{"id":20672,"date":"2026-01-29T15:19:48","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T15:19:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2026\/01\/29\/waabi-raises-1b-to-expand-from-self-driving-trucks-to-robotaxis\/"},"modified":"2026-01-29T15:19:49","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T15:19:49","slug":"waabi-raises-1b-to-expand-from-self-driving-trucks-to-robotaxis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2026\/01\/29\/waabi-raises-1b-to-expand-from-self-driving-trucks-to-robotaxis\/","title":{"rendered":"Waabi Raises $1B to Expand From Self-Driving Trucks to Robotaxis"},"content":{"rendered":"
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After dominating freight, Waabi is using $1 billion in new funding to take on the robotaxi race. Courtesy Waabi<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Self-driving startup Waabi<\/a> has spent the past five years becoming a dominant force in the world of autonomous trucking. Now, armed with $1 billion in new funding, it\u2019s gearing up to take on a new challenge: the robotaxi market. The Toronto-based venture raised $750 million in an oversubscribed Series C round co-led by Khosla Ventures and G2 Venture Partners, Waabi announced yesterday (Jan. 28). It also secured another $250 million in \u201cmilestone-based future investment\u201d from Uber<\/a> to deploy a fleet of robotaxis on the ride-hailing app.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe are thrilled to partner with the best-in-class ridesharing platform to bring about a safer, more efficient and sustainable future,\u201d said Raquel Urtasun<\/a>, founder and CEO of Waabi, in a statement. \u201cOur current self-driving capabilities across highways and generalized surface streets have unlocked a new direct-to-customer model that, for the first time, solves the pain points of the industry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Waabi\u2019s new funding round, among the largest in Canadian history, also includes backers such as Nvidia<\/a>\u2019s venture capital arm, Volvo<\/a> Group Venture Capital and Porsche<\/a> Automobil Holding SE. The startup, which is not disclosing its valuation, most recently raised $200 million in June 2024 during its Series B round.<\/p>\n

Founded by Urtasun in 2021, Waabi boasts self-driving technology\u2014referred to as its \u201cPhysical AI Platform\u201d\u2014that can adapt to different geographies, environments and vehicle types. The company has long specialized in autonomous trucking to transform the $1 trillion freight industry in North America.<\/p>\n

Since 2023, Waabi has worked with Uber Freight to make commercial deliveries across Texas with safety drivers, and last year launched a collaboration with Volvo to co-develop long-haul trucks. It initially planned to begin operating fully driverless trucks by the end of 2025, but timelines have since been pushed into 2026.<\/p>\n

Its new partnership with Uber, however, will see the startup venture into the crowded world of robotaxis. Waabi, which declined to provide details on where robotaxis will be deployed or which car manufacturers it will work with, plans to deploy 25,000 or more self-driving passenger cars over time. It noted that its self-driving technology will be repurposed across robotaxi applications.<\/p>\n

Urtasun, 49, is also a professor at the University of Toronto. The Spanish-Canadian computer scientist\u00a0launched Waabi after a stint at Uber\u2019s autonomous technologies group, a self-driving division that was sold in 2020 to A.I. trucking venture Aurora Innovation.<\/p>\n

While Uber no longer develops its own in-house self-driving unit, it has since pivoted to a strategy of integrating third-party players across its network. The ride-hailing company works with roughly 20 autonomous vehicle partners worldwide. Waymo<\/a>, for example, operates cars on the Uber app in cities such as Austin, Atlanta and Phoenix, while the China-based WeRide partners with Uber across Middle Eastern cities like Dubai and Abu Dhabi. To bolster its self-driving ambitions, Uber also launched Uber AV Lab this week (Jan. 27), a new team focused on gathering driving data to support its autonomous driving partners.<\/p>\n

\u201cWaabi\u2019s expanded focus on robotaxis marks an important milestone for their team and the [autonomous driving] industry more broadly,\u201d said Dara Khosrowshahi<\/a>, CEO of Uber, in a statement. \u201cWe\u2019re very excited to deepen our partnership with Waabi as they significantly scale their Physical AI Platform and enter a new phase of an already remarkable journey.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"Waabi<\/p><\/div>\n