At Best Startup California we track over 300,000 Californian startups and over 1,500,000 people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and organisations we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
We’ve ranked the top 40 Automotive companies in Palo Alto, California. The companies, startups and institutions listed in this article are all exceptional companies, well worth a follow. We have included links to their websites, socials and CrunchBase (if you’re interested in their financials).
We selected the organisations listed in this article based on:
- Track record
- Executive leadership
- Market share
- Innovation
- ESG rating
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Top Automotive Companies & Startups (Palo Alto, California)
Metawave
Metawave is a wireless technology company that builds intelligent and high-performance automotive radars by leveraging metamaterials and AI.
Founder(s): Bernard Casse, Maha Achour, Sandy Godsey
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Artificial Intelligence, Automotive, Communications Infrastructure, Telecommunications, Wireless
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Automile
Automile offers frictionless tracking and management of fleets and assets.
Founder(s): Felix Rosén, Hervé Soursou, Jacob Pontén, Jens Nylander
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Automotive, B2B, Developer APIs, SaaS, Software
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StartX (Stanford-StartX Fund)
StartX is an educational non-profit that helps Stanford’s top entrepreneurs.
Founder(s): Cameron Teitelman, Christopher Morace, Dan Ha, Jonathan Golden, Karen Katz, Matt Man, Richard Rabbat, Steve Petersen
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Artificial Intelligence, Automotive, Big Data, Bioinformatics, Biotechnology, Computer Vision, Consumer Software, E-Commerce, Education, Enterprise Software, Finance, Financial Services, Hardware, Internet, Internet of Things, Machine Learning, Medical Device, Non Profit, Venture Capital
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Nauto
Nauto is an AI-technology company on a mission to make driving safer and smarter
Founder(s): Frederick Soo, Stefan Heck
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Artificial Intelligence, Automotive, Autonomous Vehicles, Information Services, Machine Learning, Mobile
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Mesmer
Mesmer is a Robotics Process Automation for Software Development (RPAD) company.
Founder(s): Ahmed Datoo, Waheed Qureshi
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Artificial Intelligence, Automotive, Robotics, Software
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BlueSpace.ai
BlueSpace.ai is an urban mobility company that develops an autonomous vehicle technology.
Founder(s): Christine Moon, Joel Pazhayampallil
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Artificial Intelligence, Automotive, Autonomous Vehicles, Transportation
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Better Place
Better Place develops and sells battery-charging and battery-switching services for electric cars.
Founder(s): Quin Garcia, Shai Agassi
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Automotive, Clean Energy, Electric Vehicle, Energy, Environmental Engineering
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Naehas
Naehas is a provider of content management platform.
Founder(s): Rab Govil
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Advertising, Automotive, CRM, Email, Enterprise Software, Information Technology, Mobile, SaaS
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CARFIT
CARFIT leverages car’s vibrations with data science to anticipate maintenance needs
Founder(s): Henri-Nicolas OLIVIER, Peter HAUSER
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Artificial Intelligence, Automotive, Autonomous Vehicles, Big Data, Database, Information Technology, Internet of Things, Machine Learning
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Apex.AI
Apex.AI is building an operating system for autonomous vehicles.
Founder(s): Dejan Pangercic, Dejan Pangercic, Jan Becker
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Artificial Intelligence, Automotive, Autonomous Vehicles, Operating Systems, Software, Transportation
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OtoSense
OtoSense is the next generation automated sound recognition technology that utilizes the power of machine learning.
Founder(s): Sebastien Christian
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Artificial Intelligence, Automotive, Industrial Automation, Machine Learning, Machinery Manufacturing, Predictive Analytics, Security, Software
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Vehicle Software
Vehicle Software develops an infotainment platform to redefine the in-car experience.
Founder(s): Joshua Hodgson, Miriam Vu, Ralph Thomas
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Automotive, Electric Vehicle, Software
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Efficient Drivetrains
Efficient Drivetrains manufactures continuously variable transmissions for electric vehicle developers, manufacturers, and suppliers.
Founder(s): Andrew A. Frank, Stuart Kaler
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Automotive, Electric Vehicle, Electronics, Industrial, Manufacturing, Transportation
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Open Motors
Open Motors is a B2B company that provides the first modular & open Self-Driving electric vehicle.
Founder(s): Tin Hang Liu, Yuki Liu
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Automotive, Autonomous Vehicles, Electric Vehicle, Hardware, Open Source
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PathSense
A better location stack for iOS and Android.
Founder(s): Dave Finlay, John Dyer, Pete Tenereillo
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Automotive, Location Based Services, Mobile
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Joyride
Joyride is a mobile audio service that makes driving more fun and more interesting.
Founder(s): James Zhang, Jeff Chen
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Audio, Automotive, Mobile
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kraftwerk Inc.
Kraftwerk is a global leading company in the field of new materials and nanotechnology.
Founder(s): Martin Pentenrieder, Sascha Kuehn, Tom Rice
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Automotive, Clean Energy, Energy Efficiency, Nanotechnology
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Voyage
Voyage has built the technology to bring autonomous transportation to those who need it most, beginning in retirement communities.
Founder(s): Eric Gonzalez, MacCallister Higgins, Oliver Cameron, Warren Ouyang
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Automotive, Autonomous Vehicles, Leisure, Public Transportation, Robotics
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Yamaha Motor Ventures & Laboratory Silicon Valley
Yamaha Motor Ventures & Laboratory Silicon Valley is a venture capital firm that invests in the robotics, food, and AgTech industry.
Founder(s): Hiro Saijou
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: AgTech, Automotive, Food and Beverage, Transportation, Wellness
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Ford Smart Mobility
Ford Smart Mobility LLC, a new subsidiary formed to design, build, grow and invest in emerging mobility services
Founder(s): Henry Ford
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Automotive, Logistics, Public Transportation, Transportation
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Toyota Research Institute
Toyota Research Institute is an R&D enterprise with an initial focus on artificial intelligence and robotics.
Founder(s): James Kuffner
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Artificial Intelligence, Automotive, Consumer Research, Machine Learning, Product Research
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Simularge Inc.
Engineering App and Digital Twin Development Platform (SaaS) for more profitable manufacturing operations. No Big Data required.
Founder(s): Buryan Turan, Erhan Turan
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Artificial Intelligence, Automotive, Business Intelligence, Industrial Automation, Industrial Manufacturing, Machine Learning, Mechanical Engineering, SaaS, Simulation, Web Apps
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ridelogic
Ridelogic is a performance monitoring device for motorcycles.
Founder(s): Joseph Stephen, Juhaim Ibnu Abdul Jabbar
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Automotive, Hardware, Internet of Things
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Compass Technology Partners
Compass Venture Partners is a venture capital firm focused on investing in emerging companies with innovative products or services
Founder(s): David G. Arscott
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Automotive, Finance, Venture Capital
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ZipDash
ZipDash tackles highway congestion by providing individuals with real-time, accurate traffic information.
Founder(s):
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Automotive, Mobile, Real Time, Travel
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DynaOptics
Miniature advanced optics using IP-protected freeform lens technology for mobile phone cam, self-driving auto, military/UAV, IoT, security
Founder(s): Chris Jackson, Kelvin Cheo, Li Han Chan
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Automotive, Computer Vision, Consumer Electronics, Internet of Things, Law Enforcement, Manufacturing, Military, Mobile Devices, Photography, Software
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Rapid Recon
Rapid Recon is a reconditioning software for dealer management.
Founder(s): Dennis McGinn
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Automotive, Software
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VIMANA
Autonomous Aerial Vehicles Manufacturing Company
Founder(s):
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Automotive, Manufacturing
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MarSec
MarSec is a transforming maritime business by exploiting the IoT revolution and sensor data creating sea traffic management solutions.
Founder(s): Geir Fagerhus, Krystyna Wojnarowicz
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Analytics, Automotive, Information Technology, Internet of Things
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BMW Spain
BMW Spain is a bank that provides financial services to BMW vehicles.
Founder(s):
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Automotive, Finance, Financial Services, Service Industry
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Kryptara
Kryptara is a group of engineers working on vehicle autonomy.
Founder(s):
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Automotive, Information Technology, Logistics
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McLaren San Francisco
McLaren San Francisco is proud to serve McLaren Authorized dealership serving SF/Silicon Valley and the Northwest of the United States.
Founder(s):
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Automotive, Marketing
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Soulbot Automation Agency
Boutique At Scale Mass Automation Blockchain Marketplace + Platform
Founder(s): Ace Ray Phoenix, Alexis Lucy Wilder, Elliot Mason Soren
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Artificial Intelligence, Automotive, Consumer Goods, Insurance, Marketing Automation, Marketplace, Retail Technology
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AutoAdvantage
AutoAdvantage is a developing software application that collects data generated by vehicle sensors and drivetrain computers.
Founder(s):
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Apps, Automotive, Software
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Smart Tube
Smart Tube products an available for the online purchase credit card, PayPal shipping in worldwide service.
Founder(s):
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Automotive, Credit Cards
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Cartooth
Cartooth is an Apps company.
Founder(s):
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Apps, Automotive, Internet of Things, Mobile
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Samband Group
Samband Group is group of companies operating in various business sectors such as logistics, cargo and shipping.
Founder(s):
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Automotive, Logistics
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Drivtec – driverless, autonomous car
The patent pending device and mobile app that will automatically drive any car using image recognition. Driverless, autonomous car device.
Founder(s): Krystian Dylewski
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Assistive Technology, Automotive, Autonomous Vehicles
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Meissner Automotive
Meissner Automotive is an automotive-based repair & servicing agency providing auto repair & servicing services.
Founder(s):
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Automotive, Facilities Support Services, Service Industry
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Tesla
Tesla Motors specializes in developing a full range of electric vehicles.
Founder(s): Elon Musk, JB Straubel, Marc Tarpenning, Martin Eberhard
Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industries: Automotive, Autonomous Vehicles, Electric Vehicle, Electronics
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