UK Startup Wayve Raises $1.2B for Self-Driving Tech

A seven-year-old British startup is proving you don't need to reinvent the wheel to build a self-driving car, and investors just bet $1.2 billion on that vision.

Wayve, founded in 2017, secured massive funding from Nvidia, Microsoft, Uber, and three major automakers including Mercedes-Benz and Nissan. The London-based company now stands valued at $8.6 billion, with potential for another $300 million if it successfully launches robotaxis with Uber.

What makes Wayve different? Most self-driving companies build systems that only work with specific sensors, maps, and computer chips. Wayve's software learns like a human driver does, using whatever cameras and hardware a car already has.

Founder Alex Kendall calls this the "contrarian" approach. His team developed software that teaches itself to drive using real-world data instead of relying on expensive high-definition maps that need constant updating.

The technology works in two ways: an assisted-driving system where drivers keep their eyes on the road, and a fully automated system that could power robotaxis or consumer cars that handle all the driving themselves. Nissan plans to add Wayve's software to its cars starting in 2027.

Uber will launch commercial trials with Wayve-equipped vehicles later this year. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi announced plans to deploy the technology across more than 10 markets worldwide, calling it "purpose-built for scale, safety, and effectiveness."

The Ripple Effect

Wayve isn't trying to become the next Tesla or Waymo. Instead of building and operating their own vehicles, they're selling their AI brain to companies that already make and run cars.

This partnership model could accelerate self-driving technology reaching regular people faster. Rather than waiting for one company to slowly roll out custom vehicles city by city, multiple automakers can add Wayve's software to cars they're already manufacturing.

The diverse investor group, including pension funds and global institutional investors alongside tech companies, signals growing confidence that autonomous driving is moving from experiments to real roads. Even the British government's investment bank joined the round.

For an industry that's promised self-driving cars for years, this approach of working with existing infrastructure instead of against it might be the breakthrough that finally delivers on that promise.