 2026 report

Open roles:

• All 9 open roles

Nine roles across SD and remote. If you're in hospitality tech, AI product development, or SaaS and want to work on software used by hoteliers worldwide, this one has the scale and the mission to match.

A role worth knowing about

Cedar: SD-based proptech compressing months of land development analysis into hours. Two roles, including one unlisted Head of Engineering, available by reply-for-intro only.

A recruiting partner shared something with us this week that we think belongs in front of the pack.

America is short 6.5 million homes. Not because we can't build them, but because the process of finding land, navigating zoning, and getting to permits takes longer than the construction itself.

Cedar is building software to collapse that timeline. Their platform uses generative algorithms and real data to predict development yield on any urban parcel, turning months of consultant work into something a developer can do in hours. Founded in 2022. Nate Peters, one of the co-founders, is based in San Diego and hiring here.

There is more news coming from Cedar that we can't share yet. What we can say is that this is a company worth paying close attention to right now.

They are looking for two people:

Head of Engineering — San Diego. This role is not listed publicly. If you're a senior engineering leader who has built technical teams at an early-stage company and this sounds like a fit, reply to this email directly. We'll make the introduction.

Software Engineer — Design Automation — $140-170K | San Diego

Build the tools architects use every day. Ownership over how automation shows up inside Revit and other BIM tools.

We've crossed 1,045 in the pack.

Tell us what you're looking for, and we'll tap you on the shoulder when we find a real fit. Not just what happens to be open. Over 529 of you have already told us what you're looking for. The more we know about you, the better we can look out for you.

It takes 2 minutes.

Tell us what you're looking for

Want to be featured?

The Career Coyote features San Diego companies doing something worth knowing about. If your company is building something here in San Diego and has open roles worth sharing with 1,045 engaged local tech professionals, reply to this email or DM us on LinkedIn.

Let's help good people find great San Diego teams.

Jonah 🐺

P.S. Land an interview, connect with a company, or find a strategy that's working for you? Reply and give us a howl. We'd love to hear what's working in the pack in San Diego and celebrate with you, too.

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A few helpful links:

Hiring in San Diego? DM us your open roles
Tell me what you’re looking for: It takes 2 minutes.

Job hunting is easier when you know the landscape. The Social Coyote covers who's building, raising, and tech events in San Diego.

A San Diego company just rolled its first solar electric vehicle off a structured assembly line.

It took years to get here. Now they need the team to build the next thousand.

Howl yeah, let's dive in.

Aptera - 5 Open SD Roles

Why they matter:

Most electric vehicles still need a charging cable. Aptera is building one that doesn't.

Their three-wheeled solar electric vehicle is designed to generate enough energy from sunlight alone to cover most daily driving. The aerodynamic shell is unlike anything else on the road. The efficiency numbers are unlike anything else in the EV market.

On March 3, 2026, Aptera completed its first vehicle off a 14-station validation assembly line in Carlsbad. This marks the transition from hand-built prototypes to a structured, repeatable build process. These vehicles are now undergoing thermal validation, brake performance testing, and destructive testing as the company advances toward regulatory certification and customer deliveries.

Nearly 50,000 people have reserved one. That's over $2 billion in potential revenue waiting on the other side of certification.

Momentum signals:

• First vehicle completed off validation assembly line, Carlsbad CA (March 3, 2026)

• $17.1M in new capital raised in Q1 2026, including a $9M follow-on public offering and $8.1M from warrant exercises

• Assembly and integration organization now the company's largest functional team, with sustained hiring across key roles in recent months

• Advancing toward regulatory self-certification and EPA certification ahead of first customer deliveries

Open roles:

• All 5 open SD roles

San Diego is building a solar car. It just became real. If you want to be part of the team that takes it from first unit to first deliveries, go take a look.

Platform Science - 13 Open Roles, SD and Remote US

Why they matter:

Every commercial truck on the road is running a patchwork of disconnected software. One app for dispatch, another for compliance, another for driver communication. It slows everything down and costs everyone money.

Platform Science built the operating layer that replaces all of it. Their Virtual Vehicle platform integrates driver apps and back-office tools into a unified system for connected vehicles and digital supply chains. Think of it as the iOS for commercial trucks.

In February 2025, they completed the acquisition of Trimble's global transportation telematics business, a unit generating approximately $300M in annual revenue. Trimble became a shareholder and joined the board. That's not a startup move. That's a category-defining one.

Momentum signals:

• Launched 2026 Connected Vehicle Lab North American Roadshow

• Introduced Trust Portal for fleet transparency and operational visibility

• Trimble, Daimler Truck, PACCAR, Cummins, and Schneider all strategic investors

• Trimble acquisition completed February 2025, adding approximately $300M in annual revenue

Open roles:

• All open roles

Platform Science absorbed one of the biggest names in fleet telematics and kept building. If you're in fleet tech, SaaS, or connected vehicle systems, this one is significantly bigger than it was a year ago.

Trust & Will - 4 Open Remote US Roles

Why they matter:

Only 31% of Americans have a will.

Not because they don't need one. Because the process is intimidating, expensive, and stuck in the past.

Trust & Will built the modern alternative. Their digital platform lets people create legally valid wills, trusts, and estate planning documents online, in a fraction of the time and cost of a traditional attorney. Over 1 million users since founding in 2017. Forbes named them one of America's Best Startup Employers for 2026.

The company was founded in San Diego by Cody Barbo, an SDSU alum who remains connected to the community.

The team is now fully remote and expanding fast. Their 2026 Estate Planning Report found that trust in AI for estate planning is at a record high. A tailwind the company is clearly positioned to capture. AI is already embedded in their platform, delivering personalized recommendations and real-time plan updates.

Momentum signals:

• $25M+ Series C raised March 2025, led by Moderne Ventures with UBS, Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures, and Erie Strategic Ventures participating

• $75M raised total to date

• AI-powered platform for estate planning attorneys launched (2025)

• Nonprofit Platform powered by EstateOS launched (2026)

• Forbes Best Startup Employers 2026

• Official estate planning partner for the San Diego Wave

Open roles:

• All open roles

San Diego roots, fully remote, and expanding quickly. If you're in legal tech, fintech, or consumer SaaS, these roles are open to anyone in the pack.

We've crossed 1,030 in the pack.

Tell us what you're looking for, and we'll tap you on the shoulder when we find a real fit. Not just what happens to be open.

Over 518 of you have already told us what you're looking for. The more we know about you, the better we can look out for you.

It takes 2 minutes.

Tell us what you're looking for

Let's help good people find great San Diego teams.

Jonah 🐺

P.S. Land an interview, connect with a company, or find a strategy that's working for you? Reply and give us a howl. We'd love to hear what's working in the pack in San Diego and celebrate with you, too.

-

A few helpful links:

Hiring in San Diego? DM us your open roles
Tell me what you’re looking for: It takes 2 minutes.

Job hunting is easier when you know the landscape. The Social Coyote covers who's building, raising, and tech events in San Diego.

Three weeks ago Brain Corp had 6 open roles in San Diego. Today they have 17.

That kind of growth inside a company tells you something is accelerating.

Howl yeah, let's dive in.

Brain Corp — 17 Open SD Roles

We featured Brain Corp three weeks ago with 6 open roles. They now have 17.

Why they matter:

47,000 autonomous robots are running in commercial spaces right now at airports, retailers, distribution centers, and all powered by software built in San Diego.

Brain Corp builds BrainOS, the AI platform behind the world's largest commercial fleet of autonomous mobile robots. Since we last featured them in April, they've grown from 6 to 17 open San Diego roles. They just achieved SOC 2 Type II compliance, reinforcing their push into enterprise. And USA TODAY just named them a 2026 Top Workplace.

Something is accelerating here.

Momentum signals:

• 47,000+ AMRs deployed globally, up from 37,000 in April

• SOC 2 Type II compliance achieved: enterprise-grade security certification

• USA TODAY Top Workplaces 2026

• Exclusive technology agreement with Tennant Company for robotic floor cleaning

Open roles across:

• Robotics and AI Engineering

• Software Development

• Operations and Enterprise

• All 17 open SD roles

Six open roles became 17 in three weeks. If you want to build AI already running at scale, go take a look at this one.

Firestorm — 39 Open SD Roles

3D-printable drone factories in shipping containers. $82M Series B. Team quadrupled in 12 months.

Why they matter:

In a Pacific conflict, the nearest U.S. drone factory is thousands of miles away.

Firestorm's answer is a drone factory that fits inside a shipping container. Their xCell platform puts an industrial HP 3D printer inside two containers that can be flown to a forward base.

The Tempest drone, about 55 pounds with a 6-foot fuselage, prints in 9 hours and assembles in 36. The Army has already used xCell to print Bradley Fighting Vehicle replacement parts on-site. Parts that would have otherwise taken months to procure.

xCell units are currently operational in the Indo-Pacific. Lockheed Martin, In-Q-Tel, and Booz Allen Ventures all just backed their $82M Series B. Total funding: $153M.

The team has quadrupled from 40 to 160 people in the last 12 months and they’re still growing.

Momentum signals:

• $82M Series B closed April 2026, led by Washington Harbour Partners

• $153M total funding, Lockheed Martin, In-Q-Tel, and Booz Allen Ventures all participating

• xCell units operational in the Indo-Pacific and deployed with Air Force Research Lab and Air Force Special Operations Command

• $100M Air Force contract ceiling for additively manufactured drones

• Team quadrupled from 40 to 160 people in 12 months

• Five-year global exclusive with HP for mobile 3D printing deployment

Open roles across:

• Drone Engineering and Avionics

• Manufacturing and Production

• Software and Systems

• Operations and Program Management

• All 39 open SD roles

The team went from 40 to 160 people in a year. They're not done. If you're in defense, aerospace, manufacturing, or software… go look at what's open this week.

American Lithium Energy — 6 Open Roles

Military-grade silicon lithium batteries built in a 90K sq ft Vista megafactory.

Why they matter:

The hardest problem in energy storage isn't building a battery. It's building one that performs at the edge: in extreme conditions, for military applications, where failure isn't an option.

American Lithium Energy builds some of the world's highest energy density silicon-based lithium-ion batteries with industry-leading safety and zero-volt stability. Their products power both military and commercial applications.

In 2024 they opened a 90,000 square foot megafactory in Vista, signed $1.6B in letters of intent from commercial customers, and won a $2M Department of Defense grant for breakthrough battery technology.

Their most recent development: a 100C lithium-ion cell, a significant advancement in fast-charging capability and energy density that most battery companies aren't close to.

Momentum signals:

• 100C lithium-ion cell, industry-leading fast-charge performance

• Opened 90,000 sqft megafactory in Vista, CA (2024)

• $1.6B in LOIs signed from commercial customers (2024)

• $2M DOD grant for breakthrough battery technology (2024)

Open roles:

• All 6 open roles

Military-grade batteries built in Vista, CA. If you work in materials science, electrochemistry, or advanced manufacturing, this is one of the most technically demanding seats in San Diego.

Kanani's Open Searches

Kanani is one of San Diego's sharpest tech recruiters. Three roles this week at a fast-growing, profitable eCommerce and 3PL company in San Diego.

Lead Software Engineer, WMS — $160-190K | Hybrid, San Diego Own backend modernization of a proprietary warehouse management platform. Migrate legacy workflows to event-driven APIs, rebuild high-volume operational flows for returns and shipping visibility. Hands-on, high-urgency, executive visibility.

Lead Data Architect — NoSQL — On-site, San Diego Rebuild and future-proof the data foundation for a platform supporting 200+ brands. Define the canonical data model, clean up BigQuery and Snowflake, and architect a scalable platform supporting analytics, logistics, and pricing.

Senior Product Manager — $140-175K | San Diego Drive roadmap and execution across internal operational platforms, analytics dashboards, and supply chain systems for a large-scale eCommerce and distribution business. Strong ownership. Executive visibility.

If any of these look like a fit, reach out to Kanani directly. Tell her the Jonah sent you.

We've crossed 1,000 in the pack.

Tell us what you're looking for and we'll tap you on the shoulder when we find a real fit. Not just what happens to be open.

Over 510 of you have already told us what you're looking for. The more we know about you, the better we can look out for you.

It takes 2 minutes.

Tell us what you're looking for

On the Radar

Two companies worth your attention:

HyperKelp — 2 Open Roles Smart autonomous buoys collecting real-time ocean data for defense, NOAA, and the Port of San Diego. Just selected for the NATO DIANA 2026 Maritime Operations cohort.

Tempo — 2 Open Roles Rebranded from Redoxblox in April 2026. Backed by Khosla Ventures. Builds thermochemical batteries that store energy and deliver industrial heat up to 1,200°C.

Let's help good people find great San Diego teams.

Jonah 🐺

P.S. Know someone job-hunting in SD?
Forward this email. They can join at thecareercoyote.beehiiv.com

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A few helpful links:

Hiring in San Diego? DM us your open roles
Tell me what you’re looking for: It takes 2 minutes.
Looking to get more connected in San Diego? The Social Coyote

OpenAI also just named a San Diego firm one of its official Service Partners. That puts Cadre AI in a small group of vetted shops OpenAI sends customers to when they need help actually shipping AI inside their business.

Two more San Diego companies worth knowing about this week. Plus a One Cool Role at a Carlsbad institution you wouldn't expect.

Howl yeah, let's dive in.

Cadre AI — 2 SD Roles + 1 Remote

Just named an official OpenAI Service Partner. AI implementation firm helping mid-market companies actually ship.

Why they matter:

OpenAI's Service Partner program is selective. They use it to send customers to vetted shops that can actually implement AI inside real businesses, not just pitch slides about it.

In January 2026, Cadre AI joined that roster.

Cadre helps B2B and consumer services companies with $30M to $500M in revenue ship AI inside their operations. Strategy, workflow automation, and training that drives EBITDA. Not transformation theater. Real deployments at the scale where AI either earns its keep or doesn't.

The fact that one of their open roles is "Forward Deployed AI Engineer" tells you everything about how they work. They embed engineers with clients to ship.

Momentum signals:

• Named an official OpenAI Service Partner (January 2026)

• Hosted AI Leadership Workshop for SD executives (January 2026)

• Launched the AI Maturity Index assessment tool (2026)

Open roles:

• Forward Deployed AI Engineer — San Diego

• AI Engineer Intern — San Diego

• VP of Training & Enablement — USA Remote

• All open roles

If you'd rather ship AI inside real businesses than build at a frontier lab, this is the gig. The Forward Deployed role especially.

Connect — 2 SD Roles

The 40-year-old nonprofit at the center of San Diego's innovation ecosystem. Just brought on a new Director of Tech and Defense.

Why they matter:

If you've worked at a San Diego startup in the last decade, you've probably been in a room Connect put together.

Connect builds the connective tissue of San Diego's innovation economy. Capital introductions, advisor matchmaking, and programs like the annual "Cool Companies" cohort that gets venture-ready startups in front of national VCs. Tech and life sciences both.

In 2025, companies in the Connect orbit raised $580M. 355 startups participated in their programs.

This month, Connect brought on Marshall Fritz as Director of Tech and Defense to lead innovation and capital pathways at the intersection of those two sectors. They're hiring two more.

Momentum signals:

• Marshall Fritz appointed Director of Tech and Defense (April 2026)

• $580M raised by Connect-supported companies in 2025

• 355 startups supported through Connect programs in 2025

• Annual "Cool Companies" venture pitch series running into its next cohort

Open roles:

• Head of Partnerships & Growth

• Marketing & Events Coordinator

• All open roles

40 years in, Connect is the rare nonprofit where the seat actually shapes the city. If you've spent time in SD's startup ecosystem and want to put your fingerprints on what comes next, this is one of the few jobs that lets you.

Wildfire Systems — 1 Remote Role, SD HQ

Powers shopping rewards for the world's biggest banks and fintechs. Just landed at #575 on Inc. 5000 with 721% revenue growth.

Why they matter:

Most cashback you've ever earned probably ran through software you've never heard of.

Wildfire Systems builds the white-label rewards infrastructure behind some of the world's largest financial institutions, fintechs, and consumer platforms. Banks plug in Wildfire and suddenly they can offer their customers cashback, coupons, and loyalty rewards on every purchase, without building any of it themselves. Over 50,000 merchant programs, now in 185 countries.

In April 2026, Wildfire partnered with Credit Key to monetize B2B marketplace transactions through affiliate commerce and BNPL financing. Earlier this year they launched a debit card rewards program with Bold.org for purchases on AI platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini. And in 2025, they hit #575 on the Inc. 5000 with 721% revenue growth.

Momentum signals:

• Credit Key partnership for B2B BNPL affiliate monetization (April 2026)

• White-label portal expanded to 185 countries with 10K+ international merchant programs (March 2026)

• Bold.org partnership: debit card rewards for spending on AI platforms (2026)

• Inc. 5000 #575 with 721% revenue growth (2025)

Open role:

• Client Marketing Director — Remote ($150K to $180K)

$150K to $180K. Remote. The kind of client-marketing seat where your work shows up in the revenue numbers of the world's largest fintechs.

One Cool Role

A different kind of pick this week. One role at a company most San Diegans have never thought of as a tech employer.

Senior Director, AI — Callaway Golf, Carlsbad

Yes, that Callaway. The one that just renamed itself back to Callaway Golf Company in January, divesting Topgolf and Jack Wolfskin to double down on equipment, balls, and accessories.

This is a real enterprise AI leadership role. Own the company-wide AI vision. Chair the AI governance board. Define the operating model. Work directly with the C-suite. Not a tech-adjacent gig at a sports brand. A serious AI seat at a public company leaning into AI as a competitive lever.

If you're a senior AI leader who wants to put your stamp on a consumer brand most people grew up with, this kind of role doesn't come around often. Plus 14 other Carlsbad roles open across engineering, ops, and marketing.

All open Callaway roles.

We just crossed 1,000 in the pack this week.

Welcome to everyone who joined. We don't share roles for the sake of sharing them. We're trying to find the actual right fit for the actual right person.

That works better when you tell us what you're looking for.

Over 460 of you already have. The more we know about your search, the better we can look out for you.

It takes 2 minutes.

Tell us what you're looking for

In case you missed it

Three companies from last week still worth your time:

• mPower Technology — Lockheed-backed flexible solar tech for satellites. 2 senior leadership roles in San Diego: VP of Engineering and Director of QA.

• Condor — Just raised $24M Series A from Insight Partners to scale their AI Financial Intelligence Platform for life sciences. 6 remote roles, SD HQ.

• Element Biosciences — Fast Company Most Innovative 2026, plus the $100 genome milestone. 11 SD roles across R&D, ops, and commercial.

Let's help good people find great San Diego teams.

Jonah 🐺

—

P.S. Know someone job-hunting in SD tech? Forward this email. They can join at thecareercoyote.beehiiv.com

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A few helpful links:

Hiring in San Diego? DM us your open roles
Tell me what you’re looking for: It takes 2 minutes.
Looking to get more connected in San Diego? The Social Coyote

Lockheed Martin Ventures just made a strategic bet on a flexible solar technology that can wrap around satellites, reshape constellation design, and power missions that couldn't exist a decade ago.

The company building it is scaling manufacturing in New York and hiring out of its San Diego office.

That's one of three companies worth knowing about this week.

Howl yeah, let's dive in.

mPower Technology — 2 SD Roles

Why they matter:

Flexible solar for space has been the holy grail of aerospace power for decades.

mPower built DragonSCALES, a fully flexible, interconnected mesh of miniature silicon solar cells that can shape to almost any geometry. It lets satellite designers rethink form factor, wrap power around unconventional structures, and shave mass where every gram matters.

Airbus Netherlands selected DragonSCALES for its Sparkwing solar arrays powering MDA's AURORA satellites. It's headed to Telesat Lightspeed and the next-generation Apple-backed Globalstar constellation.

And in 2025, mPower brought online the world's first automated, high-volume production line for space solar at Universal Instruments in Conklin, NY. Lockheed Martin Ventures joined the cap table as a strategic add-on to Series B, bringing total Series B to more than $24M.

Momentum signals:

• Strategic investment from Lockheed Martin Ventures (August 2025)

• First automated, high-volume production line for space solar online

• DragonSCALES selected for Telesat Lightspeed, Globalstar, and MDA AURORA constellations

• San Diego office expanded to anchor executive and commercial leadership

Open roles:

• Vice President of Engineering — San Diego Metro

• Director of Quality Assurance — Carlsbad

• All open roles

Two senior leadership roles. If you're an engineering or quality leader who's scaled hardware from prototype to high-volume production, and you want to do it on technology powering the commercial space buildout, this one is the job.

Condor — 6 Remote Roles, SD HQ

Why they matter:

Pharma companies spend more than $300B a year on R&D. The financial systems tracking that spend still run on spreadsheets, manual reconciliations, and a tangle of CRO portals, ERP systems, and accounting tools.

Condor built the Financial Intelligence Platform purpose-built for life sciences. Three AI-powered modules: Connect pulls clinical, operational, and financial data into one source of truth. Compass forecasts costs, models scenarios, and flags risk. Copilot automates accruals, reconciliations, and monthly close.

Customers report more than 90% forecast accuracy, 70% faster month-end close, and roughly 30% in budget savings. Used by Acadia Pharmaceuticals, Alumis Therapeutics, BridgeBio Pharma, and Madrigal Pharmaceuticals.

In April 2026, Condor closed a $24M Series A led by Insight Partners. Total raised: $36M.

Momentum signals:

• $24M Series A led by Insight Partners (April 2026)

• Participation from Felicis, 645 Ventures, Pamir Ventures, SNR, Prebys Ventures, and Bramalea Partners

• More than $19B in R&D spend now managed on the platform

• Customers include BridgeBio, Madrigal, Acadia, and Alumis

Open roles across:

• Engineering and Product

• Sales and Business Development

• Customer Success and Solutions Engineering

• Clinical Finance and FP&A

• All open roles

If you work at the intersection of AI, enterprise software, and life sciences, and want to build something that actually accelerates how drugs get to market, this one is worth a look.

Element Biosciences — 11 SD Roles

Why they matter:

DNA sequencing has always been expensive. Both the box and the cost per genome.

Element is rewriting both equations. Their AVITI system made high-quality sequencing genuinely accessible to more labs. In February 2026, they launched VITARI, the first benchtop sequencer capable of delivering a $100 genome. Pre-orders are open; shipping starts in the second half of the year.

In March 2026, Fast Company named Element to its annual list of the World's Most Innovative Companies of 2026, recognizing its work in genomics and multiomics.

Element is the kind of San Diego life sciences story that's easy to miss until the technology shows up in every lab that matters.

Momentum signals:

• Fast Company World's Most Innovative Companies 2026 (March 2026)

• VITARI launched: first benchtop sequencer capable of a $100 genome (February 2026)

• 2026 Innovation Roadmap expanded across sequencing and multiomics

• Backed by Wellington Management, Samsung, Fidelity, Foresite Capital, T. Rowe Price, and Venrock

Open roles across:

• Research & Development (drug screening, surface chemistry, electrical and embedded systems, histology)

• Operations (quality, compliance, process development)

• Commercial, Finance, and Informatics

• All open roles

If you want to work on the hardware making genomics dramatically cheaper, and help get it into labs around the world, this one is worth a look.

In case you missed it

A few companies from last week are still worth a look:

• Monarch Quantum — Quantum light engines for NASA's first space-based quantum gravity gradiometer. $100M+ in capital and contracts inside six months. 43 open SD roles across photonics, quantum systems, robotics, and software.

• Seismic — Category-defining revenue enablement platform now merging with Highspot. $3B, six profitable quarters, SD HQ. 6 roles in SD and remote US across product, engineering, and sales.

• Flock Freight — AI-powered shared truckload platform. $60M Series E and a Fast Company Next Big Things in Tech nod. 6 open Encinitas roles in engineering and applied AI.

• Radicle Science — Proof-as-a-Service for wellness brands that want real clinical evidence. Fresh growth round in April, backed by Chris Anderson (former TED owner). 2 open SoCal roles: CSIO and Sales Director.

We’ve got 999 in the pack!

Tell us what you're looking for, and we'll tap you on the shoulder when we find a real fit.

Not just what happens to be open. Over 460 people in the pack have already told us what they're looking for. The more we know about your search, the better we can look out for you.

It takes 2 minutes.

Tell us what you’re looking for

Let's help good people find great San Diego teams.

Jonah 🐺

—

A few helpful links:

Hiring in San Diego? DM us your open roles
Tell me what you’re looking for: It takes 2 minutes.
Looking to get more connected in San Diego? The Social Coyote

A San Diego company was just selected by NASA to build quantum light engines for the first planned space-based quantum gravity gradiometer.

They crossed $100M in capital and contracts within six months of founding.

And they're hiring deeply technical roles right here in San Diego.

That's one of four companies worth knowing about this week.

Howl yeah, let's dive in.

Monarch Quantum — 43 Open SD Roles

Why they matter:

Quantum technology has been a laboratory promise for decades.

Monarch Quantum is building the hardware that makes it real. Their Quantum Light Engines integrate chip-scale lasers, modulators, detectors, fiber optics, and control systems into compact, ruggedized subsystems.

The physical infrastructure that quantum computing, sensing, and communications actually run on.

In February 2026, NASA selected them to deliver integrated photonics for the first planned space-based quantum gravity gradiometer. The applications beyond space: drug discovery, climate modeling, financial optimization, and secure communications.

This is the kind of company most people won't hear about until it's already changed something.

Momentum signals:

• Surpassed $100M in capital and contracts within six months of founding

• Raised $55M growth round in March 2026 to scale quantum photonics infrastructure

• Selected as a founding member of the SoCal Quantum Alliance alongside UCLA

• NASA contract for space-based quantum sensing (February 2026)

Open roles across:

• Photonics Engineering

• Quantum Systems

• Robotics and Software

• Principal and Director level across multiple disciplines

• All open SD roles

If you're a deeply technical engineer ready to work on technology that is moving from lab to launch. This is the one.

Seismic — 6 Roles, SD HQ and Remote US

Why they matter:

Sales and marketing teams run on disconnected tools. Content lives in one place, coaching in another, analytics somewhere else entirely.

Seismic built the platform that pulls it together. Their Enablement Cloud gives go-to-market teams the content, skills, and AI-driven insights they need in one place. Trusted by approximately 2,000 organizations worldwide.

In February 2026, Seismic announced a merger with Highspot, its closest competitor. The combined company keeps the Seismic name, Seismic's CEO, and Seismic's private equity backing. They're now the undisputed category leader in revenue enablement.

And they just launched Winter 2026 with new AI agents and Model Context Protocol support.

Momentum signals:

• $3B valuation, headquartered in San Diego

• Six consecutive profitable quarters

• Merger with Highspot creates category-defining combined platform

• Winter 2026 release adds AI agents and MCP support

Open roles across:

• Product and Engineering

• Sales

• All open roles

If you're in AI, product, or enterprise SaaS and want to work at a profitable, category-leading San Diego company during one of the most interesting chapters in its history. It’s worth a look.

🚚 Flock Freight — 6 Open Encinitas Roles

Why they matter:

Most freight trucks on American highways are partially empty.

Flock Freight built the technology to fix that. Their AI-powered shared truckload platform pools shipments from multiple shippers onto a single truck, so everyone pays only for the space they use. Lower cost for shippers, better earnings for carriers, fewer trucks on the road.

Fast Company called it one of the Next Big Things in Tech for 2025. They just raised $60M in Series E funding to keep scaling.

The company is headquartered in Encinitas and is hiring locally.

Momentum signals:

• $60M Series E funding (May 2025)

• Fast Company 2025 Next Big Things in Tech for Shared Truckload AddOns

• Largest shared truckload freight brokerage in the US

• Won 2025 Sustainability Initiative of the Year Award

Open roles across:

• Engineering

• Applied AI

• All Open Roles

Six roles in Encinitas. If you're in engineering or AI and want to work on a real logistics problem on a real scale, this one is worth a look.

Radicle Science — 2 Open SoCal Roles

Why they matter:

Billions of dollars in wellness products are sold every year, with almost no clinical proof behind them.

Radicle Science is changing that. Their Proof-as-a-Service platform lets health and wellness brands run decentralized, large-scale, placebo-controlled clinical trials faster and at a fraction of traditional cost.

The result: verified evidence for products that have never had it.

Co-founded by Pelin Thorogood, a UCSD Foundation Trustee and chair of the UC San Diego Chancellor's Council for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Fast Company named it a World Changing Idea.

Former TED owner Chris Anderson invested.

Momentum signals:

• Fresh growth round closed April 2026

• Launched Radicle Discovery Gen 2, upgraded AI-powered clinical research platform

• Investment from Resilience Reserve and Chris Anderson (former TED owner)

• Recognized as a Fast Company World Changing Idea

Open roles:

• Chief Science & Innovation Officer (CSIO)

• Sales Director

• All Open Roles

Two roles, a genuinely novel company. If you're at the intersection of health tech, clinical research, and AI, this one is doing something no one else is doing.

Kanani's Open Searches

Kanani is one of San Diego's sharpest tech recruiters. Three fresh roles this week, all on-site in San Diego.

• VP of Supply Chain Operations — Amazon/eCommerce — Up to $400K | Hybrid, San Diego Senior operator role leading supply chain for a large-scale eCommerce business. Executive visibility, high ownership.

• Senior Product Manager — Up to $170K | On-site, San Diego Drive roadmap and execution across operational platforms and analytics for a scaling eCommerce company.

• Senior Data Architect — Up to $195K | On-site, rebuild and future-proof the data foundation.

If any of these look like a fit, reach out to Kanani directly. Tell her Jonah sent you.

In case you missed it

A few companies from last week are still worth checking out:

• Hpy — Automates the administrative work that follows every therapy session. 40% less admin time. 32% more billable hours. 1 open role: Director of Clinical Outreach and Partnerships (Remote US).

• Seasats — Autonomous surface vessels proven in U.S. Navy exercises. $100M+ in government contracts. 14 open SD roles across engineering, maritime systems, and operations.

• Brain Corp — AI software powering 37,000 autonomous robots in commercial spaces worldwide. 6 open SD roles.

We’ve got 988 in the pack!

Tell us what you're looking for, and we'll tap you on the shoulder when we find a real fit.

Not just what happens to be open. Over 460 people in the pack have already told us what they're looking for. The more we know about your search, the better we can look out for you.

It takes 2 minutes.

Tell us what you’re looking for

Let's help good people find great San Diego teams.

Jonah 🐺

—

A few helpful links:

Hiring in San Diego? DM us your open roles
Tell me what you’re looking for: It takes 2 minutes.
Looking to get more connected in San Diego? The Social Coyote

Seasats just crossed $100M in U.S. government contracts. Their autonomous vessels sail themselves for days at a time.

Brain Corp's robots are cleaning floors across the world's largest commercial AMR fleet. Without a human touching the wheel.

And Hpy is giving therapists 40% of their admin time back, so they can spend it on patients instead of paperwork.

Three very different problems. 21 open roles. One city.

Howl yeah, let's dive in.

And if you're hiring in San Diego, send us your roles.

Hpy — 1 Open Role, SD HQ

Why they matter:

Mental health care is drowning in paperwork.

Hpy builds a modular platform for mental health providers that automates the administrative work that follows every session.

Note transcription, treatment plan updates, group notes, and clinical documentation.

Their AI product, Viv, is built directly with clinician input and retains zero session data.

The claim: 40% reduction in admin time. 32% increase in billable hours.

That's not a productivity pitch. That's time given back to patients.

Momentum signals:

• Purpose-built with direct clinician input

• Privacy-first architecture: no session data retained, never used for AI training

• Pricing tiers built for solo therapists through large group practices

Open roles:

• Director of Clinical Outreach & Partnerships

If you're a therapist, clinician, or operator who has felt what it costs to spend half your day on documentation, this one was built for you. Worth a direct look.

Brain Corp — 6 Open SD Roles

Why they matter:

Most people have walked past a Brain Corp robot without knowing it.

Brain Corp builds the AI software powering the world's largest fleet of commercial autonomous mobile robots.

Their machines are cleaning floors in airports, big-box retail, and distribution centers. Their BrainOS® platform is the operating layer for AMRs navigating real public spaces, safely, at scale.

This isn't a robotics startup promising future deployment. These robots are already running.

Momentum signals:

• BrainOS® Clean 2.0 launched. A major update to autonomous cleaning capabilities

• Record AMR deployment growth announced in 2024

• New SaaS-experienced executive leadership brought on to scale

Open roles:

• All 6 open SD roles

If you're in robotics, AI, or autonomous systems and want to work on technology that's already operating at scale. This is a rare find.

Seasats — 14 Open SD Roles

Why they matter:

Autonomy isn't just happening in the air.

Seasats designs and builds solar-powered autonomous surface vessels for long-endurance maritime missions: defense, ocean monitoring, and infrastructure surveillance.

Their Quickfish USV completed an 8-day continuous sea trial. The vessels can be remotely launched and operate continuously without human intervention.

This is autonomous systems applied to one of the hardest environments on the planet.

Momentum signals:

• Raised $20M Series A (February 2026)

• $100M+ in U.S. government contracts secured, including Navy and USMC

• Quickfish proven in U.S. Navy exercise (October 2025)

• Total funding now exceeds $40M

Open roles across:

• Engineering

• Maritime systems

• Operations

• All 14 open SD roles

If you're technical and drawn to autonomy, defense systems, or maritime tech, and you want to work on something that's already in the water, this one is moving fast.

Kanani's Open Searches

San Diego recruiter Kanani, friend of the pack, is actively placing for two high-comp roles at a fast-growing eCommerce and 3PL company in San Diego.

• Senior Product Manager — Up to $170K | On-site | Drive roadmap and execution across internal operational platforms, analytics dashboards, and large-scale eCommerce systems

• Principal Staff Software Engineer (NodeJS) — Up to $215K | On-site | Modernize a warehouse management platform, migrate legacy systems to event-driven APIs, own backend architecture

Both are high-ownership, high-visibility roles at a company that's profitable and scaling. If either looks like a fit, reach out to Kanani directly and tell her the Career Coyote sent you.

In case you missed it

A few companies from last week are still worth checking out:

• Firestorm — Building modular drones and mobile manufacturing platforms for defense. $47M Series A. 23 open roles across engineering, flight testing, manufacturing, and operations.

• Alvys — AI-powered freight management for carriers and brokers. $40M Series B. 7 remote roles, SD HQ.

• Connect — The backbone of San Diego's startup ecosystem. 1 open role: Director of AI.

We’ve got 977 in the pack!

Tell us what you're looking for, and we'll tap you on the shoulder when we find a real fit.

Not just what happens to be open. Over 460 people in the pack have already told us what they're looking for. The more we know about you, the better we can look out for you.

It takes 2 minutes.

Tell us what you’re looking for

Let’s help San Diego companies hire San Diegans.

Jonah 🐺

—

A few helpful links:

Hiring in San Diego? DM us your open roles
Tell me what you’re looking for: It takes 2 minutes.
Looking to get more connected in San Diego? The Social Coyote

A few companies worth having on your radar this week.

From defense and biotech to the groups helping build the ecosystem itself.

Firestorm — 23 Open Roles

Why they matter:

Modern defense is shifting toward speed, adaptability, and distributed systems.

Firestorm is building modular drones and mobile manufacturing platforms that allow teams to produce and deploy unmanned systems faster and at lower cost. Their approach uses advanced 3D printing to manufacture drones and parts, including in field environments.

This is what faster hardware looks like.

Momentum signals:

• Raised $47M in Series A funding

• Relocated headquarters to Miramar to support growth

• Secured rights to distribute mobile 3D printing systems for field use

• Technology being tested for future U.S. military applications

Open roles across:

• Engineering

• Flight Testing

• Manufacturing

• Operations

• all open roles

If you want to solve problems in defense tech, robotics, or advanced manufacturing, this one is worth a look.

Connect — 1 Open Role

Why they matter:

Strong startup ecosystems do not happen by accident.

Connect plays a central role in supporting founders, connecting investors, and helping early-stage companies grow across San Diego. Their programs have helped shape many of the companies in the region.

A lot of what gets built here touches Connect at some point.

Momentum signals:

• Released 2025 Impact Report highlighting ecosystem growth

• Announced the 2026 Cool Companies cohort

• Continued expansion of founder and investor support programs

Open roles:

• Director of AI

If you are interested in building San Diego’s AI ecosystem, this one is worth a look.

Alvys — 7 Open Remote Roles, San Diego HQ

Why they matter:

Logistics is one of the largest and most complex industries in the world, and much of it still runs on fragmented systems.

Alvys is building an AI-powered transportation management platform that gives carriers and brokers real-time visibility into loads, routes, and performance. The goal is to reduce inefficiencies and improve decision-making across freight operations.

This is the layer most people never see, but everything runs on.

Momentum signals:

• Raised $40M in Series B funding

• Expanding AI-driven automation across the platform

• Founded in 2020 and scaling quickly in Solana Beach

Open roles:

• all open roles

If you want to be close to logistics, AI, or building core operational software, this one is worth a look.

Pleno Inc — 1 Open Role

Why they matter:

Biological testing is becoming more complex, with a growing need to analyze multiple data types at once.

Pleno is building a platform that enables high-scale, multi-omic detection, allowing thousands of biological targets to be analyzed in a single sample. This has applications across oncology, genomics, and drug development.

This is the kind of infrastructure that changes how research gets done.

Momentum signals:

• Raised $25M Series B to drive commercial growth

• Announced first commercial agreement with Slopes Bio

• Platform enabling large-scale sample processing in real-world settings

Open roles:

• Director of Systems Engineering

If you are interested in biotech, genomics, or next-generation diagnostics, this one is worth a look.

In case you missed it

Here are a few teams we featured last week that are still hiring:

• Clinically AI builds software that helps behavioral health teams document care, stay compliant, and manage workflows more efficiently - open roles

• AskTuring gives teams instant, cited answers from their private documents - open roles

We’ve got 964 in the pack!

About half have told us what they’re looking for.
The other half we’re still guessing on.

When we know what you want, we can send you roles that actually fit.
Not just what happens to be open.

It takes 2 minutes.

Tell us what you’re looking for

Let’s help San Diego companies hire San Diegans.

Jonah 🐺

—

A few helpful links:

Hiring in San Diego? Send us your roles
It takes 2 minutes. Tell us what you’re looking for
Looking to get more connected in San Diego? The Social Coyote

keeping an eye on San Diego

We went through Connects 2026 Cool Companies list this week looking for jobs for the pack.

Here’s what we found.

Most of them aren’t hiring publicly, yet. Which is exactly why it’s worth following them now.

That’s actually more interesting than it sounds.

A lot of the most interesting companies in San Diego are still small, focused, and hiring through their networks.

Which means fewer job posts, but more opportunities if you’re paying attention early.

This week is a mix of companies hiring and others worth keeping an eye on.

Let’s start with a few teams that are hiring right now that are worth a closer look.

Psyonic — 4 Open Roles

Why it matters:
Building advanced bionics that bridge human capability and robotics.

Psyonic develops the world’s first touch-sensing prosthetic hand, allowing users to physically feel what they’re gripping.

The company recently moved its headquarters to San Diego and continues to push forward in human-centered robotics.

Open roles:

• Head of Sales & Support

• Quality Engineer/Regulatory Specialist

• Social Media Manager

• Technical Project Manager (Engineer IV)

If you’re interested in robotics, hardware, or human-centered design, this one is worth a look.

Clinically AI — 4 Open Roles

Why it matters:
Reducing the administrative burden on behavioral health providers.

Clinically AI builds software that helps behavioral health teams document care, stay compliant, and manage workflows more efficiently.

Their platform integrates directly with existing EHR systems and uses AI to support documentation, surface issues in real time, and align with clinical and regulatory standards.

The goal: give clinicians more time to focus on patients, not paperwork.

Open roles:

• Assistant Financial Controller

• Performance Marketer

• Sales Development Representative

• Content Marketing Specialist

If you’re interested in healthcare, AI, or building tools that support clinicians directly, this one is worth a look.

AskTuring — 1 Open Role

Why it matters:
Making internal company knowledge actually usable.

AskTuring gives teams instant, cited answers from their private documents.

Every response is generated from company data, encrypted, verified, and fully sourced. It’s not pulled from the public internet.

It’s a more practical version of AI: grounded in your systems, not guessing from the web.

Open roles:

• QA Lead Role

If you’re interested in applied AI, knowledge systems, or enterprise tools, this one is worth a look.

2026 Cool Companies Worth Having on Your Radar

These companies may not be hiring publicly yet, but they’re building interesting things in San Diego and are worth following.

XZOM – Builds diagnostic systems that deliver real-time health analysis at the point of care.

Third Element Bio – Develops therapies targeting microglia cells to treat neurological disorders.

Icarus RT, Inc. – Develops solar systems that capture and store both electricity and heat energy.

Hyper Kelp – Builds ocean-based systems that collect and transmit real-time maritime data.

EcoDrive – Builds software to automate donation processing and track verified impact.

Channel Robotics – Develops handheld robotic systems for advanced endoscopic procedures.

Aquaporo Technologies – Develops systems that extract drinking water from air in dry environments.

The complete Connect Cool Companies List

In case you missed it

Here are a few teams we featured last week that are still hiring:

• ClickUp builds a unified productivity platform designed to bring tasks, documents, collaboration, and AI tools into a single workspace - Open Roles

• Aptera Motors is building ultra-efficient solar electric vehicles designed to minimize or eliminate the need for external charging - Open Roles

• Looq AI builds AI-powered reality capture tools that help engineers and utilities collect and analyze infrastructure data directly in the field - Open Roles

We’ve got 952 in the pack!

About half have told us what they’re looking for.
The rest we’re still guessing on.

This helps us share better roles and tap you on the shoulder when we find something that looks like a real fit.

It takes 2 minutes.

Tell us what you’re looking for

If one of these companies or roles feels like a fit, go for it.

Know a company that we should be sharing? Reply and send it our way.

Let’s team up and help San Diegans find great San Diego teams!

Jonah 🐺

—

A few helpful links:

The Career Coyote on LinkedIn
Hiring in San Diego? Send us your roles
Looking to get more connected in San Diego? The Social Coyote

keeping an eye on San Diego

Looq AI is working on infrastructure digitization, ClickUp continues to scale in productivity software, and Aptera Motors is pushing forward on solar electric vehicles.

20 San Diego roles across 4 San Diego Companies.

And if you’re hiring, send us your roles.

Howl yeah, let’s dive in!

🔺 ClickUp — 1 Open SD Roles, 34 Remote US Roles

Why they matter:

Productivity software sits at the center of how modern teams operate, and AI workflows can significantly reduce complexity across organizations.

ClickUp builds a unified productivity platform designed to bring tasks, documents, collaboration, and AI tools into a single workspace. The company’s goal is to eliminate “work sprawl” by replacing dozens of disconnected tools with one platform.

Momentum signals:

• Surpassed $300M in annual recurring revenue

• Named to the Forbes Cloud 100 (2025)

• Launched ClickUp 4.0, introducing deeper AI integration and role-based AI assistants

Open SD roles:

• Regional Director, Commercial Sales

• All open remote US roles

If you’re interested in productivity software, AI-powered collaboration tools, or scaling SaaS platforms, this one is worth a look.

🚗 Aptera Motors — 7 Open SD Roles

Why they matter:

Transportation accounts for a large share of global emissions, and vehicles designed to dramatically improve energy efficiency could reshape how electric mobility scales.

Aptera Motors is building ultra-efficient solar electric vehicles designed to minimize or eliminate the need for external charging. Their three-wheeled aerodynamic vehicle integrates solar panels directly into the vehicle body to extend range and reduce reliance on charging infrastructure.

Momentum signals:

• Completed the first vehicle off the validation assembly line (March 2026)

• Nearly 50,000 vehicle reservations

• Secured access to $75M in funding to support manufacturing readiness

Open SD roles:

• Sr Engineer, Battery DRE

• Mechanical Design Engineer, Vehicle-Integrated Solar Panels

• Engineer, Vehicle Packaging + Change Control

• Sr Engineer, Chassis

• All open roles

If you’re interested in electric vehicles, sustainable transportation, or next-generation vehicle design, this one is worth a look.

🎥 Looq AI — 9 Open SD Roles

Why they matter:

Utilities and infrastructure operators increasingly rely on accurate digital models of physical spaces to improve safety, planning, and maintenance decisions.

Looq builds AI-powered reality capture tools that help engineers and utilities collect and analyze infrastructure data directly in the field. Their platform combines specialized hardware with photogrammetry and AI to digitize assets such as power poles and utility infrastructure.

Momentum signals:

• Named a 2025 Cool Company by Connect

• Launched qPole, an AI-enabled 3D pole modeling product

• Announced seven new global partnerships across North America, Europe, and Asia

Open SD roles:

• Business Development Manager

• Customer Success & Product Specialist

• Deep Learning Engineer 3D Vision & Infrastructure AI

• Electromechanical Assembly Technician: Part-Time Student Position

• All open roles

If you’re building at the intersection of AI, infrastructure, and engineering systems, this one is worth a look.

🔎 Kanani’s Open Searches

San Diego recruiter Kanani, and friend of the pack, is currently helping several startups fill key roles across the ecosystem.

• Principal Data Engineer

• Product Manager

• Lead Software Engineer

The company operates at the intersection of eCommerce, logistics, and warehouse technology, building systems that power large-scale fulfillment and marketplace operations.

If any of these look like a good fit, let Kanani know the Career Coyote sent you. Howl yeah.

🔁 In case you missed it

Here are last week’s companies worth watching:

• Luna Diabetes: wearable insulin patch pump designed for people who currently manage insulin with pens - Open Roles

• Aquacycl: microbial technology that treats complex industrial wastewater onsite - Open Roles

• Netradyne: AI-powered fleet safety platforms that analyze driving behavior in real time using advanced cameras and edge computing - Open Roles

• Cooler Heads Care: portable scalp cooling technology designed to help chemotherapy patients reduce hair loss during treatment - Open Roles

If one of these companies or roles looks like a fit, go for it.

If someone in your pack is exploring new opportunities, send the role their way.

And if you land something, reply and let us know. We’d love to celebrate the win with you 🥳

Jonah 🐺

—

A few helpful links:

Find me on LinkedIn
Hiring in San Diego? Send us your roles
Looking to get more connected in San Diego? The Social Coyote

This week’s hiring signals span industrial water treatment, diabetes technology, AI-powered transportation systems, and medtech supporting cancer patients.

9 roles across 4 San Diego Companies.

And if you’re hiring here, send us your roles

Howl yeah, let’s dive in!

💧 Aquacycl — 1 Open SD Role

Why it matters: Industrial wastewater regulation is tightening globally, which means demand for technologies like this will likely grow.

Aquacycl develops microbial technology that treats complex industrial wastewater onsite, helping manufacturers reduce emissions, lower operating costs, and meet tightening environmental regulations.

Momentum signals:

• Earthshot Prize finalist for wastewater innovation

• Launched SulfideFix, a biology-based odor control product (Sept 2025)

• Renewed contract with a global soft drink company

• Expanded partnerships with engineering firms

Open SD roles:

• Sales & Marketing Operations Analyst

If you’re interested in environmental technology, industrial systems, or sustainable infrastructure, this one is worth a look.

💉 Luna Diabetes — 3 Open SD Roles

Why it matters: Millions of insulin users still rely on pens. Automating overnight dosing could meaningfully improve safety and quality of life. Better nights can mean better diabetes control.

Luna Diabetes is developing a wearable insulin patch pump designed for people who currently manage insulin with pens. Their system focuses on automating overnight glucose management to improve safety and quality of life.

Momentum signals:

• Raised $23.6M Series A funding (Aug 2025)

• Began pivotal clinical trial for insulin patch pump

• Preparing for commercial launch following trial completion

Open SD roles:

• Senior Data Scientist

• Senior Product Manager

• Senior Quality Engineer

If you’re building at the intersection of medical devices, diabetes technology, and wearable health systems, this is worth a look.

🚚 Netradyne — 4 Open SD Roles

Why it matters: AI video analytics is quickly becoming standard infrastructure for commercial fleets and transforming how commercial fleets stay safe on the road.

Netradyne builds AI-powered fleet safety platforms that analyze driving behavior in real time using advanced cameras and edge computing.

Momentum signals:

• Raised $90M Series D funding (Jan 2025)

• Won AI Safety Solution of the Year award (2025)

• Launched Video LiveSearch for natural-language video search

• Expanded global operations with a new Nashville technology hub

Open SD roles:

• Sr. Manager, Customer Marketing

• Sales Development Manager

• Sales Development Representative

• Sales Onboarding & Enablement Manager

• All open roles

If you’re building at the intersection of AI, edge computing, and transportation systems, this is worth a look.

🩺 Cooler Heads Care — 1 Open SD Role

Why it matters: Reducing hair loss during chemotherapy can significantly improve quality of life and emotional well-being for cancer patients.

Cooler Heads Care develops portable scalp cooling technology designed to help chemotherapy patients reduce hair loss during treatment.

Momentum signals:

• Raised $11M Series A funding (July 2025)

• Expanded insurance reimbursement for scalp cooling

• Scaling manufacturing and rollout of the Amma™ device

Open SD roles:

• Sr. Buyer/Planner NPI

If you’re interested in medical devices that improve patient quality of life, this one is worth a look. Or send your resume to team@coolerheads.com

🔁 In case you missed it

Here are last week’s companies worth watching:

• Seasats – Open SD Roles: Autonomous ocean vessels for defense and maritime monitoring.

• 9AM Health – Open Remote Roles (SD HQ): Virtual care platform for diabetes, weight, and heart health.

• Wiliot – Open SD Roles: Battery-free IoT sensors connecting everyday products to the cloud.

• South 8 Technologies – Open SD Roles: Advanced batteries built for extreme environments.

If one of these companies or roles looks like a fit, go for it.

If someone in your pack is exploring new opportunities, send it their way.

🥳 And if you land something from this newsletter, reply and let us know. We’d love to celebrate the win with you,

Jonah 🐺

—

A few helpful links:

Find me on LinkedIn
Hiring in San Diego? Send us your roles
Looking to get more connected in San Diego? The Social Coyote

San Diego companies are building across oceans, skies, supply chains, and human health.

If you’re on the hunt, there’s real momentum this week.

And if you’re hiring in San Diego, send us your roles

Howl yeah, let’s dive in!

🔋 South 8 Technologies – 2 Open SD Roles

Extreme environments need extreme batteries.

South 8 is pioneering the world’s first liquefied gas electrolyte for lithium-ion batteries. Their technology improves battery performance in harsh conditions, making it ideal for defense, aerospace, and cold-weather applications.

Momentum signals:

• Secured $11M in additional funding (December 2025)

• Signed letter of intent with 3ME Technology for Arctic-ready batteries (February 2026)

• Announced partnership with LG Energy Solution for aerospace batteries (November 2025)

Open SD roles:

• Controls Engineer

• Battery Pack Applications Engineer

→ all open roles

If you work in advanced materials, battery engineering, or defense-adjacent systems, this one is worth a look.

📦 Wiliot – 4 Open SD Roles

What if everyday objects could talk to the cloud, without batteries?

Wiliot builds battery-free IoT sensors that connect physical products to digital intelligence. Their ambient IoT platform turns raw supply chain data into real-time insights for retail and logistics.

Momentum signals:

• Launched Gen3 IoT Pixel (January 2026)

• Announced BLE sensing partnership with Tageos (January 2026)

• Collaborated with Walmart to deploy ambient IoT in retail supply chains

Open SD roles:

• Account Manager

• Enterprise Account Executive

• Field Marketing Manager

• Product Marketing Manager

→ all open roles

If you’re building at the intersection of hardware, IoT, cloud systems, or AI-driven logistics, this one is worth a look.

❤️ 9AM Health – 15 Remote Roles | Encinitas HQ

Chronic care, reimagined for the digital era.

9AM Health delivers virtual care for diabetes, obesity, and heart health. Their platform gives patients access to licensed providers, medications including GLP-1s, and ongoing support in one streamlined digital experience.

Momentum signals:

• Launched employer “No-Barriers Bundle” for obesity care (November 2025)

• Partnered with Novo Nordisk to expand access to evidence-based obesity treatment

• Raised $9.5M Series A extension to support growth

Open roles:

• 15 remote roles across clinical, operations, and growth.

→ all open roles

If you care about scaling digital health, access to care, or cardiometabolic innovation, this one is worth a look.

🌊 Seasats – 17 Open SD Roles

Autonomous systems aren’t just flying. They’re sailing.

Seasats designs solar-powered autonomous surface vessels for long-endurance maritime missions. Their vehicles collect high-resolution ocean data for defense, research, and infrastructure monitoring.

Momentum signals:

• Raised $20M Series A (February 2026)

• Awarded $24M Department of Defense contract (January 2026)

• Quickfish vessel proven in U.S. Navy exercise (October 2025)

Open SD roles:

• 17 roles across engineering, maritime systems, and operations.

→ all open roles

If you’re technical and drawn to autonomy, maritime tech, or mission-driven systems, this one is worth a look.

🔁 Last Week’s Momentum

In case you missed it, here are a few companies worth watching:

• SkySafe — Airspace visibility is becoming critical infrastructure.
  4 open SD roles

• Comma.ai — Autonomy is moving into everyday vehicles.
  10 open SD roles

• Flock Freight — Rethinking how freight moves across the country.
  1 open SD role

Momentum compounds. Good teams are still hiring in San Diego.

If one of these companies or roles looks like a fit, take a look.

If someone in your pack is exploring new opportunities, send it their way.

🥳 And if you land something from this newsletter, reply and let us know. We’d love to celebrate the win,

Jonah 🐺

—

A few helpful links:

New ‘round here? Join the pack 🐺
Hiring in San Diego? Send us your roles
Looking to get more connected in San Diego? The Social Coyote

San Diego keeps proving it builds across categories, and teams are hiring.

This week, we’re following airspace intelligence, autonomous driving, and freight optimization.

Howl yeah, let’s dive in!

🛰 SkySafe - Airspace visibility is becoming critical infrastructure.

SkySafe builds technology that detects, tracks, and analyzes drone activity in real time. Their platform is used by governments, law enforcement, airports, and universities to monitor and manage drone threats.

Momentum signals:

• Launched FliteGrid, a community-powered drone tracking network

• Introduced Forensics as a Service for drone investigations

• Integrated with Motorola Solutions for public safety response

4 Open SD Roles:

• Wireless Communications Engineer (SDR)

• Infrastructure Operations Specialist

• Installation Technician

• RF and Compute Hardware Lead Engineer

🚘 Comma.ai - Autonomy is moving into everyday vehicles.

Comma.ai builds advanced driver-assistance systems that enable compatible cars to handle acceleration, braking, and lane-keeping using their open-source software platform, openpilot.

Their newest hardware, the comma four, brings compact AI-powered driver assistance to consumer vehicles with built-in driver monitoring.

Momentum signals:

• Launched Comma Four hardware in November 2025

• Opened a $5M data center in February 2026

• Valued privately at around $1B

10 Open SD Roles:

• Car Interface Engineer

• Software Engineer (Systems)

• Electronics Engineer

• Autonomy Engineer

🚚 Flock Freight - Rethinking how freight moves across the country.

Instead of running half-empty trucks, they algorithmically pool freight to make shipping more efficient and sustainable.

Momentum signals:

• Raised $60M Series E in May 2025

• Recognized by Fast Company’s 2025 Next Big Things in Tech

• Launched Shared Truckload AddOns to increase carrier earnings

1 Open SD Role

• Vice President, People

🔁 Last Week’s Momentum

In case you missed it, here are a few signals from around the ecosystem:

• Psyonic: robotics + bionics - 3 open SD roles

• Cedar: GIS + knowledge graph engineering - 6 open SD roles

• Natilus: hyper-efficient aircraft - 11 aerospace roles

Momentum compounds.

If one of these roles looks like a fit, definitely take a look.

And if someone in your pack is looking for opportunities in these categories, pass them the role.

Jonah 🐺

—

A few helpful links:

New ‘round here? Join the pack 🐺
Hiring in San Diego? Send us your roles
Looking to get more connected in San Diego? The Social Coyote

San Diego keeps proving it builds across categories, and teams are hiring.

This week, we’re exploring aircraft manufacturing, fleet software, housing automation, and advanced bionics. If you’re building in aerospace, logistics, AI, robotics, or operations, there’s something here for you.

And if you come across companies hiring locally, send them our way. The pack works best when we surface opportunities for each other.

Let’s dive in.

✈️ Natilus 

Blended-wing aircraft manufacturer building next-generation cargo and passenger planes.

• 570+ aircraft pre-orders valued at $24B

• Raised $28M Series A in early 2026

• 11 open San Diego roles:

Propulsion Systems Engineer
Aerodynamics and Performance Engineer
Design Engineer
Avionics & Electrical Engineer

→ all open roles

🏗 Cedar

Architecture + AI platform streamlining housing development and zoning analysis.

The company was recognized as one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in urban development.

• Recognized by Fast Company for urban innovation

• The focus is on speeding up planning, permitting, and site analysis.

• 2 open engineering roles:

Knowledge Graph Engineer (Team Lead)
Lead GIS Engineer

→ all open roles

🦾 Psyonic 

Advanced bionics company building the world’s first touch-sensing prosthetic hand.

• Recently moved headquarters to San Diego

• Shark Tank Season 15 - link

• 3 open roles:

Applications Support Engineer
Head of Sales & Support
Social Media Manager

→ all open roles

🚚 Platform Science 

Connected vehicle platform powering transportation and logistics fleets.

• Acquired Trimble’s transportation telematics business in 2025

• Expanding enterprise footprint

• Intersection of: vehicle hardware, telematics, and enterprise logistics software.

• 3 open San Diego roles:

Marketing Specialist
Revenue Measurement & Incentive Governance Lead
Quality Engineer

→ all open roles

If one of these roles looks like a fit, take a look.
And if someone in your pack is looking for opportunities in these categories, pass it along.

Hiring in San Diego? Send over roles to share with the pack

Jonah 🐺

—

A few helpful links:

New ‘round here? Join the pack 🐺
Looking to get more connected in San Diego? The Social Coyote

This week, we’re exploring fleet tech, robotics, space systems, and workforce development built in San Diego.

Career Coyote works because we’re a pack. If you come across roles or companies hiring locally, please send them our way. Or share them with a friend who’s on the hunt too.

Let’s dig in.

1️⃣ Lytx, Inc. builds video telematics and fleet safety technology for commercial and public sector vehicles. Its technology has been adopted by more than 2,000 commercial fleets.

Open San Diego roles:

• Business Development Representative

• Senior Software Engineer - Cloud Platform

• QA & Automation Engineer

• QA & Release Manager

• Staff Engineer (Firmware)

• All open roles

2️⃣ Brain Corp builds autonomy software for commercial robots used in real-world environments. Its technology powers more than 35,000 autonomous mobile robots in active use.

Open San Diego roles:

• Senior Buyer, Supply Chain

• Administrative Assistant

• Senior Staff Software Engineer - Cloud

3️⃣ mPower Technology builds solar power systems for satellites and space missions. The company launched an automated, high-volume production line for space-grade solar modules.

Open San Diego roles:

• Vice President of Engineering

4️⃣ San Diego Squared runs STEM education and workforce programs for underserved students. The organization works directly with students to build pathways into technical careers.

Open San Diego roles:

• Program Manager

If we can add more value to your hunt. Hit reply and let me know how.

Jonah 🐺

—

A few helpful links:

Hiring in San Diego? Let’s Connect
Prefer email? jonah@thesocialcoyote.com
Looking to get more connected? The Social Coyote

New ‘round here? Join the pack 🐺