Oakland is home to a diverse group of growing companies across many fields. This includes data automation company Fivetran, which has raised over $853 million, and feature management platform LaunchDarkly.
The city's startup scene also features companies in legal tech, like Everlaw, and financial services, such as Pulley.
Below is our list of 20 Oakland startups worth keeping an eye on.
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Get the Sheet for $50Fivetran develops an automated data movement platform that helps data teams centralize information from disparate sources. Their system uses pre-built connectors to sync data into a cloud data warehouse, eliminating the need for manual pipeline maintenance.
| Year Founded | 2012 |
| Founders | George Fraser, Taylor Brown |
| Funding Amount | $853.1M |
| Startup Size | Major Organization (1,001-5,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Debt Financing |
| Top Investors | Andreessen Horowitz, General Catalyst, Y Combinator, ICONIQ Growth, Matrix |
LaunchDarkly builds a feature management platform that gives development teams control over their entire software release process. This allows them to safely test new code in production and roll out features to specific user segments without redeploying.
| Year Founded | 2014 |
| Founders | Edith Harbaugh, John Kodumal |
| Funding Amount | $330.3M |
| Startup Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Series D |
| Top Investors | Bessemer Venture Partners, 500 Global, Insight Partners, Cervin Ventures, Vertex Ventures |
Teleport builds an identity-native infrastructure access platform for engineers and security teams. Their solution unifies access for all infrastructure using zero trust principles and cryptographic identity.
| Year Founded | 2015 |
| Founders | Alexander Klizhentas, Ev Kontsevoy, Taylor Wakefield |
| Funding Amount | $169.2M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Series C |
| Top Investors | Insight Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners, Y Combinator, Kleiner Perkins, SV Angel |
Everlaw develops a cloud-native platform that helps legal teams manage complex litigation and investigations. Their software streamlines the entire e-discovery process by centralizing document analysis, review, and case collaboration.
| Year Founded | 2010 |
| Founders | AJ Shankar, Jeffrey Friedman |
| Funding Amount | $298.6M |
| Startup Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Series D |
| Top Investors | Andreessen Horowitz, Menlo Ventures, K9 Ventures, TPG Growth, Ulu Ventures |
Promise builds a modern payment platform for government agencies to streamline the collection of fines, fees, and taxes. Their system provides residents with flexible payment options, making it easier to manage government debt and avoid penalties.
| Year Founded | 2017 |
| Founders | Diana Frappier, Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins |
| Funding Amount | $48.1M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Series B |
| Top Investors | Village Global, 8VC, Y Combinator, First Round Capital, Bossa Invest |
Pulley develops a platform that helps startups manage their equity and cap tables with greater clarity. Their software simplifies complex financial modeling and employee stock option grants for growing companies.
| Year Founded | 2019 |
| Founders | Yin Yin Wu |
| Funding Amount | $50.2M |
| Startup Size | Lean Team (11-50) |
| Last Funding Status | Series B |
| Top Investors | General Catalyst, Stripe, Founders Fund, 8VC, Y Combinator |
Olipop creates a line of sparkling tonics that offer a healthy alternative to traditional sodas. Each beverage is formulated with plant fiber and prebiotics to support digestive health while containing just a fraction of the sugar.
| Year Founded | 2017 |
| Founders | Ben Goodwin, David Lester |
| Funding Amount | $93.5M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Series C |
| Top Investors | Collaborative Fund, Barrel Ventures, J.P. Morgan Growth Equity Partners, Dwight Funding, Boulder Food Group ('BFG') |
Binti develops modern software for child welfare agencies to help streamline approvals for foster care and adoptions. Their platform is designed to help social workers manage cases more efficiently and ultimately help every child find a safe and loving family.
| Year Founded | 2016 |
| Founders | Felicia Curcuru, Gabe Kopley |
| Funding Amount | $57M |
| Startup Size | Lean Team (11-50) |
| Last Funding Status | Series B |
| Top Investors | BoxGroup, Founders Fund, First Round Capital, SV Angel, Kapor Capital |
Elemeno Health built a team-based medical information platform that functions as a personal assistant for doctors and nurses. The cloud-based tool helps healthcare systems ensure their teams follow best practices by delivering critical information exactly when it's needed.
| Year Founded | 2016 |
| Founders | Arup Roy-Burman, Ed Nanale |
| Funding Amount | $29.2M |
| Startup Size | Lean Team (11-50) |
| Last Funding Status | Convertible Note |
| Top Investors | Y Combinator, Bossa Invest, SJF Ventures, SustainVC, Fenway Summer Ventures |
Join provides a collaborative software platform for managing the preconstruction and design phases of building projects. Their system helps owners, designers, and builders work together to make faster, more informed decisions on project costs and scope.
| Year Founded | 2017 |
| Founders | Andrew Zukoski, Drew Wolpert, Jim Forester, Ye Wang |
| Funding Amount | $20M |
| Startup Size | Lean Team (11-50) |
| Last Funding Status | Venture Round |
| Top Investors | Ironspring Ventures, SignalFire, MetaProp, Bolt, Building Ventures |
10 Additional Oakland Startups Worth Following
Our top ten picks are just a glimpse into the city's growing scene. Many other local companies are also making waves, from brand new ventures to more established players.
A lot of the action is in AI and fintech, with these next ten companies raising over $1.2 billion combined. Here’s a closer look at the rest of the startups shaping Oakland's ecosystem.