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Top 16 Durham Startups to Watch in 2026

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Durham's startup ecosystem is defined by its focus on deep tech industries, including biotech, healthcare, and manufacturing. This concentration has attracted significant investment to the region.

Teamworks, an operating system for sports, leads in funding with over $422 million raised. Other major players include FlexGen in energy storage and Restor3d in personalized medical implants.

Below is our list of 16 Durham startups worth keeping an eye on.

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Spreedly operates a payment orchestration platform that connects businesses to any payment service through a single API. Their technology helps merchants and platforms simplify global commerce and securely accept payments in more than 100 countries.

Year Founded2007
FoundersAlexander Kohlhofer, Duff O'Melia, John Carlin, Justin Benson, Nathaniel Talbott
Funding Amount$81.1M
Startup SizeMid-Size Team (51-250)
Last Funding StatusPrivate Equity
Top InvestorsSpectrum Equity, E-Merge, Harold Mechelynck

Pluto Health uses AI to bring together fragmented health data, creating a single, unified view for care providers. Their platform helps care teams manage patient services more effectively by connecting previously siloed medical information.

Year Founded2020
FoundersGuruprasad Kora, Joy Bhosai, MD, MPH, Noah Hayes
Funding Amount$8.9M
Startup SizeLean Team (11-50)
Last Funding StatusSeed
Top InvestorsPlug and Play, Sierra Ventures, Afore Capital, Mucker Capital, Asset Management Ventures (AMV)

Vulcan Elements manufactures rare-earth magnets for critical defense and commercial applications. Their specialized components are integral to advanced systems within the aerospace and industrial manufacturing industries.

Year Founded2023
FoundersJohn Maslin, Piotr Kulik
Funding Amount$70.2M
Startup SizeLean Team (11-50)
Last Funding StatusSeries A
Top InvestorsFJ Labs, One Investment Management, Altimeter

Restor3d builds personalized 3D-printed orthopedic implants by combining AI-driven design with advanced biomaterials. Their patient-specific implants are designed to improve surgical precision and enhance recovery for people with musculoskeletal conditions.

Year Founded2017
FoundersAndrew Miller, Ken Gall
Funding Amount$291.7M
Startup SizeMid-Size Team (51-250)
Last Funding StatusSeries B
Top InvestorsTrinity Capital, Partners Group, Duke Angel Network, Summers Value Partners

Teamworks builds a comprehensive operating system for sports teams that handles talent acquisition, daily operations, and performance development. The software helps organizations streamline their complex workflows and provides tools for holistic athlete support.

Year Founded2009
FoundersMitch Heath, Shaun Powell, Zachary Maurides
Funding Amount$422.2M
Startup SizeLarge Team (251-1,000)
Last Funding StatusSeries F
Top InvestorsGeneral Catalyst, Delta-v Capital, Teamworthy Ventures, Dragoneer Investment Group, Seaport Capital

FlexGen builds large-scale battery storage systems designed to modernize the electrical grid. The company's core software, HybridOS, provides the energy management and control needed to support the transition to renewable power.

Year Founded2009
FoundersJosh Prueher
Funding Amount$357.5M
Startup SizeMid-Size Team (51-250)
Last Funding StatusDebt Financing
Top InvestorsApollo, JP Morgan, Vitol, Altira Group, Caterpillar Ventures

Atsena Therapeutics develops novel gene therapies to treat inherited forms of blindness. The clinical-stage company focuses on bringing these treatments for rare retinal diseases through clinical trials.

Year Founded2019
FoundersSanford Boye, Shannon Boye
Funding Amount$237.6M
Startup SizeLean Team (11-50)
Last Funding StatusSeries C
Top InvestorsWellington Management, Lightstone Ventures, Hatteras Venture Partners, Bain Capital Life Sciences, Abingworth

Incyclix Bio develops small molecule inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases for the treatment of advanced and resistant cancers. The clinical-stage company is advancing a new class of therapeutics with its lead product candidate, INX-315.

Year Founded2020
FoundersFred Eshelman, Jay Strum, John Bisi, Patrick Roberts
Funding Amount$47.2M
Startup SizeLean Team (11-50)
Last Funding StatusSeries B
Top InvestorsRA Capital Management, Eshelman Ventures, Pharmacosmos, Eli Lilly & Company Foundation, Boxer Capital

ServiceTrade offers a software platform for commercial maintenance businesses to manage their service operations. The system connects the office, technicians in the field, and the end customer to improve efficiency and communication.

Year Founded2012
FoundersBilly Marshall, Brian Smithwick
Funding Amount$119.8M
Startup SizeMid-Size Team (51-250)
Last Funding StatusPrivate Equity
Top InvestorsJMI Equity, Frontier Growth, Bull City Venture Partners

Vestaron develops peptide-based insecticides that give farmers a new way to combat crop-destroying pests. Their bio-insecticides offer an effective and sustainable alternative to traditional chemicals, while being safe for farmworkers and beneficial insects.

Year Founded2005
FoundersGlenn King
Funding Amount$284.9M
Startup SizeMid-Size Team (51-250)
Last Funding StatusDebt Financing
Top InvestorsNovo Holdings, Sandbox Industries, Pangaea Ventures, Anterra Capital, iSelect Fund

6 Additional Durham Startups Worth Following

Our top picks only scratch the surface of the activity happening across the city. Founders are building companies in a wide range of fields, from biotech to fintech, and have collectively raised over two billion dollars.

These companies represent a mix of new and established players, all contributing to the area's growth. Here’s a closer look at the other startups shaping Durham's future.

StartupIndustryYear FoundedAmount RaisedLast Funding Round
Ramona logo RamonaBiotech2018$8.6M
OnPath Energy logo OnPath EnergyEnvironment2006£120MDebt Financing
Regrow Ag logo Regrow AgAgTech2016$63.6MVenture Round
InsightFinder AI logo InsightFinder AIAnalytics2015$19.5MSeries A
Atom Bank logo Atom BankFintech2014£674MPrivate Equity
Northumbrian Water logo Northumbrian WaterEnterprise1989£877MGrant

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