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§ Private Profile · Menlo Park, CA, USA
Scotty Labs is a technology company.
Scotty Labs has raised $6.0M across 1 funding round.
Key people at Scotty Labs.
Scotty Labs has raised $6.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Scotty Labs developed a tele-operations platform designed to enable human operators to remotely control autonomous vehicles, providing a crucial layer of oversight and intervention. The company's core product offered a system that allowed for real-time human assistance in challenging scenarios, addressing the complex edge cases that fully autonomous systems often struggled with. This technological approach aimed to bridge the gap between current autonomous capabilities and the future of widespread self-driving deployments.
The company was founded in 2017 by Tobenna Arodiogbu and Usman Ghani, emerging as a spin-out from SRI International. Their foundational insight was a belief that human intelligence and intervention would be critical to overcoming the significant technical hurdles in achieving truly safe and efficient autonomous driving. Both founders brought a background rooted in advanced technology development, seeing remote human assistance as the path to accelerate autonomous vehicle adoption.
Scotty Labs positioned its product as a vital redundancy solution for autonomous vehicle developers, enabling them to safely test and deploy their technology by integrating human-in-the-loop control. The company envisioned a future where human oversight would facilitate the broader and safer integration of autonomous capabilities across various applications. Their technology was ultimately acquired by DoorDash to enhance the reliability of future autonomous delivery systems.
Key people at Scotty Labs.
Scotty Labs has raised $6.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $6.0M Seed in March 2018.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1, 2018 | $6M Seed | Gradient Ventures | 8 BIT Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, BioAdvance, C2 Investment, Camber Creek, CP Ventures, Craft Ventures, Founders Fund, Fuel Capital, Greatergoodsociety, Independent, Jigsaw VC, K5 Ventures, KRM Interests LLC, LOI Venture, LombardStreet Ventures, Magical Capital, Mayfield, Polychain Capital, Social Capital, Streamlined Ventures, Techstars, The HIT Forge, Tribe Capital, Wasabi Ventures, Y Combinator, Chris YEH, Clark Landry, David Petersen, Gokul Rajaram, Haroon Mokhtarzada, Juney HAM, Kyle York, Rashaun Williams, Rudra Peram, Sahin Boydas, SAM Altman, Samvit Ramadurgam, Siddharth Singhal, Sohail Prasad, Will Hayes, David O. Sacks, Evan Moore, Immad Akhund, Peter Kazanjy, ROB MAY, Hemi Ventures, Horizon Ventures | Announced |
Scotty Labs developed teleoperation technology enabling human operators to remotely assist autonomous vehicles in complex scenarios, bridging the gap between full autonomy and human intervention.[1][2] The company targeted the automotive and transportation sectors, particularly autonomous driving developers, by providing safer navigation solutions for driverless vehicles; it raised $6.06M before being acquired by DoorDash in August 2019.[1][2]
Founded in 2017 in Menlo Park, California, Scotty Labs achieved early traction partnering with Voyage for self-driving cars in retirement communities and secured a $6M seed round from investors like Gradient Ventures.[1][2] Post-acquisition, its tech supports DoorDash's exploration of autonomous delivery vehicles and robots, reflecting strong growth momentum in a consolidating auto tech space.[2]
Scotty Labs was founded in 2017 in Menlo Park, California, by CEO Tobenna Arodiogbu and a team focused on practical autonomous vehicle solutions.[1][2] The idea emerged from the recognition that complete vehicle autonomy faced hurdles in edge cases, leading to teleoperation as a reliable "anti-hype" infrastructure for safe deployment—combining autonomy with remote human assistance.[2]
Early pivotal moments included a seed round in March 2019 from Gradient Ventures, Horizon Ventures, and Hemi Ventures, plus collaboration with Voyage on self-driving shuttles.[2] This traction culminated in DoorDash's acquisition in August 2019, amid the company's spree of autonomy-related buys.[2]
Scotty Labs rode the autonomous vehicle trend, specifically teleoperations as a critical enabler for AV adoption amid safety and regulatory challenges.[1][2] Timing was ideal in 2017-2019, as AV hype met real-world hurdles, driving demand for hybrid solutions in auto tech—encompassing connectivity, self-driving, and software-defined vehicles.[1]
Market forces like investor consolidation and DoorDash's push into autonomous delivery favored Scotty, influencing the ecosystem by accelerating remote ops tech integration.[2] Its acquisition exemplifies how specialized startups fuel giants' AV strategies, contributing to broader shifts in transportation and logistics.
Post-2019 acquisition, Scotty Labs' tech likely powers DoorDash's autonomous initiatives, such as delivery robots, with its team enhancing remote control capabilities.[2] Emerging trends like advanced AV regulations, AI-driven teleops, and urban logistics growth will shape its legacy, potentially expanding to wider fleets.
As AV consolidation continues, Scotty's influence evolves through DoorDash, proving teleoperation's enduring role in safe, scalable autonomy—echoing its founding mission to make driverless tech reliably human-augmented.[1][2]
Scotty Labs has raised $6.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Scotty Labs's investors include Gradient Ventures, 8-Bit Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, BioAdvance, C2 Investment, Camber Creek, CP Ventures, Craft Ventures, Founders Fund, Fuel Capital, GreaterGoodSociety, Independent.
