Nuro’s partnership with Uber and Lucid positions itself ahead of Tesla’s robotaxi service in Austin, with planned deployment ranging from over 20,000 EVs.
Nuro Inc., a self-driving vehicle startup, has secured $203 million in a Series E funding round, raising its current valuation to $6 billion. The latest round attracted both new and returning investors, including Baillie Gifford.
The latest financing round follows the April $106 million portion, reflecting renewed investor confidence in the autonomous vehicle industry. Nvidia and Uber joined the latest series as new backers, along with Icehouse Ventures, Kindred Ventures, and Pledge Ventures. Baillie Gifford contributed $70 million again for returning investors, including T. Rowe Price, Fidelity Management & Research firm, and Tiger Global.
Nuro’s total funding stands at $2.3 billion, with $ 6 billion valuation
Nuro Inc. was founded in 2016 by two former Google employees, Dave Ferguson and Jiajun Zhu, who worked on the self-driving project now known as Waymo. The company initially delivered autonomous robots for delivery services, but later in 2024, it pivoted to licensing its Nuro Driver platform to automakers. It partnered with ride-hailing services and commercial fleets, moving away from delivery robots.
The self-driving company has navigated through market challenges since 2022, including layoffs in 2022 and 2023, when investors briefly lost interest in self-driving car technology. Despite the setbacks, it has expanded its technology platform from a level 2 driver-assisted technology to level 4 capabilities currently. That means the technology can now allow the vehicle to handle most driving situations without human intervention unless the system encounters situations beyond its control.
The autonomous vehicle technology company partnered with Uber and Lucid to deliver a global robotaxi service last month. According to the partnership details, Uber will purchase over 20,000 Lucid Gravity SUVs equipped with Nuro’s autonomous software for the next six years, beginning in 2026. Uber also funded $300 million in Lucid, with part of the funds directed to Nuro’s Series E funding and additional financing tied to specific milestone achievements ahead.
Nvidia, being among the latest investors to back Nuro, follows a series of collaborations between the two firms. Nuro uses Nvidia’s GPUs and the Drive AGX Thor platform for large-scale data processing and model training.
Nuro co-founder and President Ferguson revealed in a statement that the company employs about 700 people and aims to deliver new commercial partnerships to make the autonomous technology global. The company’s total raised funding stands at $2.3 billion with the current valuation of $6 billion, down from $8.3 billion in 2021.
Tesla and Nuro target the global robotaxi market, projected at ~$10 trillion
According to ARK Invest analysis, the global robotaxi market is projected to grow to approximately $10 trillion throughout the next decade. Both Tesla and Nuro are setting themselves up for that share with different approaches. Tesla robotaxi, which launched in June 2025, operates a vertically integrated strategy. The current fleet, composed of Model Ys, launched safety monitors recently and quickly expanded its operating area, surpassing Waymo’s Austin coverage within weeks.
According to an analysis by ARK Invest, Tesla utilizes its broad vehicle production capacity of more than 5,000 cars per day, and its data advantage is approximately 40 times greater. The advantages may allow the company to scale faster than its competition.
Nuro, in contrast, has taken the partner-centric approach through its collaboration with Uber and Lucid. The company plans to deploy at least 20,000 Lucid Gravity SUVs next year. Both companies face regulatory hurdles. Tesla has begun its launches in Austin, but may encounter barriers as it plans to enter other states beyond Austin and San Francisco. The EV maker’s reliance on Uber’s partnership may help it navigate the regulatory landscape more smoothly, given Uber’s lobbying presence and existing city partnerships.
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