Funded Startups in Goleta
The largest disclosed round in this Goleta set is Apeel Sciences’ $250M (Series E) on 2021-08-18; it dwarfs every other disclosed amount here, with the nex…
The largest disclosed round in this Goleta set is Apeel Sciences’ $250M (Series E) on 2021-08-18; it dwarfs every other disclosed amount here, with the next-largest disclosures at $50M (OpenLight, Series A on 2026-04-28) and $12M (Aeluma on 2025-03-27 and KOS on 2022-02-15). Most funding entries cluster around industry-scale hardware/consumer-tech and energy-adjacent themes, but the dollars are polarized: a single $250M rounds the results up while multiple entries sit in the $300K–$12M band (e.g., Cadense $780K on 2026-05-08; Vitamin Angels $300K on 2023-12-06; LaunchPoint EPS $630K on 2023-05-11).
Temporally, the 11 listed rows span 2020-10-27 (Apeel Sciences) through 2026-05-08 (Cadense), and the most recent period (2026-04-28 to 2026-05-08) contains two disclosed financings: OpenLight at $50M and Cadense at $780K. Sector-wise, “Consumer Electronics” appears twice (Transphorm on 2023-07-25 for $8M, Nexus Photonics on 2022-05-02 for $5M), while “Series Unknown” shows up in multiple rows (Aeluma, Vitamin Angels, Transphorm, LaunchPoint EPS, Nexus Photonics), indicating several rounds without a stated stage label.
Most recent rounds
11 shownRelated listings
Frequently asked
Which round is the biggest in this Goleta list, and how does it compare with the rest of the disclosed amounts?
Apeel Sciences’ $250M (Series E) on 2021-08-18 is the lone disclosed entry above $50M; the next-largest disclosed amount is OpenLight’s $50M on 2026-04-28, followed by $12M disclosures (Aeluma on 2025-03-27 and KOS on 2022-02-15).
Do the most recent financings cluster within a tight window, or are they spread out?
Two rows fall within roughly two weeks: OpenLight closed on 2026-04-28 for $50M, and Cadense Inc. closed on 2026-05-08 for $780K. Outside that, the remaining disclosed rounds are spread across 2022–2025 and earlier (down to 2020-10-27).
Are any sectors over-represented relative to the rest of this list?
Consumer Electronics is the only sector repeated in 3+ entries within the shown rows, appearing twice: Transphorm (2023-07-25, $8M) and Nexus Photonics (2022-05-02, $5M). All other sectors shown occur once each (e.g., Biotechnology at $3M on 2023-08-16 for True Digital Surgery; Agriculture and Farming at $30M on 2020-10-27 and $250M on 2021-08-18 for Apeel Sciences).
What does the stage labeling look like: how often is “Series Unknown” used versus explicit stage names?
“Series Unknown” appears in five of the 11 rows: Aeluma ($12M, 2025-03-27), Vitamin Angels ($300K, 2023-12-06), Transphorm ($8M, 2023-07-25), LaunchPoint EPS ($630K, 2023-05-11), and Nexus Photonics ($5M, 2022-05-02). Explicit stage labels show up on fewer rows (e.g., OpenLight is Series A at $50M on 2026-04-28; True Digital Surgery is Series B at $3M on 2023-08-16; Apeel Sciences includes Series E at $250M on 2021-08-18).
Are there outliers worth focusing on beyond the largest round amount?
Yes: Apeel Sciences also has an additional disclosed round at $30M on 2020-10-27, and both of its listed rounds are in Agriculture and Farming. At the low end, multiple smaller disclosed financings sit in the hundreds of thousands to low single-digit millions (Vitamin Angels $300K on 2023-12-06; LaunchPoint EPS $630K on 2023-05-11; True Digital Surgery $3M on 2023-08-16), contrasting sharply with OpenLight’s $50M (2026-04-28) and Apeel Sciences’ $250M (2021-08-18).
Know which startups just got funded. Every week.
Fresh funding rounds, new companies, and the sectors moving fastest — in your inbox every Monday morning.
Free. Sent every Monday. Unsubscribe anytime.