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The Full List of 21 Autonomous Vehicles Unicorn Startups (2026)

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The autonomous vehicle sector is home to 21 unicorn startups. Industry giants like Waymo, valued at $45B, and Cruise, with $16B in total funding, lead the market.

Beyond the top players, the ecosystem is supported by companies focused on specific parts of the technology stack. For instance, Applied Intuition, which provides development software, has reached a $15B valuation.

Below is the full list of 21 Autonomous Vehicles unicorn startups at this time.

Top 10 Most Valuable Autonomous Vehicles Unicorns

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Waymo develops autonomous driving technology to power everything from ride-hailing services to trucking and logistics. Their fully autonomous ride-hailing service, Waymo One, is active in several major US cities, representing years of development that began as a Google project.

Valuation$45B
HeadquartersMountain View, California, United States
Year Founded2009
FoundersAnthony Levandowski, Sebastian Thrun
Funding Amount$11.1B
Company SizeMajor Organization (1,001-5,000)
Last Funding StatusSeries C
Top InvestorsFidelity, Tiger Global Management, Temasek Holdings, Silver Lake, Andreessen Horowitz

Cruise develops all-electric, self-driving vehicles intended to operate in complex urban environments. They are building an autonomous ride-hailing network to provide a safer and more convenient alternative to traditional city transportation.

Valuation$30B
HeadquartersSan Francisco, California, United States
Year Founded2013
FoundersDaniel Kan, Kyle Vogt
Funding Amount$16B
Company SizeMajor Organization (1,001-5,000)
Last Funding StatusCorporate Round
Top InvestorsGeneral Motors, Y Combinator, SV Angel, Spark Capital, Founder Collective

Applied Intuition builds software infrastructure to help companies safely develop, test, and deploy autonomous vehicles at scale. Their suite of products supports the entire development lifecycle, from simulation and validation to data management and deployment.

Valuation$15B (Joined October 2020)
HeadquartersMountain View, California, United States
Year Founded2017
FoundersPeter Ludwig, Qasar Younis
Funding Amount$1.5B
Company SizeMajor Organization (1,001-5,000)
Last Funding StatusSeries F
Top InvestorsBond, Tribe Capital, General Catalyst, Andreessen Horowitz, Franklin Templeton

Nuro builds fully autonomous, on-road vehicles designed to transport goods quickly, safely, and affordably. These zero-emission robots are purpose-built for local deliveries, handling everything from groceries to prescriptions.

Valuation$6B (Joined February 2019)
HeadquartersMountain View, California, United States
Year Founded2016
FoundersDave Ferguson, Jiajun Zhu
Funding Amount$2.3B
Company SizeLarge Team (251-1,000)
Last Funding StatusSeries E
Top InvestorsIcehouse Ventures, NVIDIA, Google, Gaorong Capital, Tiger Global Management

Shield AI builds an artificial intelligence pilot for military aircraft designed to protect service members and civilians. Their technology enables aircraft to operate autonomously in high-stakes environments, executing missions without a remote pilot.

Valuation$5.3B (Joined August 2021)
HeadquartersSan Diego, California, United States
Year Founded2015
FoundersAndrew Reiter, Brandon Tseng, Ryan Tseng
Funding Amount$1.3B
Company SizeLarge Team (251-1,000)
Last Funding StatusSeries F
Top InvestorsAndreessen Horowitz, US Innovative Technology Fund, Founder Collective, ARK Investment Management, Riot Ventures

Didi Woya builds the autonomous driving systems that power self-driving rideshare vehicles. Their team develops the full stack of hardware and software solutions required for intelligent driving.

Valuation$5B
HeadquartersBeijing, Beijing, China
Year Founded2020
Founders
Funding Amount$1.5B
Company SizeEnterprise Organization (5,001+)
Last Funding StatusSeries D
Top InvestorsZhongguancun Science City Science, Valeo, SoftBank Vision Fund, Beijing Artificial Intelligence Industry Investment Fund, IDG Capital

Avride develops and operates autonomous vehicles and delivery robots. Their focus is on deploying self-driving technology to make transportation and logistics safer and more efficient.

Valuation$4B
HeadquartersAustin, Texas, United States
Year Founded2017
Founders
Funding Amount$850M
Company SizeLarge Team (251-1,000)
Last Funding StatusCorporate Round
Top InvestorsUber, Nebius Group

Voyah manufactures a line of premium electric vehicles, with some models featuring autonomous driving technology. They are expanding their presence from China into international markets with a focus on high-performance automobiles.

Valuation$4B
HeadquartersWuhan, Hubei, China
Year Founded2019
Founders
Funding AmountCN¥5B
Company SizeLean Team (11-50)
Last Funding StatusSeries A
Top InvestorsBOCOM International, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Bank of China, Ganfeng Lithium, Sunwoda Electronic

Avatr develops and manufactures a line of premium electric vehicles focused on user-centric mobility. Their cars are recognized for integrating advanced autonomous driving technology with a futuristic design aesthetic.

Valuation$3B
HeadquartersChongqing, Heilongjiang, China
Year Founded2018
Founders
Funding Amount$2.3B
Company SizeMajor Organization (1,001-5,000)
Last Funding StatusSeries C
Top InvestorsVictor Koch & Partners, SDIC Unity Capital, Inno-Chip, Changan Automobile, Bank of Communications

BYTON designed its electric cars to be premium, intelligent vehicles that act as fully connected smart devices. They are known for a focus on the in-car user experience, building for a future of shared mobility and autonomous driving.

Valuation$3B (Joined April 2018)
HeadquartersNanjing, Jiangsu, China
Year Founded2016
FoundersCarsten Breitfeld, Daniel Kirchert
Funding Amount$1.2B
Company SizeMajor Organization (1,001-5,000)
Last Funding StatusSeries C
Top InvestorsSuning.com, Tencent, FAW Group, Contemporary Amperex Technology, Foxconn Technology Group

The Remaining 11 Autonomous Vehicles Unicorns

The ten most valuable companies are just the beginning of the autonomous vehicle story. While startups are emerging worldwide, China has become a clear hub for many of the newest unicorns.

These companies are collectively building the technology that will redefine how we move. Here’s a look at the other startups that have reached the billion-dollar valuation.

Unicorn StartupCountryYear FoundedAmount RaisedValuation
ABB E-Mobility logo ABB E-MobilitySwitzerland2010CHF525M$3B
Zelos logo ZelosChina2021$500M$2B
Wayve logo WayveUnited Kingdom2017$1.3B$1B
Einride logo EinrideSweden2016$752.3M$1B
Plus logo PlusUnited States2016$520M$1B
Momenta logo MomentaChina2016$1.2B$1B
Deeproute logo DeeprouteChina2019$450M$1B
Banma Network Technologies logo Banma Network TechnologiesChina2015$696.7M$1B
Zongmu logo ZongmuChina2013$376M$1B
Soterea logo SotereaChina2014CN¥1.3B$1B
SKIO Matrix logo SKIO MatrixChina2009CN¥1.9B$1B

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