Issue 01 · Private companies onlySnapshot September 4, 2026

The AIApply
Startup 100

No public companies. No big-tech subsidiaries. Just the 100 venture-backed AI startups adding headcount fastest in the US.

100
Startups ranked
2,454
Live open roles
1,434
Technical roles
31
AI sectors

The state of AI startup hiring

01

Who is hiring hardest

Live open US roles, top 12 companies

02

Where the roles are

Share of open roles by AI sector

03

What they're hiring for

Open roles by job function

04

Hiring hotspots

Open roles by US state (top 12)

The ranking

Rank by
  1. 01

    Jerry.aiApplied AI

    AI-first car ownership super app that shops insurance, financing and maintenance for drivers.

    469 open · 216 technical · 18 cities

  2. 02

    DatabricksData & AI Platform

    The lakehouse company powering data engineering, analytics and AI for over 10,000 organizations.

    313 open · 194 technical · 43 cities

  3. 03

    Anduril IndustriesAI Defense

    Builds Lattice, an autonomy and sensor-fusion software platform for defense hardware.

    215 open · 142 technical · 20 cities

  4. 04

    Lila SciencesAI for Science

    Scientific superintelligence platform pairing AI with autonomous labs to accelerate discovery.

    114 open · 95 technical · 2 cities

  5. 05

    SpeechifyVoice AI

    The world's most-used text-to-speech product, with AI voices and dubbing at consumer scale.

    107 open · 84 technical · 1 cities

  6. 06

    Lightning AIAI Infrastructure

    Creators of PyTorch Lightning, offering a full-stack cloud platform for training and serving AI.

    66 open · 48 technical · 8 cities

  7. 07

    AnthropicFrontier Lab

    AI safety company behind Claude, focused on reliable, interpretable and steerable models.

    65 open · 16 technical · 4 cities

  8. 08

    TenstorrentAI Chips

    RISC-V AI accelerator company building open-source silicon and software for training.

    50 open · 28 technical · 5 cities

  9. 09

    Scale AIAI Data

    Data foundry for frontier models: evaluation, RLHF and expert data for leading labs.

    50 open · 45 technical · 7 cities

  10. 10

    o9 SolutionsEnterprise AI

    AI-powered digital brain for supply chain planning and integrated business planning.

    50 open · 50 technical · 50 cities

  11. 11

    CleraApplied AI

    AI-driven platform scaling clinical and operational workflows for modern care teams.

    47 open · 33 technical · 7 cities

  12. 12

    VestwellFintech AI

    Savings and retirement infrastructure automating plan administration.

    46 open · 6 technical · 4 cities

  13. 13

    Peregrine TechnologiesAI Defense

    Real-time decision platform unifying public safety data for agencies.

    41 open · 18 technical · 7 cities

  14. 14

    Alto PharmacyHealthcare AI

    Digital pharmacy automating fulfilment and prior authorisation workflows.

    38 open · 38 technical · 38 cities

  15. 15

    DiscordConsumer Platform

    Communication platform for 200M+ users, shipping AI-assisted moderation and creation tools.

    36 open · 26 technical · 3 cities

  16. 16

    OpenAIFrontier Lab

    Creators of ChatGPT and the GPT model family, building toward safe artificial general intelligence.

    32 open · 13 technical · 4 cities

  17. 17

    HopSkipDriveVertical AI

    Youth transportation marketplace routing rides with ML at district scale.

    29 open · 1 technical · 29 cities

  18. 18

    Shield AIAI Defense

    Builds Hivemind, self-flying software for aircraft operating without GPS or a pilot.

    26 open · 21 technical · 5 cities

  19. 19

    ZocksApplied AI

    Private AI assistant capturing client conversations and automating advisor workflows.

    25 open · 25 technical · 25 cities

  20. 20

    Blackthorn.ioEnterprise AI

    Salesforce-native events, payments and messaging apps with AI-assisted operations.

    25 open · 25 technical · 25 cities

  21. 21

    CrusoeAI Cloud

    Energy-first AI cloud building gigawatt-scale data centres for frontier training runs.

    23 open · 5 technical · 8 cities

  22. 22

    GustoVertical AI

    Payroll and people platform using AI to automate compliance for small businesses.

    21 open · 2 technical · 6 cities

  23. 23

    Capable LabsApplied AI

    Consumer AI studio shipping habit and coaching products powered by LLMs.

    19 open · 18 technical · 1 cities

  24. 24

    VerkadaAI Security

    Cloud physical security platform with computer-vision search across cameras and sensors.

    18 open · 8 technical · 7 cities

  25. 25

    Vanilla TechnologiesApplied AI

    Estate planning platform using AI to model and visualise family wealth.

    18 open · 0 technical · 18 cities

  26. 26

    True AnomalyAI Defense

    Autonomous spacecraft and Mosaic software for space domain awareness.

    17 open · 12 technical · 5 cities

  27. 27

    Genius AIApplied AI

    AI sales and marketing agents for high-volume consumer businesses.

    17 open · 6 technical · 2 cities

  28. 28

    Agility RoboticsRobotics AI

    Maker of Digit, a humanoid robot working live in logistics warehouses.

    16 open · 13 technical · 5 cities

  29. 29

    WorkatoAgentic Automation

    Enterprise orchestration platform deploying AI agents across business systems.

    15 open · 14 technical · 8 cities

  30. 30

    FivetranData & AI Platform

    Automated data movement platform feeding warehouses, lakehouses and AI pipelines.

    15 open · 6 technical · 8 cities

  31. 31

    PerplexityAI Search

    Answer engine reinventing search with cited, model-generated responses.

    14 open · 6 technical · 2 cities

  32. 32

    HarveyLegal AI

    Domain-specific AI for elite law firms: research, drafting and diligence workflows.

    14 open · 1 technical · 5 cities

  33. 33

    CensysAI Security

    Internet intelligence platform mapping global attack surface with ML-driven scanning.

    13 open · 9 technical · 6 cities

  34. 34

    CohereFrontier Lab

    Enterprise LLM company building secure models and retrieval for regulated industries.

    13 open · 1 technical · 4 cities

  35. 35

    DatavantHealthcare AI

    Health data ecosystem connecting and de-identifying records for AI-ready research.

    13 open · 0 technical · 6 cities

  36. 36

    DataikuData & AI Platform

    Universal AI platform for building analytics, ML and agents in one workspace.

    11 open · 0 technical · 2 cities

  37. 37

    NeurophosAI Chips

    Optical compute startup building metamaterial photonic processors for AI inference.

    10 open · 10 technical · 2 cities

  38. 38

    Spring HealthHealthcare AI

    Precision mental healthcare using ML to match members to the right care.

    10 open · 3 technical · 4 cities

  39. 39

    WayveAutonomy

    Embodied AI company training end-to-end driving models that generalize across cities.

    9 open · 9 technical · 1 cities

  40. 40

    RampFintech AI

    Finance automation platform using AI agents to control spend and close the books.

    9 open · 3 technical · 2 cities

  41. 41

    AkidoHealthcare AI

    ScopeAI clinical model that expands what a care team can safely see per day.

    9 open · 0 technical · 8 cities

  42. 42

    StackAdaptMarketing AI

    Programmatic advertising platform with ML bidding and creative optimisation.

    9 open · 2 technical · 5 cities

  43. 43

    Efficient ComputerAI Chips

    Ultra-efficient general-purpose compute for edge AI workloads.

    8 open · 8 technical · 3 cities

  44. 44

    CohesityAI Data

    AI-powered data security and management platform with Gaia conversational search.

    8 open · 5 technical · 7 cities

  45. 45

    Horizon3AI Security

    Autonomous pentesting platform (NodeZero) that continuously attacks your own network.

    8 open · 4 technical · 2 cities

  46. 46

    HandshakeAI Data

    Early-career network now supplying expert human data to frontier AI labs.

    8 open · 6 technical · 4 cities

  47. 47

    MercuryFintech AI

    Banking stack for startups, automating spend controls and reconciliation with ML.

    8 open · 2 technical · 1 cities

  48. 48

    ProfluentAI for Science

    Protein language models designing novel enzymes and gene editors.

    8 open · 7 technical · 1 cities

  49. 49

    TaniumAI Security

    Autonomous endpoint management platform with real-time AI-driven remediation.

    7 open · 5 technical · 6 cities

  50. 50

    NetskopeAI Security

    SASE platform securing enterprise use of generative AI apps and data flows.

    7 open · 5 technical · 4 cities

  51. 51

    BasetenAI Infrastructure

    Inference platform for deploying and scaling open and custom models in production.

    7 open · 4 technical · 1 cities

  52. 52

    Applied IntuitionAutonomy

    Vehicle intelligence toolchain for simulating, validating and shipping autonomy.

    7 open · 6 technical · 1 cities

  53. 53

    QuantinuumQuantum + AI

    Quantum computing company pairing trapped-ion hardware with generative quantum AI.

    7 open · 6 technical · 3 cities

  54. 54

    KalepaInsurance AI

    Copilot for commercial underwriters, automating risk assessment with LLMs.

    7 open · 5 technical · 2 cities

  55. 55

    YipitDataData & AI

    Alternative data company turning web-scale signals into investor-grade analytics.

    7 open · 4 technical · 1 cities

  56. 56

    LabelboxAI Data

    Data factory and labelling platform producing training and evaluation sets for AI teams.

    7 open · 4 technical · 1 cities

  57. 57

    ServalEnterprise AI

    AI agents resolving internal IT and HR service requests end to end.

    7 open · 3 technical · 3 cities

  58. 58

    AddeparFintech AI

    Wealth management data platform with AI-assisted portfolio insight.

    7 open · 3 technical · 2 cities

  59. 59

    ChainalysisFintech AI

    Blockchain intelligence platform detecting illicit activity with ML.

    7 open · 0 technical · 6 cities

  60. 60

    VercelAI DevTools

    Frontend cloud and creators of v0, the generative UI product for developers.

    6 open · 6 technical · 2 cities

  61. 61

    PlaidFintech AI

    Financial data network using ML for identity, income and risk decisioning.

    6 open · 3 technical · 4 cities

  62. 62

    TuringAI Data

    Supplies coding and reasoning data plus expert evaluation to frontier model labs.

    6 open · 3 technical · 3 cities

  63. 63

    CheckrApplied AI

    Background check platform using ML to adjudicate records faster and more fairly.

    6 open · 4 technical · 2 cities

  64. 64

    Atom ComputingQuantum + AI

    Neutral-atom quantum computing company scaling qubit arrays for scientific compute.

    6 open · 6 technical · 2 cities

  65. 65

    1XRobotics AI

    Humanoid robot company training neural networks for general-purpose physical labour.

    6 open · 5 technical · 2 cities

  66. 66

    GleanEnterprise AI

    Work AI platform grounding assistants and agents in a company's own knowledge.

    6 open · 1 technical · 3 cities

  67. 67

    Atomic MachinesAI for Science

    Micro-manufacturing platform combining robotics and AI-driven process control.

    6 open · 3 technical · 2 cities

  68. 68

    TypefaceGenerative Media

    Enterprise generative content platform that stays on brand across channels.

    5 open · 5 technical · 2 cities

  69. 69

    LegoraLegal AI

    Collaborative AI workspace for lawyers, used across leading European and US firms.

    5 open · 2 technical · 4 cities

  70. 70

    FieldAIRobotics AI

    Risk-aware foundation models giving robots a universal brain for unstructured sites.

    5 open · 5 technical · 3 cities

  71. 71

    Invisible TechnologiesAI Data

    Human-in-the-loop operations partner training and evaluating frontier models.

    5 open · 5 technical · 2 cities

  72. 72

    Gong.ioGTM AI

    Revenue AI platform analysing every customer conversation for sales teams.

    5 open · 1 technical · 2 cities

  73. 73

    Array LabsAI Defense

    Satellite constellation building a live 3D radar map of the Earth.

    5 open · 5 technical · 1 cities

  74. 74

    PaveApplied AI

    Compensation platform benchmarking pay with live market data models.

    5 open · 4 technical · 2 cities

  75. 75

    NotionProductivity AI

    Connected workspace with AI writing, search and agents across team knowledge.

    4 open · 0 technical · 2 cities

  76. 76

    VantaAI Security

    Trust management platform automating SOC 2, ISO and AI governance evidence.

    4 open · 2 technical · 1 cities

  77. 77

    ChainguardAI Security

    Secure-by-default container images and software supply-chain hardening.

    4 open · 0 technical · 1 cities

  78. 78

    Grafana LabsObservability AI

    Open-source observability stack adding AI assistants for incident investigation.

    4 open · 2 technical · 1 cities

  79. 79

    SkydioAutonomy

    Largest US drone maker, with onboard autonomy that flies and inspects without pilots.

    4 open · 3 technical · 2 cities

  80. 80

    NeuralinkNeurotech AI

    Brain-computer interface company decoding neural signals with on-device models.

    4 open · 2 technical · 2 cities

  81. 81

    UniphoreVoice AI

    Conversational and multimodal AI platform for enterprise service and sales.

    4 open · 2 technical · 2 cities

  82. 82

    Torc RoboticsAutonomy

    Autonomous trucking software running driver-out freight on Texas corridors.

    4 open · 4 technical · 2 cities

  83. 83

    Reliable RoboticsAutonomy

    Certifiable autonomy for cargo aircraft, enabling remotely operated flight.

    4 open · 4 technical · 3 cities

  84. 84

    Otter.aiProductivity AI

    Meeting AI that transcribes, summarises and answers questions across calls.

    4 open · 0 technical · 3 cities

  85. 85

    ExTrac AIAI Security

    Risk intelligence platform tracking online threats with predictive models.

    4 open · 4 technical · 4 cities

  86. 86

    DrataAI Security

    Continuous compliance automation with AI-assisted control monitoring.

    3 open · 1 technical · 2 cities

  87. 87

    ClickHouseAI Data

    Real-time analytics database used as the query layer under AI and observability apps.

    3 open · 0 technical · 1 cities

  88. 88

    PostmanAI DevTools

    API platform adding AI agent builders and spec generation for developers.

    3 open · 2 technical · 2 cities

  89. 89

    Cerebras SystemsAI Chips

    Wafer-scale AI processors delivering the fastest inference for large models.

    3 open · 3 technical · 1 cities

  90. 90

    RunwayGenerative Media

    Research company behind Gen-series video models used across film and advertising.

    3 open · 2 technical · 1 cities

  91. 91

    SunoGenerative Media

    Generative music model turning prompts into full, produced songs.

    3 open · 1 technical · 3 cities

  92. 92

    SukiHealthcare AI

    Ambient AI assistant that drafts clinical notes from doctor-patient conversations.

    3 open · 2 technical · 2 cities

  93. 93

    AbnormalAI Security

    Behavioural AI email security stopping socially engineered attacks.

    3 open · 1 technical · 1 cities

  94. 94

    MolocoMarketing AI

    Machine-learning ad platform ranking and bidding on first-party commerce data.

    3 open · 2 technical · 1 cities

  95. 95

    Bear RoboticsRobotics AI

    Autonomous service robots for restaurants and hospitality floors.

    3 open · 3 technical · 3 cities

  96. 96

    Machina LabsAI for Science

    Robotic craftsman platform forming metal parts with AI-guided robots.

    3 open · 2 technical · 1 cities

  97. 97

    Gray Swan AIAI Security

    Red-teaming and safeguards company stress-testing frontier model deployments.

    3 open · 0 technical · 1 cities

  98. 98

    Legion IntelligenceAI Defense

    Autonomy software for defence platforms operating in contested environments.

    3 open · 2 technical · 1 cities

  99. 99

    RilletFintech AI

    AI-native general ledger automating the accounting close.

    3 open · 0 technical · 2 cities

  100. 100

    AdonisHealthcare AI

    Revenue intelligence and automation for healthcare billing teams.

    3 open · 3 technical · 1 cities

What counts as a startup

Same feed, stricter filter. This list is built for people who want to join a company before everyone has heard of it.

  1. 01Privately held and venture-backed only — every publicly traded company is removed.
  2. 02No subsidiaries or joint ventures of public parents, and no private-equity roll-ups.
  3. 03AI-native or AI-first product companies: frontier labs, AI infrastructure, autonomy, robotics, applied AI and AI-powered vertical software.
  4. 04Ranked by live open US roles from the AIApply job feed, snapshot September 4, 2026. Every role links straight to the live listing.