# Waabi: company

Canonical ID: `efd17dd1-0c95-47b7-bc97-5481441b9936`

## Key facts

- **Founded:** 2021 by Raquel Urtasun (ex-Uber ATG chief scientist; U of Toronto; Vector Institute)
- **Funding:** Series A $83.5M (Khosla, 2021); Series B $200M (Uber/Khosla, 2024); Series C $750M + up to $250M Uber milestone (Jan 2026); ~$1.28B cumulative
- **Approach:** Generative-AI, simulation-first: the Waabi Driver (end-to-end L4) trained/validated in Waabi World; Copilot4D world model
- **Driverless status:** NOT driver-out as of early 2026; safety driver still aboard. End-2025 driverless target deliberately not met; gated on validation of the purpose-built Volvo VNL Autonomous (described as quarters away).
- **Leadership / lanes:** Lior Ron (ex-Uber Freight) joined as COO (Aug 2025); trucking is the core direction, with a robotaxi lane added via Uber (Jan 2026)

- **Slug:** waabi
- **Status:** private
- **Founded:** 2021
- **HQ:** Toronto, Ontario, Canada

## Models

_No models registered._

## Supplies to

_No verified supply relationships on file. Supply-chain coverage is being added across the registry; check back as the seed populates this company's outbound edges._

_Outbound supply edges. Each appears when verified with at least two strong sources. Sources are append-only; corrections add new sources rather than rewrite history._

## Sources (12)

1. https://techcrunch.com/2021/06/08/ai-pioneer-raquel-urtasun-launches-self-driving-vehicle-startup-with-backing-from-khosla-uber-and-aurora/
2. https://betakit.com/raquel-urtasun-launches-new-self-driving-startup-waabi-with-100-million-cad-from-top-investors/
3. https://www.utoronto.ca/news/road-ahead-raquel-urtasun-s-startup-unleash-full-power-ai-self-driving-cars
4. https://techcrunch.com/2021/06/14/waabis-raquel-urtasun-explains-why-the-time-was-right-to-launch-an-av-technology-startup/
5. https://www.cnbc.com/2024/06/18/uber-khosla-nvidia-invest-in-autonomous-trucking-startup-waabi.html
6. https://waabi.ai/insights/waabi-series-b-announcement
7. https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/28/waabi-raises-1b-and-expands-into-robotaxis-with-uber/
8. https://fortune.com/2026/01/28/waabi-fundraise-valuation-1-billion-partners-with-uber-robotaxis-self-driving/
9. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-waabi-uber-robotaxi-fleet-uber-raquel-urtasun/
10. https://betakit.com/waabi-lands-750-million-usd-series-c-partners-with-uber-on-robotaxis/
11. https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/12/uber-freight-ceo-lior-ron-joins-self-driving-startup-waabi-as-chief-operating-officer/
12. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-28/self-driving-trucking-startup-waabi-raises-1-billion-expands-to-robotaxis

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