Self-Driving Firm Momenta Seeks Funding at $5 Billion-Plus Value

Group 1 - Momenta, an autonomous driving startup, is seeking to raise new funding at a valuation exceeding $5 billion, indicating a significant increase in value for its Chinese partner to Uber Technologies Inc. [1] - The Beijing-based company, supported by Temasek Holdings, Tencent Holdings, and Jack Ma's Yunfeng Capital, aims to raise several hundred million dollars, with the final amount potentially increasing based on investor interest [2] - If successful, this financing could facilitate Momenta's path toward an eventual initial public offering (IPO), as the company provides advanced driver assistance systems and operates robotaxis in cities like Shanghai and Munich [3] Group 2 - Momenta has filed confidentially for a US IPO last year, but the progress of this deal is contingent on market conditions [3] - Other Chinese robotaxi companies, such as Baidu's Apollo Go, WeRide, and Pony AI, require capital to expand into international markets, including the Middle East, Europe, and Southeast Asia [4] - These firms focus on providing technology rather than operating vehicles directly, partnering with automakers and ride-hailing platforms like Uber and Grab to deploy their fleets [5] Group 3 - The founder and CEO of Momenta, Cao Xudong, has a background as a researcher for Microsoft and SenseTime, and he graduated from Tsinghua University with a degree in engineering mechanics [6]