In this article, we will list the 5 Best “Moonshot” Tech Stocks to Buy According to Short Sellers. Please visit 10 Best “Moonshot” Tech Stocks to Buy According to Short Sellers if you’d like to see an extended list.
For this article, we screened U.S.-listed technology and technology-adjacent companies with high short interest as a percentage of float, focusing on names tied to speculative growth themes such as AI software, automation, robotics, EVs, batteries, space technology, defense AI, and digital health platforms. We then narrowed the list to stocks that fit the “moonshot” profile: companies with large addressable markets, volatile trading histories, strong retail interest, elevated execution risk, and substantial upside. The final ranking is based on short interest as a percentage of float, from highest to lowest.
5. Asana, Inc. (NYSE:ASAN)
Asana, Inc. (NYSE:ASAN) is one of the best “moonshot” tech stocks to buy according to short sellers. The stock’s latest publicly reported short interest stood at 33.04% of float as of April 30, 2026, according to MarketBeat.
The short-seller case is unusually direct. In a May 6 Business Insider report on AI’s pressure on SaaS companies, analyst Pat Walravens argued that application-software providers face disruption because AI makes software easier to build and replace, specifically naming Asana among the companies under pressure.
Photo by Arturo Añez on Unsplash
Asana’s counterargument is that its Work Graph, governance, and collaboration layer make it more foundational as enterprises add AI agents. That is the ASAN battleground: either AI turns work management into a higher-value control layer, or it makes parts of the category easier to clone with cheaper tools.
That said, Asana fits the moonshot bucket through its attempt to become an enterprise coordination layer for human and AI work, rather than just another project-management dashboard collecting digital dust. The company describes Asana AI Teammates as agents that work within team workflows, use project context, handle tasks such as research synthesis and risk flagging, and operate within existing enterprise permissions. Its broader AI product suite includes AI Teammates, AI Studio, smart workflows, and AI connectors that turn conversations into coordinated work.
Asana, Inc. (NYSE:ASAN) provides work management software for project tracking, workflow coordination, goals, reporting, automation, and AI-powered collaboration across teams and enterprises.
4. BigBear.ai Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BBAI)
BigBear.ai Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BBAI) is one of the best “moonshot” tech stocks to buy according to short sellers. The stock’s latest publicly reported short interest stood at 29.58% of float as of April 30, 2026, according to MarketBeat.
BigBear.ai strengthened its defense-AI case on May 5, when it reported a first-quarter backlog of $281.9 million, up 14% from the fourth quarter. The increase was driven mainly by a $53 million sole-source prime classified award, while the company said first-quarter wins totaled nearly $75 million across the national security, trade, and travel markets. BigBear.ai also reaffirmed its full-year 2026 revenue guidance of $135 million to $165 million, and said gross margin expanded to 34.0% from 21.3% a year earlier, helped by higher-margin generative AI revenue from Ask Sage.
The short-seller case is not hard to find either. First-quarter revenue slipped 1% to $34.4 million because of lower Army program volume, even though Ask Sage partly offset the decline. BigBear.ai also posted a $56.8 million net loss and a $9.9 million adjusted EBITDA loss, while SG&A expenses rose as the company absorbed acquisition-related costs and expanded sales and marketing. That leaves BBAI as a clean moonshot battleground: classified defense AI contracts, secure generative AI, and national-security demand on one side; uneven revenue, losses, and execution risk on the other.
BigBear.ai Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BBAI) provides Edge AI-powered decision intelligence, predictive analytics, computer vision, and digital identity solutions for national security, defense, travel and trade, supply chain, and other complex operating environments.
3. Serve Robotics Inc. (NASDAQ:SERV)
Serve Robotics Inc. (NASDAQ:SERV) is one of the best “moonshot” tech stocks to buy according to short sellers. The stock’s latest publicly reported short interest stood at 29.11% of float as of April 30, 2026, according to MarketBeat.
Serve’s moonshot case strengthened on May 7, when the company reported first-quarter revenue of $3.0 million, up 238% sequentially and 578% year-over-year. The company said it operated across sidewalk delivery and healthcare robotics in the quarter after acquiring Diligent Robotics, expanding its footprint to 44 cities across 14 states. Serve also had about 2,000 robots deployed, with software services contributing about one-third of Q1 revenue and recurring revenue making up just under half of total revenue.
That puts SERV squarely in the physical AI bucket. The company is trying to build a broader autonomy platform across outdoor delivery robots and indoor hospital robots, not just a cute sidewalk bot that brings burritos like a tiny wheeled intern. Short sellers still have a clear case. Serve reaffirmed 2026 revenue guidance of about $26 million, but its Q1 net loss was $49.0 million, adjusted EBITDA loss was $36.3 million, and net cash used in operating activities was $41.4 million. In other words, the revenue ramp is real, but the burn rate is still doing parkour through the income statement.
Serve Robotics Inc. (NASDAQ:SERV) designs and operates autonomous robots for sidewalk delivery and indoor service environments, including hospital delivery robots through Diligent Robotics, combining robotics hardware, autonomy software, fleet operations, and related services.
2. Intuitive Machines, Inc. (NASDAQ:LUNR)
Intuitive Machines, Inc. (NASDAQ:LUNR) is one of the best “moonshot” tech stocks to buy according to short sellers. The stock’s latest publicly reported short interest stood at 28.15% of float as of April 30, 2026.
The company strengthened its moonshot case on May 14, when it reported first-quarter 2026 revenue of $186.7 million, compared with $62.5 million in the prior-year period. Intuitive Machines also posted positive adjusted EBITDA of $2.7 million and a record quarter-end backlog of about $1.06 billion, up from $213.1 million at the end of 2025. The backlog increase included acquired backlog from Lanteris, as well as new awards primarily tied to the IM-5 mission, a government defense contract, and other contracts.
The short interest reflects why LUNR remains a polarized space-tech name rather than a conventional growth stock. The company is trying to turn lunar missions, defense work, space networks, and payload delivery into a broader commercial platform, but the story still depends on mission execution, government contract timing, and integration of Lanteris. Investors also had reasons to stay cautious after the quarter, as Investor’s Business Daily reported that the company missed analyst expectations for both revenue and earnings per share.
Intuitive Machines, Inc. (NASDAQ:LUNR) is a space technology company that provides lunar access, lunar data services, orbital services, space systems, and related infrastructure for government and commercial customers.
1. Vertical Aerospace Ltd. (NYSE:EVTL)
Vertical Aerospace Ltd. (NYSE:EVTL) is one of the best “moonshot” tech stocks to buy according to short sellers. The stock’s latest publicly reported short interest stood at 24.52% of float as of April 30, 2026, according to MarketBeat.
Vertical strengthened its moonshot case in April by hitting major technical and financing milestones for its Valo eVTOL aircraft. On April 16, the company said it had completed what it described as the world’s first full-scale piloted two-way transition flight under UK civil aviation Design Organization Approval oversight, taking the aircraft from vertical takeoff to cruise flight and back to vertical landing in one continuous mission. Four days later, Vertical announced the execution and closing of a financing package of up to $850 million, giving it additional support as it works toward certification and commercialization.
The short-seller case is also clear. Vertical remains an early-stage aviation company trying to certify a new electric aircraft category, meaning the path still depends on flight testing, regulatory approvals, funding access, and eventual production execution. MarketBeat also notes that Vertical has negative earnings, which makes conventional valuation harder, while recent coverage of the financing package still highlights dilution and capital-structure risk around the company’s scale-up plans. That leaves EVTL as a classic moonshot stock: a real aircraft milestone and fresh capital on one side, certification risk and balance-sheet gravity on the other.
Vertical Aerospace Ltd. (NYSE:EVTL) is a UK-based aerospace and technology company developing electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for advanced air mobility, with its Valo aircraft designed for zero-emission passenger transport.
While we acknowledge the potential of EVTL to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that some other AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than EVTL and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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