🐺 Most “Cool Companies” aren’t hiring (yet)

We went through Connects 2026 Cool Companies list this week looking for jobs for the pack.

Here’s what we found.

Most of them aren’t hiring publicly, yet. Which is exactly why it’s worth following them now.

That’s actually more interesting than it sounds.

A lot of the most interesting companies in San Diego are still small, focused, and hiring through their networks.

Which means fewer job posts, but more opportunities if you’re paying attention early.

This week is a mix of companies hiring and others worth keeping an eye on.

Let’s start with a few teams that are hiring right now that are worth a closer look.

Psyonic — 4 Open Roles

Why it matters:
Building advanced bionics that bridge human capability and robotics.

Psyonic develops the world’s first touch-sensing prosthetic hand, allowing users to physically feel what they’re gripping.

The company recently moved its headquarters to San Diego and continues to push forward in human-centered robotics.

Open roles:

• Head of Sales & Support

• Quality Engineer/Regulatory Specialist

• Social Media Manager

• Technical Project Manager (Engineer IV)

If you’re interested in robotics, hardware, or human-centered design, this one is worth a look.

Clinically AI — 4 Open Roles

Why it matters:
Reducing the administrative burden on behavioral health providers.

Clinically AI builds software that helps behavioral health teams document care, stay compliant, and manage workflows more efficiently.

Their platform integrates directly with existing EHR systems and uses AI to support documentation, surface issues in real time, and align with clinical and regulatory standards.

The goal: give clinicians more time to focus on patients, not paperwork.

Open roles:

• Assistant Financial Controller

• Performance Marketer

• Sales Development Representative

• Content Marketing Specialist

If you’re interested in healthcare, AI, or building tools that support clinicians directly, this one is worth a look.

AskTuring — 1 Open Role

Why it matters:
Making internal company knowledge actually usable.

AskTuring gives teams instant, cited answers from their private documents.

Every response is generated from company data, encrypted, verified, and fully sourced. It’s not pulled from the public internet.

It’s a more practical version of AI: grounded in your systems, not guessing from the web.

Open roles:

• QA Lead Role

If you’re interested in applied AI, knowledge systems, or enterprise tools, this one is worth a look.

2026 Cool Companies Worth Having on Your Radar

These companies may not be hiring publicly yet, but they’re building interesting things in San Diego and are worth following.

XZOM – Builds diagnostic systems that deliver real-time health analysis at the point of care.

Third Element Bio – Develops therapies targeting microglia cells to treat neurological disorders.

Icarus RT, Inc. – Develops solar systems that capture and store both electricity and heat energy.

Hyper Kelp – Builds ocean-based systems that collect and transmit real-time maritime data.

EcoDrive – Builds software to automate donation processing and track verified impact.

Channel Robotics – Develops handheld robotic systems for advanced endoscopic procedures.

Aquaporo Technologies – Develops systems that extract drinking water from air in dry environments.

The complete Connect Cool Companies List

In case you missed it

Here are a few teams we featured last week that are still hiring:

• ClickUp builds a unified productivity platform designed to bring tasks, documents, collaboration, and AI tools into a single workspace - Open Roles

• Aptera Motors is building ultra-efficient solar electric vehicles designed to minimize or eliminate the need for external charging - Open Roles

• Looq AI builds AI-powered reality capture tools that help engineers and utilities collect and analyze infrastructure data directly in the field - Open Roles

We’ve got 952 in the pack!

About half have told us what they’re looking for.
The rest we’re still guessing on.

This helps us share better roles and tap you on the shoulder when we find something that looks like a real fit.

It takes 2 minutes.

Tell us what you’re looking for

If one of these companies or roles feels like a fit, go for it.

Know a company that we should be sharing? Reply and send it our way.

Let’s team up and help San Diegans find great San Diego teams!

Jonah 🐺

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