Wayve
Wayve builds an AI driving system that learns from data and is designed to be licensed to automakers and fleets worldwide.
The Company
Wayve was founded in 2017 by Alex Kendall and pioneered end-to-end AI for driving, where one model learns to drive from data instead of relying on hand-coded rules. It aims to license its system to automakers and robotaxi fleets rather than run its own service.
In February 2026 Wayve raised $1.5 billion, including a $1.2 billion Series D led by Eclipse, Balderton and SoftBank Vision Fund 2 and milestone-based capital from Uber, at an $8.6 billion valuation. Microsoft, Nvidia, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Stellantis also invested.
Why It Matters
Wayve is the leading European self-driving company and a read-through for whether licensing AI driving software to automakers can rival Waymo's approach.
Valuation History
- $8.6B→Feb 2026$1.5B Series D
What Changed
Wayve is founded in London.
A $1.05B Series C led by SoftBank.
A $1.5B Series D values it at $8.6B.
THE NEXT COMPANY. A CLEARER PICTURE.
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