Stockton Startups to Watch in 2027: Verified Companies in Spine Imaging, Water-Cooled Data Centers and Epilepsy AI, Plus Where San Joaquin County Founders Get Support
Stockton is not a startup hub in the way the Bay Area to its west is, and any honest list has to start there. The 2026 version of this article named ten Stockton startups, but almost none of them held up: some have no website at all, some are real companies based elsewhere in California, and one is a 1970s aviation repair shop that a large group bought in 2024. For this 2027 edition we started again and checked every company on its own website or in an official record in November 2026: that it still operates, that it gives Stockton or San Joaquin County as its base, what it builds and what it publishes about its funding. The result is a short list, and we kept it short rather than pad it. What happened to each old name is listed near the end.
Quick answer: the Stockton-area startups to watch in 2027 are Verdure Imaging (a Stockton company with an FDA-cleared 3D ultrasound system for imaging the spine without radiation), Nautilus Data Technologies (a data center company whose only data center, Stockton 1, is cooled with San Joaquin River water at the Port of Stockton) and EnlitenAI (a Tracy company building decision-support software for epilepsy care). None of them publishes funding amounts. For support, start with the San Joaquin SBDC, the Small Business Center at University of the Pacific and iHub San Joaquin.
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Why Stockton Matters for Founders in 2027
Stockton's most visible startup story is physical: Nautilus built its first commercial data center at the Port of Stockton, where water from the San Joaquin River cools the servers. Around it, the area has a medical device company with an FDA clearance, Verdure Imaging, and a digital health company in Tracy, in the same county, EnlitenAI. The local support network is also young: University of the Pacific's new Small Business Center was announced in November 2024, and iHub San Joaquin brings together the county, its cities, the port, the university and Delta College.
We removed the old article's claims of a 32% rise in new ventures and of record venture funding, because it gave no source we could verify. For the wider picture, compare our guide to the best startup cities in North America and our city lists for Bakersfield, another Central Valley city, and for San Diego.
Stockton Startups to Watch in 2027 Compared
Sources: each company's official website and the FDA 510(k) database, checked 2 November 2026.
The Stockton Startups to Watch in 2027
1. Verdure Imaging: 3D ultrasound of the spine without radiation
Verdure Imaging makes SpineUs, which it describes as the world's first AI-enabled 3D ultrasound for spinal imaging. Instead of an X-ray or CT scan, a clinician scans the patient's back with an ultrasound probe, and AI models identify the vertebrae and rebuild them as a 3D view, with no radiation. The company says its models were trained on paired CT and ultrasound data collected in IRB-approved clinical studies, and that the system is built on 3D Slicer, an open-source platform for medical image computing. The FDA 510(k) database lists the SpineUs System as cleared in October 2024, with Verdure Imaging in Stockton as the applicant, and the company's contact page gives Stockton as its headquarters. Its founder and CEO is Chris Schlenger. The company does not publish funding amounts, so we do not quote any.
Lesson for founders: Verdure Imaging took a familiar, cheap technology, ultrasound, and pointed it at a job usually done with X-rays. A regulatory clearance like a 510(k) is a hard, public milestone that buyers and investors can check.
Best for: founders in medical devices, imaging and AI for healthcare.
2. Nautilus Data Technologies: a river-cooled data center at the Port of Stockton
Nautilus Data Technologies was founded in 2013 by a former Navy SEAL to build data centers cooled by natural water. After a waterborne prototype in 2015, it commissioned its Stockton 1 data center at the Port of Stockton in 2021, and says the facility is still in commercial operation. Stockton 1 offers 6.5 megawatts of critical IT load across four vaults, supports up to 55 kW per rack and, according to the company, runs at a power usage effectiveness (PUE) of 1.15. An open loop draws water from the San Joaquin River and a closed loop under vacuum cools the servers, which the company says means no water consumption and no risk of leaks onto the equipment. Nautilus is headquartered in San Ramon and runs its business operations from the Embarcadero in Stockton. It now also sells its cooling technology as EcoCore, cooling distribution units for AI data centers of up to 4,000 kW (FCD) and up to 10 MW per containerized module (XCD), and calls itself a certified NVIDIA AI Factory infrastructure partner. It does not publish funding amounts.
Lesson for founders: Nautilus used one working site in Stockton as proof, then turned the technology inside it into a product it can sell to other data centers. A first plant is often the best sales pitch a hardware startup has.
Best for: founders in data centers, AI infrastructure, cleantech and water.
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3. EnlitenAI: decision support for epilepsy care, from Tracy
EnlitenAI builds Neuroliten, software that collects data from wearables, such as an Apple Watch for vital signs and an Emotiv EEG headset for brain signals, together with caregivers' notes and videos of seizures, and presents it to neurologists to help them adjust treatment. The company says Neuroliten does not give diagnoses or treatment recommendations, and that on 9 January 2026 it was registered and listed with the FDA as a Class I Software as a Medical Device. Its founder and CEO, Dr. Himanshu Misra, started the company as a tribute to his son, who died of drug-resistant epilepsy, and its chief medical advisor is Dr. Paul Garcia, a neurology professor at UCSF. Its contact page gives its headquarters in Tracy, in San Joaquin County, with a regional office in Rocklin. Its news page lists a 2022 Colorado state grant, won with UCHealth, to study the platform with patients at home, second prize at the Pitch Elk Grove startup competition, and a place among the quarterfinalists of the 2025 Digital Health Awards of the Digital Health Hub Foundation.
Lesson for founders: EnlitenAI starts with one condition it knows deeply, epilepsy, and plans to extend the same platform to other neurological conditions later. A narrow first market with a clear clinical partner is easier to prove.
Best for: founders in digital health, AI for medicine and patient monitoring.
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Where Stockton Startups Get Support
- San Joaquin SBDC: part of the Northern California Small Business Development Center network, funded in part by the state's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) and the US Small Business Administration. It offers confidential, no-cost one-to-one advising for startups and growing businesses, plus webinars and trainings. Meetings are by appointment.
- Small Business Center at University of the Pacific: housed in Pacific's Eberhardt School of Business in Stockton. When it was announced in November 2024, San Joaquin County approved $1 million and Pacific committed a matching $1 million. Business students work under a director to give local businesses free consulting on market research, business plans, digital marketing, HR, legal questions and finance.
- iHub San Joaquin: a Stockton-based innovation hub focused on three clusters: health care, agri-business and sustainable construction technologies. Its board includes the Port of Stockton, University of the Pacific, San Joaquin Delta College, San Joaquin County and the cities of Lathrop, Lodi, Manteca, Stockton and Tracy. Its yearly Innovation Summit was held on 10 March 2026 in Manteca; watch its site for the next one.
- Accelerate California: the state's network of 13 inclusive innovation hubs, run by the California Office of the Small Business Advocate. Its map shows which hubs serve San Joaquin County.
- Grants and competitions: two of the three companies above passed an official milestone (an FDA clearance or listing) before publishing any funding round, and EnlitenAI used a state research grant and regional pitch competitions. See our lists of deep tech grants in North America and startup competitions in North America.
Stockton Companies From the Old List That Changed or Were Removed
The 2026 version of this article listed ten companies. Here is what we found when we checked each one in November 2026:
- ShopStockFlex, EcoFicient Solutions, GenePlus Technologies and SmartFarm Innovations: we found no official website or record for any of them, and the revenue figures the old article gave came from a coding bootcamp blog. Removed.
- Mirador Therapeutics: a real precision medicine company, but its contact page gives its headquarters in San Diego, not Stockton.
- Motiv Power Systems: a real maker of electric truck and bus chassis, but its own releases place its headquarters in Foster City, in the Bay Area.
- SwiftTransport Solutions: the old link pointed to a news article about a warehouse robot called Swift made by another company. We found no Stockton company with this name.
- Aero Turbine: a real Stockton company, but not a startup. It was founded in 1978, repairs military jet engines at Stockton Metropolitan Airport and was acquired by StandardAero in August 2024, according to StandardAero's announcement.
- Delta Wireless: directories list a Stockton dealer of video surveillance systems with this name, but we found no working official website, and it is an established business rather than a startup.
- Cradlewise: a real maker of smart baby bassinets, but its website gives a Fremont, California address, not Stockton.
Checked but not listed: startup directories place YCurb, a curbside management AI company, in Stockton, but its own website gives no location, so we left it out until it does. We also removed the old article's links to third-party lists (Built In, a coding bootcamp blog and Exploding Topics) and its unsourced revenue and uptime figures.
Which Stockton Startup Should You Learn From?
- You build a medical device: study Verdure Imaging, which earned an FDA 510(k) clearance for a new use of a familiar technology.
- You build infrastructure or cleantech: study Nautilus, which proved its cooling system in one Stockton facility before selling it as a product.
- You build digital health software: study EnlitenAI, which registered its software with the FDA, partnered with a hospital system and entered regional pitch competitions.
- You are just starting: book free advising with the San Joaquin SBDC, ask the Small Business Center at University of the Pacific for student consulting help, and join iHub San Joaquin's events to meet the county's partners.
How Founders Use the Stockton Startup Scene
Two of the three companies on this list are in health care, which matches one of iHub San Joaquin's three clusters. If that is your field, compare clinical events in our calendars of medtech startup events and healthtech startup events, and read how to validate a digital health idea in clinics before you build.
Stockton is close to the Bay Area's investors, but they still want proof. Prepare with our guide to angel investors in North America, and compare with founders in smaller cities such as Tucson and Honolulu, who also build far from the big hubs.
Small-city startups are easy to miss online. Start early: publish your startup press release, and write about your work with the F/MS AI SEO Tool or the AI SEO Blog so customers, investors and AI assistants can find you.
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FAQ About Stockton Startups in 2027
Which Stockton startups should I watch in 2027?
Our verified list: Verdure Imaging (3D spine ultrasound, Stockton), Nautilus Data Technologies (its Stockton 1 data center at the Port of Stockton) and EnlitenAI (epilepsy decision-support software, Tracy). Each still operates and gives Stockton or San Joaquin County as its base on its own website, checked in November 2026.
Why is the list so short?
Because we only list companies that their own website or an official record places in Stockton or San Joaquin County. Most names on the old list had no website, were based elsewhere or were not startups, and we did not replace them with unverified names.
Are there medical startups in Stockton?
Yes. Verdure Imaging, headquartered in Stockton, has an FDA 510(k) clearance for its SpineUs 3D spine ultrasound system, and EnlitenAI in nearby Tracy listed its Neuroliten software with the FDA as a Class I medical device in January 2026.
What is the data center at the Port of Stockton?
Stockton 1, run by Nautilus Data Technologies since 2021. It offers 6.5 megawatts of critical IT load and is cooled with water from the San Joaquin River in a closed system that, according to the company, consumes no water.
Did any Stockton startup publish a funding round?
None of the three companies on our list publishes funding amounts on its website. EnlitenAI's news page mentions a 2022 Colorado state research grant won together with UCHealth.
Where can a Stockton founder get free business advice?
The San Joaquin SBDC offers confidential, no-cost one-to-one advising, and the Small Business Center at University of the Pacific connects local businesses with business students and experts for free consulting.
What is iHub San Joaquin?
A Stockton-based innovation hub that connects industry, education and local government in San Joaquin County. It focuses on health care, agri-business and sustainable construction technologies and runs a yearly Innovation Summit.
What happened to the companies on the old list?
Aero Turbine was acquired by StandardAero in 2024, Mirador Therapeutics, Motiv Power Systems and Cradlewise are based elsewhere in California, Delta Wireless is an established dealer rather than a startup, and we found no official record of ShopStockFlex, EcoFicient Solutions, GenePlus Technologies, SmartFarm Innovations or SwiftTransport Solutions.
Where can I get a backlink by writing about my startup?
You can publish a guest post in one of the Fe/male Switch startup blogs, which rank in Google and in AI tools. Get a quality backlink.
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
