- The Career Coyote
- Posts
- 🐺 Aptera just completed their first vehicle. Now they need engineers.
🐺 Aptera just completed their first vehicle. Now they need engineers.
Aptera, Platform Science, and Trust & Will are hiring in San Diego.
A San Diego company just rolled its first solar electric vehicle off a structured assembly line.
It took years to get here. Now they need the team to build the next thousand.
Howl yeah, let's dive in.
Aptera - 5 Open SD Roles
Why they matter:
Most electric vehicles still need a charging cable. Aptera is building one that doesn't.
Their three-wheeled solar electric vehicle is designed to generate enough energy from sunlight alone to cover most daily driving. The aerodynamic shell is unlike anything else on the road. The efficiency numbers are unlike anything else in the EV market.
On March 3, 2026, Aptera completed its first vehicle off a 14-station validation assembly line in Carlsbad. This marks the transition from hand-built prototypes to a structured, repeatable build process. These vehicles are now undergoing thermal validation, brake performance testing, and destructive testing as the company advances toward regulatory certification and customer deliveries.
Nearly 50,000 people have reserved one. That's over $2 billion in potential revenue waiting on the other side of certification.
Momentum signals:
First vehicle completed off validation assembly line, Carlsbad CA (March 3, 2026)
$17.1M in new capital raised in Q1 2026, including a $9M follow-on public offering and $8.1M from warrant exercises
Assembly and integration organization now the company's largest functional team, with sustained hiring across key roles in recent months
Advancing toward regulatory self-certification and EPA certification ahead of first customer deliveries
Open roles:
San Diego is building a solar car. It just became real. If you want to be part of the team that takes it from first unit to first deliveries, go take a look.
Platform Science - 13 Open Roles, SD and Remote US
Why they matter:
Every commercial truck on the road is running a patchwork of disconnected software. One app for dispatch, another for compliance, another for driver communication. It slows everything down and costs everyone money.
Platform Science built the operating layer that replaces all of it. Their Virtual Vehicle platform integrates driver apps and back-office tools into a unified system for connected vehicles and digital supply chains. Think of it as the iOS for commercial trucks.
In February 2025, they completed the acquisition of Trimble's global transportation telematics business, a unit generating approximately $300M in annual revenue. Trimble became a shareholder and joined the board. That's not a startup move. That's a category-defining one.
Momentum signals:
Launched 2026 Connected Vehicle Lab North American Roadshow
Introduced Trust Portal for fleet transparency and operational visibility
Trimble, Daimler Truck, PACCAR, Cummins, and Schneider all strategic investors
Trimble acquisition completed February 2025, adding approximately $300M in annual revenue
Open roles:
Platform Science absorbed one of the biggest names in fleet telematics and kept building. If you're in fleet tech, SaaS, or connected vehicle systems, this one is significantly bigger than it was a year ago.
Trust & Will - 4 Open Remote US Roles
Why they matter:
Only 31% of Americans have a will.
Not because they don't need one. Because the process is intimidating, expensive, and stuck in the past.
Trust & Will built the modern alternative. Their digital platform lets people create legally valid wills, trusts, and estate planning documents online, in a fraction of the time and cost of a traditional attorney. Over 1 million users since founding in 2017. Forbes named them one of America's Best Startup Employers for 2026.
The company was founded in San Diego by Cody Barbo, an SDSU alum who remains connected to the community.
The team is now fully remote and expanding fast. Their 2026 Estate Planning Report found that trust in AI for estate planning is at a record high. A tailwind the company is clearly positioned to capture. AI is already embedded in their platform, delivering personalized recommendations and real-time plan updates.
Momentum signals:
$25M+ Series C raised March 2025, led by Moderne Ventures with UBS, Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures, and Erie Strategic Ventures participating
$75M raised total to date
AI-powered platform for estate planning attorneys launched (2025)
Nonprofit Platform powered by EstateOS launched (2026)
Forbes Best Startup Employers 2026
Official estate planning partner for the San Diego Wave
Open roles:
San Diego roots, fully remote, and expanding quickly. If you're in legal tech, fintech, or consumer SaaS, these roles are open to anyone in the pack.
We've crossed 1,030 in the pack.
Tell us what you're looking for, and we'll tap you on the shoulder when we find a real fit. Not just what happens to be open.
Over 518 of you have already told us what you're looking for. The more we know about you, the better we can look out for you.
It takes 2 minutes.
Let's help good people find great San Diego teams.
Jonah 🐺
P.S. Land an interview, connect with a company, or find a strategy that's working for you? Reply and give us a howl. We'd love to hear what's working in the pack in San Diego and celebrate with you, too.
-
A few helpful links:
Hiring in San Diego? DM us your open roles
Tell me what you’re looking for: It takes 2 minutes.
Job hunting is easier when you know the landscape. The Social Coyote covers who's building, raising, and tech events in San Diego.
