All posts tagged: Wayve

TechCrunch Mobility: Rivian’s R2 gambit

TechCrunch Mobility: Rivian’s R2 gambit

Published by skeptic

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your hub for all things “future of transportation.” To get this in your inbox, sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! I was out for a few days last week and we have a bit of catching up to do! I won’t rehash too much, but expect a few of the bigger news items — ahem, Wayve’s $1.2 billion raise — to make it in here.  One more housekeeping note: I will be in Austin next week for SXSW, the annual tech, music, film, and culture event that always attracts an interesting collection of tech founders, creators, politicians, and other industry folks. I plan to attend the Rivian event, where the company is expected to reveal full details of its upcoming R2 line. I will also be moderating a panel called Innovation & Impact: Female Leaders Transforming Legacy Industries, alongside Rivian CFO Claire McDonough, Madison Reed CEO and founder Amy Errett, and Spotify chief public affairs officer Dustee Jenkins. If you’re there, please reach out! Speaking of Rivian, …

Self-driving tech startup Wayve raises .2B from Nvidia, Uber, and three automakers

Self-driving tech startup Wayve raises $1.2B from Nvidia, Uber, and three automakers

Published by skeptic

Wayve’s self-driving tech has attracted a diverse set of investors in the company’s latest $1.2 billion funding round, including three automakers, top venture and institutional firms, and returning backers Microsoft, Nvidia, and Uber. The total raise could reach $1.5 billion thanks to another $300 million from Uber contingent on deploying robotaxis, beginning in London. Everyone, it seems, wants a piece of the U.K. startup, which is now valued at $8.6 billion. The funding round illustrates the eagerness among Big Tech, legacy automakers, and the investor community to profit from the burgeoning automated driving industry.  Wayve provides what founder and CEO Alex Kendall calls the “contrarian” option in automated driving — contrarian both in its approach to tech and its business model, he told TechCrunch in an interview Tuesday. “I think the technology chessboard is set around where different companies have invested on the technology strategy, and now the commercial chessboard is being arranged,” Kendall said. “We took a very contrarian view on the technology side. We were the first to build end-to-end deep learning for autonomous …

Driverless car firm Wayve bags £1.1bn investment ahead of major UK launch

Driverless car firm Wayve bags £1.1bn investment ahead of major UK launch

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email British self-driving car firm Wayve has secured a significant $1.5 billion (£1.1 billion) in funding, including major backing from Uber, Microsoft, and chip giant Nvidia, as it prepares to launch robotaxis on UK roads. The bulk of this capital, $1.2 billion dollars (£890 million) stems from a Series D funding round, one of the largest ever for a British start−up. This round, which values Wayve at $8.6 billion (£6.4 billion), saw participation from institutional investors and car makers, including Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, and Stellantis. Uber’s additional investment specifically targets its driverless taxi services. The funding arrives as Wayve prepares to roll out commercial robotaxi trials in London later this year, in partnership with ride-hailing platform Uber. The company aims for a full commercial launch in the city by 2026, with ambitions to integrate its “supervised autonomy software” into consumer vehicles from 2027. Wayve’s innovative technology relies …