companies

Waabi

Toronto self-driving startup founded by AI researcher Raquel Urtasun, using generative-AI simulation to train autonomous trucks and, soon, robotaxis.

Waabi was founded in 2021 by Raquel Urtasun, a University of Toronto professor and former chief scientist at Uber's Advanced Technologies Group, on the bet that simulation-first, generative-AI-heavy development could get autonomous trucks to commercial scale faster and cheaper than the mile-accumulation approach favored by earlier self-driving companies. The company is headquartered in Toronto and had grown to roughly 300 employees by early 2026. Waabi raised a $200 million Series B in 2023 backed by Uber and Khosla Ventures, and followed it in January 2026 with a $750 million Series C co-led by Khosla Ventures and G2 Venture Partners, with Nvidia, Volvo Group and Porsche also participating. Uber separately committed up to $250 million more in milestone-based funding tied to expanding Waabi's autonomy into robotaxis, pushing the total potential raise toward $1 billion. Former Uber Freight president Lior Ron joined as Chief Operating Officer to lead that go-to-market push, and Waabi currently runs commercial pilot routes out of a terminal in Lancaster, Texas, hauling freight for partners including Volvo, Uber Freight and Samsung.

Founded

2021

Headquarters

Toronto, Canada

Sector

robotics