Five years ago, the big tech incubator Y Combinator started to welcome life sciences companies into its sizable startup classes, which had previously nurtured entrepreneurs in information technology almost exclusively. That opening to biotech startups in 2014 was controversial at the time. Some observers simply wondered what kind of guidance a deeply tech-focused accelerator could … Continue reading “Five Years After Y Combinator First Admits Biotechs, They’re Dug In”
Tag: Cruise
Mobility News: Cruise’s New Cash, Tesla’s Pivot to Robotaxis & More
As the mobility industry waits with baited breath to see how Uber’s IPO will play out on Friday, there is plenty of news being made elsewhere in the sector. Cruise scored another massive investment, Toyota AI Ventures opened a new fund, scooters continue to rev up, and more. Read on for details. —Our own Bernadette … Continue reading “Mobility News: Cruise’s New Cash, Tesla’s Pivot to Robotaxis & More”
Amazon Leads Rivian’s $700M Round, Hinting at Possible Auto Ambitions
Rivian, a Plymouth, MI-based company getting set to launch sales of its brawny, high-end electric vehicles, will be able to give those efforts a boost after raising $700 million in new funding. Amazon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMZN]]) led the investment in Rivian, the latest signal the retailing and technology giant could be poised to make waves in … Continue reading “Amazon Leads Rivian’s $700M Round, Hinting at Possible Auto Ambitions”
GM’s Ammann Takes Reins of Cruise From Co-Founder Vogt, Now CTO
Self-driving car business Cruise has a new leader: Dan Ammann, the General Motors president who led the company’s acquisition of Cruise in 2016, is now being named CEO of the autonomous vehicle subsidiary. Cruise co-founder Kyle Vogt is relinquishing the top role to remain with the company as its president and chief technology officer. Vogt … Continue reading “GM’s Ammann Takes Reins of Cruise From Co-Founder Vogt, Now CTO”
Honda to Invest $2.75 Billion in Cruise, GM’s Driverless Car Subsidiary
Partnerships between major companies traditionally seen as competitors are a hallmark of the mobility industry, and today marked the announcement of one more: Honda will pay $2.75 billion and take a 5.7 percent stake in Cruise, GM’s autonomous vehicle subsidiary. As part of the deal, Honda will also lend its engineering expertise to GM’s driverless … Continue reading “Honda to Invest $2.75 Billion in Cruise, GM’s Driverless Car Subsidiary”
May Mobility and Bedrock Deploy Driverless Shuttles in Detroit
In March, May Mobility CEO Ed Olson told Xconomy that his company would beat Waymo, Uber, and Cruise in the race to get autonomous vehicles on the road, and it appears he may be right. May and Bedrock, the Detroit real estate firm associated with Quicken Loans chairman Dan Gilbert, have launched what they call … Continue reading “May Mobility and Bedrock Deploy Driverless Shuttles in Detroit”
Japan’s SoftBank Pours $2.5B into GM’s Self-Driving Division
General Motors’ stock price was cruising after news broke this morning that Japanese holding company SoftBank has invested $2.25 billion into the automaker’s driverless vehicle division. Once the deal closes, GM (NYSE: [[ticker:GM]]) will reportedly invest an additional $1.1 billion. According to multiple news outlets, Cruise, GM’s autonomous car operation, is now expected to have … Continue reading “Japan’s SoftBank Pours $2.5B into GM’s Self-Driving Division”
May Mobility CEO: We’ll Beat Waymo, Uber, and Cruise to Market
When we spoke with Ed Olson, CEO of May Mobility, in January, he told us that his driverless-vehicle company had raised a little over $11 million in seed funding in 2017. Last week, May disclosed more details about its $11.5 million seed round: it was led by venture investment arms of Toyota and BMW, and … Continue reading “May Mobility CEO: We’ll Beat Waymo, Uber, and Cruise to Market”
As GM Gets Self-Driving Buzz, Autonomous Vehicles Navigate Niches
We still live in the early days of autonomous vehicles. We’re toddlers, technologically speaking, and our algorithms are still learning to walk, er, drive. That’s the impression you get from reading the various recaps of an autonomous car test run that General Motors hosted for journalists this week in San Francisco. Wired’s Aarian Marshall noted … Continue reading “As GM Gets Self-Driving Buzz, Autonomous Vehicles Navigate Niches”
Self-Driving Stampede: Why Mobility Startup Prices Keep Going Up
When automotive supplier Delphi forked over approximately $450 million to buy Boston-based software startup NuTonomy last month, it was the latest in a spate of high-dollar acquisitions involving companies that develop self-driving technologies. NuTonomy, founded by MIT researchers, was only four years old and had raised $16 million in a Series A round the previous … Continue reading “Self-Driving Stampede: Why Mobility Startup Prices Keep Going Up”
Five Questions For … SnapStream Founder & CEO Rakesh Agrawal
Houston—Houston-based entrepreneur Rakesh Agrawal is the founder and CEO of the media tech startup SnapStream, which has developed technology capable of recording television programs and combing through them in order to flag specific words or phrases identified by customers. For example, SnapStream’s tools allow one of its customers, “The Daily Show,” to mine congressional hearings … Continue reading “Five Questions For … SnapStream Founder & CEO Rakesh Agrawal”
General Motors Acquires Cruise for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=324b6155-5874-4dff-bbab-572b6fc20d02 Date 3/14/2016 Company Name Cruise Mailing Address 548 Market St. San Francisco, CA 94104 USA Company Description Cruise has built the first highway autopilot system that installs on your existing vehicle. It uses sensors and advanced machine vision technology to keep you in your lane and a safe distance from the … Continue reading “General Motors Acquires Cruise for Undisclosed Sum”
Cruise Secures $2,000,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=74d3c898-522c-42dc-9806-8655495909e3 Date 12/4/2015 Company Name Cruise Mailing Address 548 Market St. San Francisco, CA 94104 USA Company Description Cruise has built the first highway autopilot system that installs on your existing vehicle. It uses sensors and advanced machine vision technology to keep you in your lane and a safe distance from the … Continue reading “Cruise Secures $2,000,000 New Financing Round”
Cruise Secures $12,500,000 Series A Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e6b3dfc0-a52f-4669-9fc1-8247813ef9f6 Date 9/21/2015 Company Name Cruise Mailing Address 54 Gilbert St. San Francisco, CA 94103 USA Company Description Cruise has built the first highway autopilot system that installs on your existing vehicle. It uses sensors and advanced machine vision technology to keep you in your lane and a safe distance from the … Continue reading “Cruise Secures $12,500,000 Series A Funding Round”