Black-led Waymo has received a new round of funding.
Waymo is the world’s first autonomous ride-hailing service and positions itself as the “world’s most experienced driver,” according to its website. The service uses highly detailed, custom maps, real-time sensor data, and AI to determine its exact position on the road at all times, rather than relying solely on GPS, the company states. Waymo, owned by Alphabet Inc., has served more than 20 million riders, with more than 400,000 rides being completed weekly across the following metropolitan areas, per its website:
- Atlanta
- Austin
- Los Angeles
- Miami
- Phoenix
- San Francisco Bay Area
New Round Of Funding
Waymo intends to scale its technology across the U.S. and globally.
According to a press release, the company secured $16 billion in funding in an investment round, valuing it at $126 billion post-money. The round was supported by majority investor Alphabet, with Dragoneer Investment Group, DST Global, and Sequoia Capital leading the round. Andreessen Horowitz, Mubadala Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Silver Lake, Tiger Global, and T. Rowe Price also provided substantial investment with additional contributions from BDT & MSD Partners, CapitalG, Fidelity Management & Research Co., GV, Kleiner Perkins, Perry Creek Capital, and Temasek, the release noted.
“Today marks a defining milestone for Waymo. We have raised $16B in new capital, led by Dragoneer Investment Group, DST Global, and Sequoia Capital, to bring the Waymo Driver to more cities in the U.S. and around the world,” Tekedra N. Mawakana, Waymo co-CEO, said on LinkedIn. “We’ve served more than 20 million trips, with more than 15 million rides alone in 2025. We are no longer proving a concept; we are scaling a commercial reality that people rely on every day. While the growth is exciting, our focus on improving road safety remains unchanged: we’ve achieved a 90% reduction in serious injury crashes across 127 million fully autonomous miles.”
She added, “I’m immensely proud of our team and grateful for the trust of our riders, our partners, and our world-class investors as we redefine how the world moves. The journey is just beginning.”
Waymo is projected to expand to an additional 20 cities including Tokyo and London in light of the new funding, according to the press release.
The post Waymo, An Autonomous Ride-Hailing Service Co-Led By A Black Woman CEO, Raises $16B In Funding appeared first on AfroTech.
The post Waymo, An Autonomous Ride-Hailing Service Co-Led By A Black Woman CEO, Raises $16B In Funding appeared first on AfroTech.
