🐺 Biolinq just took needles out of glucose monitoring. They're hiring.

The FDA just cleared the first fully autonomous, needle-free continuous glucose sensor for the U.S. market. The company that built it is in San Diego, hiring around 10 roles, and valued near $400M heading into commercial launch.

Three SD companies worth knowing about this week. Plus a battery chemistry startup with $11M from Lockheed Martin Ventures and W.L. Gore, and one of San Diego's few tech unicorns still scaling.

Howl yeah, let's dive in.

Pack Partners:

Head of Electronics Engineering - Seasats ($170,000-$230,000)

Design the brains of Seasats’ autonomous vessels that crossed the Pacific within meters of a Chinese warship, set the Atlantic speed record, and operate in the Taiwan Strait.

CTO direct report. Looking for an engineering leader who loves electronics and loves managing engineers → All open roles 

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Biolinq - 9 Open SD Roles

FDA just cleared the first fully autonomous, needle-free continuous glucose sensor (September 2025). $100M Series C closed in April 2025. Commercial launch underway.

Why they matter:

Millions of Americans with type 2 diabetes still avoid continuous glucose monitoring because it means a needle under the skin. Biolinq is the first company cleared to change that.

Their Biolinq Shine sensor is a coin-sized forearm patch with a microsensor array that sits just beneath the surface. No needle, no phone required. Glucose status displays directly on a color-coded LED on the device itself.

The FDA's clearance makes Biolinq the only company shipping a fully autonomous, needle-free continuous glucose sensor in the U.S. Commercial launch is underway, initially for type 2 diabetes patients not on insulin.

Momentum signals:

• FDA De Novo Classification granted September 23, 2025, the first autonomous needle-free CGM cleared in the U.S.

• Microsensor array up to 20x more shallow than conventional CGM, manufactured with semiconductor-grade processes

• $100M Series C closed April 2025, led by Alpha Wave Ventures with participation from RiverVest, AXA IM Alts, LifeSci Venture Partners, M Ventures, and others

• Approximately $265M total raised across rounds; PitchBook values the company near $400M heading into commercial launch

Open roles:

• Senior Software Engineer/ iOS

• Manufacturing Engineer

• Staff Algorithm Engineer / Data Scientist

• Clinical Research Associate I

• All 9 open SD roles

A De Novo FDA clearance is a moat. So is being first to commercial launch in a category with millions of patients who've refused the previous generation of devices. If you're a hardware engineer, biosensor specialist, or commercial leader who wants to ship a medical device through its first revenue year, this is the medtech seat to study this week.

South 8 Technologies - 2 Open SD Roles

LiGas® liquefied-gas electrolyte lets lithium-ion batteries run from -60°C to +60°C. $9.2M California PowerForward grant and $11M follow-on co-led by Lockheed Martin Ventures and W.L. Gore.

Why they matter:

Most lithium-ion batteries fail in extreme cold and extreme heat because of the liquid electrolyte inside them. South 8 swaps that liquid for a blend of liquefied non-toxic gases held under pressure, letting cells operate from -60°C to +60°C. The exact range defense, aerospace, and grid storage need.

The investor list reads like a who's-who of strategic capital: Lockheed Martin Ventures, W.L. Gore Ventures, Porsche Ventures, LG Technology Ventures, IQT, and Anzu Partners. The customer list is even more interesting. A strategic collaboration with LG Energy Solution, KULR Technology Group, and NASA to co-develop space-rated batteries.

When this much defense, aerospace, and automotive money lines up behind a battery chemistry company, the technology has passed the demo stage.

Momentum signals:

• $11M follow-on round (December 2025) co-led by W.L. Gore Ventures and Lockheed Martin Ventures

• $9.2M California PowerForward grant (2026) funding production targets of 100 MWh of electrolyte and 2 MWh of cells per year, with gigafactory readiness targeted for 2028

• In U.S. Army testing, LiGas cells burned for 6 seconds versus 5-10 minutes for conventional lithium-ion, at roughly $100/kWh versus $150

• 39 patents granted across 7 countries; named to TIME's Best Inventions of 2024 in the Green Energy category

Open roles:

• Battery Pack Applications Engineer (San Diego)

• Assembly Lab Technician (San Diego)

If you're a hardware or chemistry engineer who wants to build cells that ship into the toughest environments engineering can target, here are two seats in San Diego.

Flock Freight - 6 Open SD Roles

Patented shared-truckload platform that pools shipments so trucks run full. Fast Company 2025 Next Big Things in Tech Award winner, certified B Corp, and one of San Diego's few tech unicorns.

Why they matter:

Half-empty trucks are everywhere in freight. Shippers pay for space they don't use. Empty miles add cost and emissions to every delivery.

Flock Freight's patented shared-truckload (STL) platform pools shipments from multiple shippers onto a single full truck. Goods move terminal-free, costs drop, and emissions fall alongside.

The freight market has been brutal for two years. Flock kept raising, kept winning awards, and kept shipping.

Momentum signals:

• Fast Company 2025 Next Big Things in Tech Award winner (October 2025), recognizing the STL AddOns Carrier Product

• 2025 BIG Sustainability Initiative of the Year Award, plus continued certified B Corp status

• $60M Series E (May 2025) led by O'Neil Strategic Capital; approximately $460M raised across rounds to date

• Largest shared truckload (STL) freight brokerage in the U.S., headquartered in a 40,000 sq ft Encinitas campus

Open roles:

• All 6 open SD roles

If you work in logistics, marketplaces, or more sustainable supply chains and want to join a unicorn that's been winning the slowest part of the cycle, this North County team is the place to study.

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On the Radar

Three companies from last week still hiring and worth your time:

• 9amHealth - 20 open remote roles, SD HQ. Just closed a $26M Series B led by Define Ventures to expand AI-driven virtual specialty care into the chronic conditions driving most employer pharmacy spend.

• Cordial - 5 open remote roles, SD HQ. Just named a Leader in The Forrester Wave: Email Marketing Service Providers, Q1 2026. Customers include Levi's, L.L.Bean, and Boot Barn.

• Looq AI - 9 open SD roles. DTECH 2026 Power Player and Constructech Top Products winner. Spatial AI for infrastructure: survey-grade 3D point clouds without LiDAR or drones.

One pattern this week:

FDA De Novo Classification. TIME Best Inventions. Fast Company Next Big Things in Tech. Three San Diego companies, three different industry honors in the last 18 months.

SD's edge keeps showing up in the same shape: hardware, chemistry, and physical-world platforms where awards from regulators, scientific bodies, and tech press separate real products from prototypes.

Let's help good people find great San Diego teams.

Jonah 🐺

P.S. Know someone job-hunting in SD tech? Forward this email. They can join us at thecareercoyote.beehiiv.com

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