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Waabi Raises $1B from Uber and VCs

·13 min·1 clip
Waabi just raised $1B from Uber to deploy robo-taxis, marking its first expansion beyond autonomous trucking.
Waabi founder and CEO Raquel Urtasun is a former chief scientist at Uber ATG, the autonomous vehicle division Uber eventually sold to Aurora Innovation in 2020. She founded Waabi to pursue what she calls a capital-efficient, AI-first approach to autonomous driving, arguing that a single generalized system can handle both the precise maneuvering of semi-trucks and the dynamic urban environments required for ride-share. The $1 billion raise is structured in two parts: a $750 million Series C co-led by Coachella Ventures and G2 Ventures, and a separate $250 million strategic investment from Uber tied to deploying Waabi's technology on 25,000 or more Uber robotaxis exclusively. The Uber partnership marks Waabi's first expansion beyond trucking and brings the company full circle for Urtasun personally, given her Uber ATG history. Jaden Schaefer examines the competitive landscape, noting that Waymo previously attempted both robotaxis and autonomous trucking but eventually exited trucking entirely. When a large, well-funded company tries and abandons a vertical, it is often a signal that the technical challenges are severe. Waabi's counterclaim is that its architecture is fundamentally different because it does not maintain two separate systems but instead uses one generalized model that adapts to vehicle type. Schaefer also notes that truck driving and car driving are categorically different in terms of vehicle dynamics, braking distance, turning radius, and licensing requirements. The episode discusses the competitive pressure from Waymo, Tesla's Full Self-Driving program, and Aurora Innovation, all of which are racing toward similar endpoints with different technical and business approaches. Urtasun's credibility as one of the most respected researchers in autonomous vehicle AI is treated as a key differentiating asset for Waabi.

As heard by us

A funding story that doubles as a clear read on the autonomous driving race.

The funding story is the hook, but the piece really shows how autonomous driving companies are trying to buy time, data, and credibility at once.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want the billion-dollar Wabi deal unpacked without the usual startup fluff or spin.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →
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