Brief: SoftBank and Greylock lead $159m investment in autonomous car startup

SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son at SoftBank World 2016. Photo credit: SoftBank.

Palo Alto-headquartered Nauto is a transportation technology company that collects data to make driving safer.

Competitors: Waymo, Nutonomy, Five.ai, automakers like Ford, BMW, Tesla

How it compares to competitors: Nauto doesn’t develop its own vehicle. It’s a device which includes a front and inward-facing camera to be installed in any vehicle. Right now, the device collects data to assist safer driving, but fully autonomous driving is the goal.

Traction

Device has been deployed in “dozens of fleets” in partnership with automakers to collect data. Nauto sees revenue from working with insurance companies and automakers.

Funding details

Amount raised: US$159 million
Funding stage: Series B
Lead investor: SoftBank and Greylock Partners
Other investors: BMW iVentures, General Motors Ventures, Toyota AI Ventures, Allianz Group, Playground Global, Draper Nexus
Investment type: Equity
Purpose: Deployment of device in vehicles around the globe, R&D
Total disclosed funding to date: US$173.85 million