Wayve

Wayve, a British autonomous driving firm, has completed a private market share sale, with employees selling $85 million of their shares on the London Stock Exchange’s Private Securities Market. Summary of transaction details: Value: $85 million Sector: DeepTech & AI Advisor: Crowdcube, Stifel, Latham & Watkins, Deloitte Key Entities: Wayve, London Stock Exchange Location: UK Note: This deal marks the first employee share sale on the London Stock Exchange’s Private Securities Market and provides liquidity for employees with vested equity, changing the conversation SME founders can have with prospective hires.

Investor: AMD, Arm, Qualcomm Ventures

Investor: AMD, Arm, Qualcomm Ventures

London-based autonomous driving pioneer Wayve has secured a $60 million (£44 million) Series D extension, backed by semiconductor giants AMD, Arm, and Qualcomm Ventures. This capital injection pushes the firm's valuation to nearly $9 billion. Summary of transaction details: Value: £44 million ($60 million) Series D Extension Sector: DeepTech & AI / Autonomous Driving Software Advisor: Not disclosed Key Entities: Target: Wayve; Investors: AMD, Arm, Qualcomm Ventures; Key Executive: Alex Kendall (Co-founder & CEO) Location: London, UK Note: This strategic extension builds upon Wayve's staggering $1.2 billion Series D announced in February 2026. The company is actively shifting from AI research leadership to the commercial deployment of its "AI Driver"—a hardware-agnostic, end-to-end autonomy platform that operates without relying on high-definition maps. Securing investment directly from leading silicon manufacturers is a strategic move to ensure Wayve's software integrates seamlessly across the global automotive compute ecosystem. The capital supports major upcoming milestones, including Wayve-powered robotaxi commercial trials on the Uber network in London starting in 2026, and the rollout of consumer L2+ ('hands-off') passenger vehicles in 2027.

Investor: AMD, Arm and Qualcomm Ventures

Wayve, a UK-based autonomous driving software group, has secured £44m in a Series D extension funding round from investors including AMD, Arm and Qualcomm Ventures. Summary of transaction details: Value: £44m Sector: DeepTech & AI Advisor: Not disclosed Key Entities: Wayve, AMD, Arm, Qualcomm Ventures Location: UK Note: The funding round reflects the growing interest in autonomous driving technology and the potential for Wayve to expand its capabilities in the UK market.

Investor: SoftBank

Wayve has secured a landmark $1.5 billion fundraising round led by SoftBank, with participation from Microsoft, NVIDIA, Uber, and major automotive groups including Nissan, Stellantis, and Mercedes-Benz. The British Business Bank invested £25 million as part of the round, valuing the Cambridge-founded company at $8.6 billion, the highest valuation achieved by a UK AI start-up.Summary of transaction details:Value: $1.5 billion (approximately £1.2 billion)Sector: DeepTech & AIAdvisor: Not specifiedKey Entities: Wayve (target), SoftBank (lead investor), British Business Bank, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Uber, Nissan, Stellantis, Mercedes-BenzLocation: UK (Cambridge)Note: This Growth Equity round represents a strategic investment in autonomous driving technology, with the UK government seeking to anchor high-growth technology firms domestically while Wayve transitions from technology risk to scale-up risk ahead of planned 2026 robotaxi trials.

Investor: Eclipse, Balderton, SoftBank Vision Fund 2

London-based autonomous driving pioneer Wayve has successfully closed a landmark £888 million ($1.2 billion) Series D investment round, catapulting the company to a post-money valuation of $8.6 billion. Summary of transaction details: Value: £888 million ($1.2 billion) Sector: DeepTech & AI / Autonomous Driving Software Advisor: Not disclosed Key Entities: Target: Wayve; Lead Investors: Eclipse, Balderton, SoftBank Vision Fund 2; Key Strategic Backers: Microsoft, NVIDIA, Uber, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Stellantis; Key Executive: Alex Kendall (Co-Founder & CEO) Location: London, UK Note: This massive capital injection marks Wayve's transition from AI research leadership to full commercial deployment. The round drew participation from a powerhouse syndicate of tech giants (Microsoft, NVIDIA), mobility platforms (Uber), and global automakers (Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Stellantis), alongside a notable £25 million direct equity investment from the British Business Bank. Wayve's hardware-agnostic "AI Driver" utilizes a zero-shot foundation model that requires no location-specific engineering or HD maps. The funding will accelerate commercial rollouts, including public robotaxi trials on the Uber network in London starting in 2026, and the launch of consumer L2+ passenger vehicles starting in 2027.

Investor: Microsoft and SoftBank

Wayve, a British autonomous driving start-up, is in talks with Microsoft and SoftBank over a potential $2 billion funding round, valuing the company at $8 billion. Summary of transaction details: Value: $2 billion Sector: DeepTech & AI Advisor: Not disclosed Key Entities: Wayve, Microsoft, SoftBank, Nissan Location: UK Note: The planned investment signals continued confidence in Britain’s AI innovation sector, amidst intensifying global competition in autonomous driving and artificial general intelligence, and is expected to support the development of Wayve’s AI-powered software for hands-free cars.

Investor: Nvidia

Nvidia is investing $500m in UK self-driving start-up Wayve, cementing its position as one of Europe's most promising AI mobility ventures. Summary of transaction details: Value: $500m Sector: DeepTech & AI Advisor: Not disclosed Key Entities: Nvidia, Wayve Location: UK Note: This investment highlights the growing importance of AI in the automotive sector and the UK's position as a key player in this space, with Nvidia's commitment being part of a wave of American capital commitments totalling £150bn.

Investor: Uber

Investor: Yann LeCun, Microsoft, Nvidia, SoftBank

Investor: SoftBank, Nvidia, and Microsoft

Wayve, a British autonomous vehicle startup founded in 2017, has secured $1.05 billion in funding from SoftBank, Nvidia, and Microsoft to advance its AI software for hands-free driving.Summary of transaction details:Value: $1.05 billionSector: DeepTech & AIAdvisor: Not disclosedKey Entities: Wayve, SoftBank, Nvidia, MicrosoftLocation: United KingdomNote: This transaction represents a significant VC funding round for an autonomous vehicle AI company, reflecting strong investor confidence in Wayve's machine-learning approach to driverless technology and the UK's growing role in the global AI ecosystem.

Investor: Microsoft, Virgin, D1 Capital Partners, Sir Richard Branson, Linse Capital, Balderton Capital, Ocado Group, Linda Levinson, Eclipse Ventures, Moore Strategic Ventures, Yann LeCun, Compound, Rosemary Leith, Baillie Gifford, David Richter

Investor: Ocado Group

Investor: Eclipse Ventures