This Wayve company profile covers the company's valuation, revenue, funding rounds, investors and history. Wayve works in artificial intelligence, with a focus on autonomous driving software. It was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in London, United Kingdom. Its latest valuation on record is US$8.6 billion (post-money) (February 2026). Every figure links to a public source, and anything the company hasn't disclosed is marked as such.
Revenue
| Metric | Value | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total capital in 2026 deal | US$1.5 billion including milestone-based investment from Uber for robotaxi deployments | February 2026 | Wayve |
Funding history
| Date | Round | Amount | Valuation | Investors | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2026 | Series D | US$1.2B | US$8.6B | Eclipse, Balderton and SoftBank Vision Fund 2 (leads); Ontario Teachers', Baillie Gifford, British Business Bank, Schroders Capital, Microsoft, Nvidia, Uber, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Stellantis | Wayve |
Wayve timeline
Key dates from the sources on this page, oldest first. Metric snapshots are listed after the funding events.
- 2017 — Wayve is founded in London by Alex Kendall (CEO) and Amar Shah.
- Feb 2026 — Series D: US$1.2B, valuing the company at US$8.6B. Investors: Eclipse, Balderton and SoftBank Vision Fund 2 (leads); Ontario Teachers', Baillie Gifford, British Business Bank, Schroders Capital, Microsoft, Nvidia, Uber, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Stellantis.
- February 2026 — Total capital in 2026 deal: US$1.5 billion including milestone-based investment from Uber for robotaxi deployments.
Investors
Overview
Wayve develops AI software that lets cars drive themselves. Most early self-driving programmes relied on detailed hand-built rules and high-definition maps of each city. Wayve took a different route, known as "end-to-end" learning: a single AI model learns to drive from large amounts of driving data, much as a person learns from experience, and can adapt to new cities without being mapped in detail first. It sells this "AI Driver" to carmakers for driver assistance and, eventually, full autonomy, and works with Uber on robotaxis.
Alex Kendall, the CEO, founded Wayve in 2017 with Amar Shah while completing a PhD at the University of Cambridge. The company is headquartered in London and has become one of the UK's most valuable AI companies.
How Wayve's approach differs
Traditional autonomous driving systems split the task into separate modules: one for seeing objects, one for predicting what they'll do, one for planning a route, and so on, each with its own rules. Wayve's end-to-end model handles driving as a whole, learning directly from camera images and other sensor data to steering and speed decisions. Supporters say this generalises better to new places and unusual situations. The challenge is proving safety, because it is harder to explain why a single large model makes each decision. Wayve has also built generative "world models" that create realistic driving scenarios for training and testing.
Business model
Wayve plans to earn money in two main ways:
- Licensing to carmakers: automakers pay to integrate the AI Driver into their vehicles, starting with advanced driver assistance and moving towards hands-free and eyes-off driving.
- Robotaxis with partners: with Uber, which will own and operate fleets using Wayve's software, starting with trials and a planned London launch.
Because Wayve sells software rather than building cars or running fleets, it can work with several manufacturers at once. It doesn't publish revenue, which is still small relative to its valuation as it moves from research to commercial deployment.
The 2026 Series D
On 25 February 2026, Wayve announced a US$1.2 billion Series D at an US$8.6 billion post-money valuation. Eclipse, Balderton and SoftBank Vision Fund 2 led the round. New investors included Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, Baillie Gifford, the British Business Bank, Icehouse Ventures and Schroders Capital, and Microsoft, Nvidia and Uber took part, along with carmakers Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Stellantis. Counting additional milestone-based investment from Uber tied to robotaxi deployments, Wayve said it had secured US$1.5 billion in total.
Wayve's previous large round was a Series C of just over US$1 billion in 2024, led by SoftBank with Nvidia and Microsoft, at the time the largest investment in a European AI company. Later in 2026, data providers recorded a small Series D extension and an employee tender offer; we haven't confirmed those from primary sources.
Partnerships
- Uber: robotaxi trials and a planned launch in London, with ambitions for more than ten markets.
- Nissan: plans to use Wayve's technology in future driver assistance systems.
- Mercedes-Benz: a production agreement announced in September 2026 to integrate the AI Driver into selected future vehicles.
- Stellantis: development vehicles shown in October 2026.
- Microsoft and Nvidia: cloud computing and AI chips for training and in-car computing.
Regulation in the UK
The UK passed the Automated Vehicles Act in 2024, creating a legal framework for self-driving vehicles, and the government has supported pilot robotaxi services. Clear rules on liability and safety approval are essential for companies like Wayve, and the UK's approach has helped make London an early test market. Rules elsewhere, especially in the US, China and the EU, will shape where Wayve can deploy.
Competitive landscape
Wayve competes with Waymo, owned by Alphabet and already running paid robotaxi services in several US cities; with Tesla's Full Self-Driving software; with Chinese autonomous driving companies; and with carmakers' own programmes and suppliers such as Mobileye. Its advantages are its end-to-end approach, its ability to work across many car brands and cities, and strong backing from both investors and automakers.
What to watch next
Watch the London robotaxi launch with Uber, production timelines with Nissan, Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis, safety data, expansion into the US and other markets, and whether Wayve begins disclosing revenue.
Key facts at a glance
Wayve is a London autonomous driving company founded in 2017 by Alex Kendall and Amar Shah. It raised a US$1.2 billion Series D at an US$8.6 billion valuation in February 2026, led by Eclipse, Balderton and SoftBank Vision Fund 2, with Microsoft, Nvidia, Uber and several carmakers participating, and secured US$1.5 billion in total including milestone funding from Uber.
Why carmakers invest in software startups
Developing self-driving software in-house has proved extremely expensive, and several carmakers have scaled back their own programmes. Investing in and licensing from specialists lets them offer advanced features without carrying the full cost and risk. For a startup like Wayve, having carmakers as investors gives credibility and a route to production vehicles, though it also means negotiating with large partners who have their own priorities.
Valuing pre-revenue deep tech
Companies like Wayve are valued on future potential rather than current revenue. Investors consider the size of the market, technical progress, partnerships and the cost of reaching commercial scale. Those valuations can move sharply with technical setbacks or breakthroughs. Our guide to researching a private company explains how to gather evidence when financial data is limited.
Recording each milestone, and the source behind it, makes it much easier to judge whether a deep tech company's valuation is keeping pace with its progress.
What this means if you're…
A mobility or logistics business: watch where robotaxi and autonomous services launch, as they could change transport costs in those cities.
A deep tech founder: Wayve shows the value of strategic investors who are also future customers.
An investor: focus on deployment milestones and partner commitments, since revenue is still early.
Latest developments (October 2026)
Uber launched rides using Wayve's AI driver in London in June 2026, with fewer than 20 Ford Mustang Mach-E cars and a safety operator on board, according to The Citizen, citing Reuters. Fully driverless service still needs Transport for London approval. In March 2026 Wayve, Uber and Nissan announced a pilot in Tokyo using Nissan LEAF cars, planned for late 2026, according to Nissan. See our autonomous vehicle guide.
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from the public sources below. Where sources disagreed, we used the company's own announcement or a primary news report. Private-company data changes; check the date beside each figure.
Frequently asked questions
What does Wayve do?
Wayve is a artificial intelligence / autonomous driving software company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It was founded in 2017.
What is Wayve's valuation?
Wayve was valued at US$8.6 billion (post-money) as of February 2026, according to Wayve. Private company valuations are set at funding rounds or share sales and can change significantly between them.
How much revenue does Wayve make?
Wayve is a private company and has not publicly disclosed its revenue. Figures on third-party sites are usually modelled estimates rather than numbers reported by the company.
What was Wayve's latest funding round?
The most recent financing we have verified is a series d in Feb 2026: US$1.2B, at a valuation of US$8.6B. Source: Wayve.
Who are Wayve's investors?
Investors named in public announcements include Eclipse, Balderton, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, Baillie Gifford, British Business Bank, Schroders Capital, Microsoft, Nvidia, Uber, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Stellantis.
Who founded Wayve?
Wayve was founded in 2017 by Alex Kendall (CEO) and Amar Shah.
Is Wayve a public company?
No. Wayve is a private company (private, venture backed), so its shares are not traded on a stock exchange and it isn't required to publish its financial results.
Where is Wayve headquartered?
Wayve is headquartered in London, United Kingdom.