The top 50 hardware startups

As many founders can attest, when you’re starting a hardware company, you have to figure out how to go from idea to production, without a lot of resources at your disposal.

As we’ve written about before, informal was created as a way to pull together some of the most talented independent professionals in hardware and hardtech — and match them with founders and entrepreneurs in the field so that together, we can turn ideas into businesses. Whether you’re looking for a single contractor, a full-time employee, or an entire team of professionals, we can source the best talent possible for your project.

And while we do work with companies of all sizes, we hold a special place in our hearts for scrappy startups. Which is why we’ve synced up with our friends over at Hardware is Hard on a list they compiled of 50 hardware startups who raised less than $100M that they think we should all have our eyes on. Do you think your startup should have made the list? Drop us a line and let us know!

👽 Space

1. Impulse Space is pioneering agile, economical, in-space payload delivery and storage as a leader in Space 2.0. Based in Redondo Beach, CA, the company employs 85 people and has secured $75 million in funding.
2. Vista Space is advancing satellite technology with modular structural batteries for lightweight, high-energy satellite buses. Located in San Francisco, CA, this small team of three has raised $500,000 to date.
3. Northwood Space aims to supply ground-side communications systems on a large scale, primarily serving other space startups. The company is situated in El Segundo, CA, employs six individuals, and has raised $6.3 million.
4. Muon Space is actively developing a climate-monitoring satellite constellation from its base in Mountain View, CA. With a team of 45, they’ve raised $35 million.
5. Orbit Fab is revolutionizing space operations by building gas stations in orbit. Operating out of Boulder, CO, Orbit Fab has 60 employees and funding of $50 million.
6. Morpheus Space is enhancing satellite mobility with innovative next-gen GO-2 electric propulsion systems. The company, based in Los Angeles, CA, has a team of 50 and funding of $30 million.
7. Vaya Space in Cocoa, Florida is developing the Vortex-Hybrid engine to offer environmentally friendly small satellite launch opportunities. They employ 80 people and have secured $30 million in funding.
8. Nuview is setting a new standard in elevation data with the world’s first commercial LiDAR imaging satellite constellation from Orlando, FL. They have 14 employees and $18 million in funding.
9. Agile Space Industries, located in Durango, CO, specializes in propulsion solutions using hypergolic propellants, with a workforce of 50 and $14 million raised.
10.  Inversion Space is creating low-cost, high-cadence re-entry vehicles from their base in Torrance, CA, where they employ 30 people and have $10 million in funding.

🏭 Manufacturing

1. Astro Mechanica is at the forefront of efficient engine technology, operating out of San Francisco, CA, with a team of five and $500,000 in funding.
2. Atomic 6, based in Marietta, GA, is advancing aerospace, hypersonics, and ballistics with next-gen composites, supported by 11 employees and $5 million in funding.
3. Fabric8 Labs in El Segundo, CA, employs advanced room-temperature 3D metal-printing technology to create complex, dense metal parts, with 18 employees and $15 million raised.
4. Invert Robotics from Dublin, Ireland, specializes in nondestructive testing (NDT) robotic inspection platforms, employs 30 people, and has raised $40 million.
5. FormLogic in ‍Pittsburgh, PA, is redefining precision manufacturing for the space industry with “autonomous” technology, backed by 70 employees and $60 million in funding.
6. Pivot Robotics develops AI software for robotic arms to automate labor-intensive tasks in San Francisco, CA, with a team of three and $500,000 in funding.
7. OptySis is redefining RF antennas using metal 3D printing from West Jordan, UT, with a 30-member team and $15 million in funding.
8. Fortify integrates magnetics with DLP technology to create custom microstructures in 3D-printed parts in Boston, MA, with 30 employees and $40 million raised.
9. Mantle provides efficient 3D-printing solutions for mold and die inserts in San Francisco, CA, with a team of 40 and $30 million in funding.
10. Vulcan Elements in Denver, CO, focuses on manufacturing rare earth magnets for a sustainable future, supported by three employees and $5 million.

💥 Defense

1. AeroDome offers drone air support for law enforcement and wildfire protection from New York, NY, with 16 employees and $6.5 million in funding.
2. Saronic is building autonomous surface ships for defense purposes in Austin, TX, employing 45 people and funded with $70 million.
3. Mach Industries in Huntington Beach, CA, develops hydrogen-powered military platforms and munitions, supported by 40 employees and $85 million.
4. Castelion, based in El Segundo, CA, designs and tests next-generation long-range strike weapon systems with 18 employees and $15 million in funding.
5. General Radar, from Menlo Park, CA, innovates with scalable multi-mission long-range AESA radars, employing 60 people and raising $40 million.
6. Picogrid connects defense and autonomous systems via a common platform in El Segundo, CA, with 10 employees and $12 million raised.
7. Firestorm, from San Diego, CA, develops modular unmanned drones, with a team of 25 and $13 million in funding.
8. Specter Aerospace in Cambridge, MA, is pioneering hypersonic vehicles to deter future conflicts, employing 25 and raising $9.5 million.
9. Performance Drone Works in Huntsville, AL, develops UAS platforms for enhanced mission effectiveness in military settings, with 50 employees and $9 million raised.
10. Allen Control Systems is developing counter-drone robotic gun systems targeted at neutralizing attacking drone swarms. Based in in Austin, TX, they have seven employees and $12 million in funding.

🤖 Robotics

1. Tortuga automates farm tasks with robotics in Denver, CO, employing 30 people and raising $20 million.
2. Multiply Labs in San Francisco, CA, crafts robotic systems for large-scale gene-modified cell therapy manufacturing, with 40 employees and $36 million in funding.
3. Carbon Robotics in Seattle, WA, innovates in agriculture with a laser weeding system, employing 150 people and raising $80 million.
4. Matic introduces advanced, smart floor-cleaning robots in Mountain View, CA, with a team of 40 and $30 million in funding.
5. Apptronik develops general-purpose humanoid robots for real-world applications in Austin, TX, employing 80 people and raising $30 million.
6. Bedrock rethinks seafloor data collection technology from Brooklyn, NY, with 40 employees and $40 million in funding.
7. Electric Sheep builds autonomous lawn care robots in San Francisco, CA, with 15 employees and $22 million in funding.
8. Tevel from Gedera, Israel, innovates with flying fruit picking robots, employing 56 and raising $40 million.
9. Wilder Systems offers Robots as a Service for aerospace manufacturing in Austin, TX, with 25 employees and $11 million in funding.
10. Pattern Labs enhances airport operations with a robot ecosystem in Erie, CO, employing 20 people and raising $10 million.

⁉️Other

1. Radiant from El Segundo, CA, develops portable micro nuclear reactors for commercial and military use, with 40 employees and $54 million raised.
2. Skydweller Aero in Oklahoma City, OK, develops solar-powered aircraft for perpetual flight, employing 120 people and raising $70 million.
3. Verve Motion in Cambridge, MA, innovates with rapid-setup exosuits for workplace efficiency, employing 50 people and raising $40 million.
4. Atomic Semi in San Francisco, CA, focuses on building a small, fast semiconductor fab, with 20 employees and $15 million in funding.
5. JetCool in Littleton, MA, leads in liquid cooling solutions for high-performance computing, employing 30 people and raising $20 million.
6. Unearthly Materials in Rochester, NY, claims to have discovered a superconductive material at ambient temperature, employing 10 and raising $17 million.
7. Anthro in San Jose, CA, develops flexible lithium-ion batteries, with 25 employees and $27 million in funding.
8. Zadar Labs from Santa Clara, CA, advances 4D imaging radar technology, employing 15 people and raising $6 million.
9. Pipedream in Austin, TX, is revolutionizing delivery with an autonomous underground rail system, with 10 employees and $13 million raised.
10. Impulse Labs in San Francisco, CA, is at the forefront of high-performance electric stove technology, with 16 employees and $25 million raised.