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§ Private Profile · Toronto, Canada
Waabi develops autonomous driving technology for logistics and transportation sectors.
Waabi pioneers Physical AI, developing autonomous trucking technology. Their approach uses a next-generation, end-to-end interpretable AI system, complemented by Waabi World, a high-fidelity closed-loop simulator. This combination is engineered to deliver scalable and safe autonomous driving for commercial vehicles.
The company was founded by Raquel Urtasun, a prominent artificial intelligence researcher. Her insight was that autonomous vehicles could achieve greater scalability and safety through a novel AI paradigm, moving beyond traditional modular systems. She established Waabi to apply this advanced, generalized AI vision to self-driving.
Waabi's technology targets the commercial transportation sector, equipping trucks with autonomous driving capabilities. The company envisions its Physical AI platform enabling widespread fully driverless operations, significantly enhancing global logistics and supply chain industries. Waabi aims to deploy transformative autonomous transportation solutions.
Waabi has raised $1.0B across 3 funding rounds.
Waabi has raised $1.0B in total across 3 funding rounds.
Waabi is valued at approximately $37.5M.
Waabi has raised $1.0B across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $750.0M Series C in January 2026 at a valuation of approximately $37.5M.
Waabi is a Toronto-based AI company pioneering Physical AI for autonomous trucking, developing the Waabi Driver—an end-to-end interpretable AI model paired with the Waabi World generative AI simulator.[1][3][4][6] It serves logistics companies and OEMs by solving trucking inefficiencies like driver shortages, supply chain strains, safety risks, and emissions through safer, scalable, capital-efficient self-driving trucks that integrate directly into customer operations without terminals.[1][3][5][7] With rapid progress since 2021—including public road testing in Texas, commercial runs for major shippers, a $200M Series B, and NVIDIA partnerships—Waabi plans fully driverless operations soon, setting new industry standards for speed and safety.[4][5]
Waabi was founded in 2021 by Raquel Urtasun, an AI pioneer with two decades of research experience, who envisioned applying generative AI to physical-world challenges after leading advancements in autonomous tech.[2][5][6][7] Urtasun selected trucking first due to sector pain points: driver shortages, grueling jobs, safety issues, and supply chain bottlenecks, where autonomy could boost utilization, cut emissions, and improve lives.[5] Early traction came swiftly—backed by investors like Khosla Ventures, Uber, 8VC, and NVIDIA—leading to Texas public road autonomy, a Dallas terminal, U.S. commercial routes with Uber Freight, and Waabi World simulator invention for scalable training without real-world data limits.[2][4][5]
Waabi stands out in autonomous vehicles through its AI-first, generative approach, replacing costly real-world testing with simulation for faster, safer scaling:
Waabi rides the generative AI wave into physical domains, timing perfectly with maturing compute, data abundance, and AV hardware like NVIDIA's platforms amid trucking's $4T market facing 20% driver shortages by 2030.[4][5][7] Favorable forces include logistics demands for efficiency post-supply chain crises, emissions regulations, and AI's shift from digital (e.g., ChatGPT) to real-world apps, where Waabi's simulator solves data scarcity plaguing rivals.[1][5] It influences the ecosystem by proving AI-native AVs can commercialize faster—reinvigorating stalled self-driving efforts—and paving for Physical AI expansion, pressuring incumbents to adopt simulation-first models.[4][5]
Waabi's driverless trucking launch looms as a game-changer, leveraging its AI foundation for rapid U.S. expansion, OEM deals, and multi-use-case growth like robotaxis.[3][4][7] Trends like edge AI acceleration, simulator dominance, and logistics electrification will propel it, potentially capturing massive market share through cost edges and safety proofs. Its influence could redefine AV commercialization, evolving from trucking pioneer to Physical AI leader—unlocking safer, efficient mobility at scale, much like its opening promise to save lives and transform supply chains.[1][5]
Waabi has raised $1.0B in total across 3 funding rounds.
Waabi is valued at approximately $37.5M.
Waabi's investors include G2 Venture Partners, Khosla Ventures, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Bdc Thrive venture, BlackRock, BMO Global Asset Management, Export Development Canada, HarbourVest Partners, Incharge Capital Partners, Karman Ventures, Linse Capital, NVentures.