Seeking Alpha·2026-02-25 19:06Funding and Valuation - Autonomous driving startup Wayve has raised $1.2 billion in a Series D funding round, bringing its valuation to $8.6 billion [2][3] Investment and Partnerships - The funding round included participation from major companies such as Microsoft, Nvidia, and Uber, as well as automakers like Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, and Stellantis [3] - Uber plans to invest additional milestone-based capital to support the global scaling of Wayve-powered robotaxi deployments, as part of a broader $1.5 billion package aimed at commercial rollout [3] Future Plans - Wayve intends to launch commercial robotaxi trials in 2026 and deploy supervised autonomy software in consumer vehicles starting in 2027 [3] - CEO Alex Kendall emphasized the goal of building a total addressable market that encompasses every vehicle, aiming to create an autonomy layer that can power any vehicle globally [4] Industry Trends - Uber is expanding into the eVTOL space with Uber Air, allowing users to book all-electric air taxi rides through the Uber app, in collaboration with Joby Aviation [4][5]