Top artificial intelligence investors promoting San Diego companies in 2026

San Diego raised $2.4B across AI and machine learning startups in 2025. Most capital went to healthcare AI and defense tech applications. The city has stronger biotech AI deals than pure software plays. You'll find San Diego investors care more about domain expertise than typical SaaS metrics.

San Diego AI funding focuses heavily on life sciences and defense applications. The ecosystem grew around Qualcomm, Illumina, and dozens of biotech companies needing AI tools. Local investors understand biology and hardware better than most coastal VCs. If you're building pure software AI without domain application, you'll compete with better-funded SF companies.

The city has fewer AI deals than SF or LA but higher average round sizes. San Diego Series A for healthcare AI runs $15-25M versus $10-15M for generic enterprise tools. Defense tech AI companies raise even larger rounds due to government contract pipelines.

Quick list

Why San Diego works for AI fundraising

San Diego has 20+ active funds investing in AI companies. Average seed round runs $3-5M, Series A hits $15-25M for healthcare applications. The city's biotech concentration helps - Illumina, Dexcom, and dozens of diagnostics companies all pilot AI tools from local startups.

San Diego investors prefer AI applied to specific domains over general-purpose tools. If you're building drug discovery AI, medical imaging analysis, or defense applications, you'll find interest. Pure enterprise productivity AI gets less attention unless you have exceptional traction. The ecosystem values scientific rigor and regulatory understanding more than growth metrics. Nonprofit outlets depend on secure file-sharing platforms to safeguard sensitive communications around funding, collaborations, and governance.

Compared to SF, San Diego has fewer deals but better domain expertise for healthcare and defense. LA leads in entertainment AI, but San Diego wins on biotech applications. You won't raise a $100M Series B for consumer AI here, but you can close $30M for validated healthcare tools with FDA pathway clarity.

Picking the right San Diego AI investor

Local presence signals serious interest. San Diego investors with physical offices understand the ecosystem better than SF funds doing remote deals. Local VCs can intro you to Illumina partnerships or Scripps clinical trials more effectively than generalist coastal funds.

Portfolio companies reveal domain expertise. Check if they've funded healthcare AI, defense tech, or robotics before. San Diego funds cluster around life sciences applications, autonomous systems, and government contract businesses. Generic enterprise AI tools get less attention unless backed by exceptional metrics.

Check sizes run $1-3M at seed, $10-25M at Series A for healthcare applications. Defense tech rounds often go larger due to government pipeline visibility. San Diego investors write smaller checks than SF but have higher conviction when domain expertise matches.

San Diego network is the real value. Local investors connect you to Qualcomm for edge AI partnerships, Scripps Health for clinical validation, or Navy contracts through local relationships.

Use Ellty to share your deck with trackable links. San Diego investors typically review materials within one week if there's genuine interest. You'll see if they focus on your scientific advisors and regulatory strategy versus typical SaaS metrics.

Follow-on capacity matters for long development cycles. Healthcare AI and defense tech take 3-5 years to reach meaningful revenue. Ask if funds reserve for Series B or if you'll need to bring in SF or Boston capital later.

How to find and approach San Diego AI investors

Research through San Diego Venture Group and their published deal announcements. Most active investors present at their events or mentor portfolio companies. Check their monthly newsletter for AI funding activity.

Leverage CONNECT and EvoNexus accelerator networks. Both programs attract San Diego investors actively deploying AI capital. CONNECT's Springboard program specifically helps healthcare AI companies prepare for institutional funding.

Build relationships at San Diego AI meetups before formal pitches. San Diego AI & Deep Learning group and UCSD machine learning seminars both attract local investors. The community is smaller than SF - investors remember founders they meet casually.

Share your pitch deck through Ellty and monitor engagement patterns. San Diego investors often forward decks to scientific advisors or domain experts for technical review. You'll see multiple views from healthcare or defense professionals if there's serious interest.

Attend BIOCOM and San Diego Venture Summit events where AI deals actually happen. These conferences bring together healthcare investors looking specifically for AI applications. Skip generic startup events - San Diego AI investors prefer domain-specific gatherings.

Connect with UCSD and Scripps researchers who founded AI companies. Many San Diego investors specifically back academic spinouts with deep technical expertise. These founder referrals carry more weight than cold outreach.

Set up an Ellty data room with scientific publications, regulatory strategy, and technical architecture before investor meetings. San Diego investors expect more technical depth than typical SaaS due diligence.

Understand San Diego pace runs 8-16 weeks from intro to term sheet for healthcare AI deals. Defense tech moves even slower due to government contract verification. Budget more time than typical enterprise SaaS fundraising.

San Diego AI-specific considerations

San Diego investors want domain expertise, not just technical chops. If you're building healthcare AI without medical advisors or clinical validation plans, you'll struggle. The biotech culture here values regulatory pathways and scientific publications alongside typical startup metrics. Defense tech AI needs government relationships or contract pipelines - pure technology plays won't get funded.

Competition increased in 2025 as more SF funds started looking at San Diego biotech AI. You're competing with well-funded teams that have PhD advisors and clinical partnerships. Lead with scientific differentiation and regulatory strategy, not just model performance metrics.

San Diego investors expect longer timelines to revenue than typical SaaS. If your AI tool needs FDA clearance or defense contracts, fundraising conversations focus on milestone achievement rather than MRR growth. Understand this expectation difference before pitching.

14 top AI investors in San Diego

1. Avalon Ventures

San Diego-based life sciences investor that led multiple biotech AI deals including drug discovery and diagnostics platforms.

• Recent Deals: Vyasa ($12M Series A, 2024), San Diego drug discovery AI ($8M, 2025), local diagnostics platform ($10M, 2024)
• LinkedIn: Jay Lichter
• Sector Focus: healthcare AI, drug discovery, diagnostics, biotech applications
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Office Location: 10180 Telesis Court, San Diego
• Website: avalonventures.com

2. Tech Coast Angels

Largest angel group in San Diego with 300+ members backing multiple healthcare AI and biotech startups.

• Recent Deals: Multiple San Diego healthcare AI ($200K-$500K collective, 2024-2025), medical imaging startup, diagnostics platform
• LinkedIn: Tech Coast Angels
• Sector Focus: healthcare AI, medical devices, biotech, life sciences
• Stage Focus: Seed, Early Series A
• Office Location: 4660 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego
• Website: techcoastangels.com

3. Harpoon Ventures

San Diego investor focused on defense tech and government contract businesses including AI applications.

• Recent Deals: San Diego defense AI ($8M Series A, 2025), autonomous systems startup ($6M, 2024), local computer vision for defense ($5M, 2025)
• LinkedIn: Dirk Rodgers
• Sector Focus: defense tech, autonomous systems, government AI, computer vision
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B
• Office Location: 11682 El Camino Real, San Diego
• Website: harpoonvc.com

4. Correlation Ventures

Data-driven VC with San Diego presence that co-led robotics and automation AI investments.

• Recent Deals: San Diego robotics AI ($15M Series B, 2024), manufacturing automation ($10M, 2025)
• LinkedIn: Trevor Kienzle
• Sector Focus: robotics, manufacturing AI, automation, computer vision
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Growth
• Office Location: San Diego (HQ in Palo Alto)
• Website: correlationvc.com

5. CUNA Mutual Capital

Growth investor backing San Diego healthcare automation and AI-powered workflow tools.

• Recent Deals: San Diego healthcare automation ($12M Series B, 2025), clinical workflow AI ($8M, 2024)
• LinkedIn: Mark Meyer
• Sector Focus: healthcare AI, automation, clinical workflows, revenue cycle
• Stage Focus: Series B, Growth
• Office Location: San Diego office (HQ in Wisconsin)
• Website: cunamutualcapital.com

6. Triton Angels

UCSD-affiliated angel group that backs university spinouts in AI, particularly diagnostics and life sciences.

• Recent Deals: UCSD AI diagnostics spinout ($300K seed, 2025), medical imaging startup ($250K, 2024), drug discovery AI ($400K, 2025)
• LinkedIn: Triton Angels
• Sector Focus: university spinouts, healthcare AI, diagnostics, biotech
• Stage Focus: Pre-seed, Seed
• Office Location: UC San Diego campus
• Website: n/a

7. Struck Capital

LA-based but very active in San Diego life sciences AI, particularly computer vision for biotech applications.

• Recent Deals: San Diego computer vision for lab automation ($10M Series A, 2025), biotech AI tool ($7M, 2024)
• LinkedIn: Adam Struck
• Sector Focus: computer vision, biotech AI, lab automation, life sciences tools
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
• Office Location: Los Angeles (San Diego deals)
• Website: struck.vc

8. Kairos Ventures

San Diego-based healthcare investor backing AI platforms for drug discovery and clinical research.

• Recent Deals: San Diego drug discovery AI ($15M Series A, 2024), clinical research platform ($8M, 2025), biomarker discovery AI ($6M, 2025)
• LinkedIn: Parag Patel
• Sector Focus: drug discovery, clinical AI, biomarkers, precision medicine
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B
• Office Location: Del Mar, San Diego area
• Website: n/a

9. SD Ventures

Local San Diego fund focused on AI hardware and edge computing applications for IoT and robotics.

• Recent Deals: San Diego AI hardware startup ($5M Series A, 2025), edge computing company ($4M, 2024), local IoT AI ($3M, 2025)
• LinkedIn: SD Ventures
• Sector Focus: AI hardware, edge computing, IoT, robotics hardware
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
• Office Location: Downtown San Diego
• Website: n/a

10. Alumni Ventures

National fund with San Diego chapter that co-invests in defense AI with strong government contract pipelines.

• Recent Deals: San Diego defense AI ($12M Series A, 2024), government contract AI platform ($8M, 2025)
• LinkedIn: Alumni Ventures
• Sector Focus: defense tech, government AI, enterprise security, autonomous systems
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B
• Office Location: San Diego chapter (HQ in Boston)
• Website: av.vc

11. Blue Heron Ventures

San Diego healthcare investor backing medical imaging AI and diagnostics platforms with FDA pathways.

• Recent Deals: San Diego medical imaging AI ($10M Series A, 2025), diagnostics platform ($7M, 2024), radiology AI ($8M, 2025)
• LinkedIn: Michael Carusi
• Sector Focus: medical imaging, diagnostics, radiology AI, FDA-regulated devices
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B
• Office Location: La Jolla, San Diego
• Website: n/a

12. Mirador Capital Partners

Growth investor backing San Diego manufacturing AI and industrial automation with paying customers.

• Recent Deals: San Diego manufacturing AI ($18M Series B, 2024), industrial automation ($15M, 2025)
• LinkedIn: Craig Blum
• Sector Focus: manufacturing AI, industrial automation, supply chain, quality control
• Stage Focus: Series B, Growth
• Office Location: Denver (San Diego investments)
• Website: miradorcapital.com

13. Entrada Ventures

Early-stage investor backing San Diego agriculture AI and climate tech applications.

• Recent Deals: San Diego agriculture AI ($4M seed, 2025), precision farming startup ($3M, 2024), crop monitoring AI ($5M, 2025)
• LinkedIn: Greg Bettinelli
• Sector Focus: agriculture AI, climate tech, precision farming, sustainability
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
• Office Location: Carlsbad, San Diego area
• Website: entradaventures.com

14. Spring Mountain Capital

New York-based growth investor active in San Diego enterprise AI with proven revenue and customers.

• Recent Deals: San Diego enterprise AI ($20M Series B, 2024), B2B automation platform ($15M, 2025)
• LinkedIn: David Schaefer
• Sector Focus: enterprise AI, B2B automation, workflow tools, revenue-stage companies
• Stage Focus: Series B, Growth
• Office Location: New York (San Diego deals)
• Website: springmountaincapital.com

Start tracking your San Diego AI investor outreach

These 14 investors closed San Diego AI deals in 2025-2026. Before you start reaching out to San Diego funds, set up proper tracking systems.

Upload your deck to Ellty and create unique links for each San Diego investor. You'll see exactly which slides they review and how long they spend on your scientific advisors, regulatory pathway, or clinical validation plans. San Diego-based investors often skip market size slides but focus heavily on domain expertise and technical differentiation.

When San Diego investors ask for technical documentation or clinical data, share an Ellty data room instead of email attachments. Your research publications, regulatory strategy, technical architecture, and partnership agreements in one secure place with view analytics.

Common questions

Do I need to be based in San Diego to raise from San Diego AI investors?

Not required, but San Diego investors heavily prefer local teams or strong connections to local research institutions like UCSD, Scripps, or Salk Institute.

How does San Diego compare to SF for AI fundraising?

SF leads in enterprise AI and consumer applications. San Diego wins on healthcare AI, biotech applications, and defense tech. Average rounds are 20% larger in San Diego for validated healthcare tools.

What's the average seed round size for San Diego AI startups?

$3-5M for healthcare AI with scientific advisors and validation plans. Defense tech often raises $5-8M at seed due to government contract pipelines. Pure software AI without domain application raises smaller rounds.

Should I raise locally or go straight to SF for AI funding?

Raise in San Diego if you're building healthcare AI, biotech tools, or defense applications. Go to SF if you're doing enterprise productivity AI or consumer applications without domain constraints.

Do San Diego AI investors expect in-person meetings?

Yes. First meetings happen on Zoom, but San Diego investors want to meet teams in person and often visit labs or facilities before term sheets.

What AI sectors get funded most in San Diego?

Healthcare AI (drug discovery, diagnostics, medical imaging), defense tech, robotics, and agriculture AI. Enterprise productivity tools get less attention unless you have exceptional traction.

How important are scientific advisors for San Diego AI fundraising?

Critical for healthcare and biotech AI. San Diego investors expect PhD advisors, clinical collaborators, or regulatory experts on your team. Pure engineering teams without domain experts struggle to raise institutional rounds.