Innovation Endeavors

How soon will we see an autonomous trucking shakeout?

It is pretty much acknowledged across the trucking industry that a consolidation of players in autonomous trucking is coming. Money is tight. Borrowing is expensive. Share prices and corresponding book values are in the dumper. 

The coming shakeout

No single factor proves a shakeout among autonomous trucking players is coming. But an accumulation of evidence suggests that not all of today’s entrants will survive as independents.

PitchBook writes of mobility tech in its 2023 Industry and Technology...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/how-soon-will-we-see-an-autonomous-trucking-shakeout

AV company Gatik taps Goodyear for intelligent tire technology

When middle-mile autonomous vehicle company Gatik closed an $85 million Series B funding round last month, the announcement came with the news that “several strategic investors” had participated in the round.

On Tuesday, Gatik revealed that Goodyear Ventures, Goodyear’s (NASDAQ: GT) venture capital fund, participated in the new funding round and announced it would collaborate with the tire maker as it develops its autonomous middle-mile vehicle. The size of the investment was not specified.

“Gatik...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/av-company-gatik-taps-goodyear-for-intelligent-tire-technology

This autonomous forklift isn’t afraid to ask for help

Third Wave forklift

Robotics startup Third Wave Automation has raised $15 million in Series A funding to scale its technology aimed at bringing shared autonomy to forklifts.

Innovation Endeavors led the round, joined by seed investors from Eclipse Ventures, Homebrew VC and Toyota AI Ventures. Heartland VC also joined as a new Series A investor. 

Third Wave’s approach means the forklifts the company modifies operate autonomously most of the time, but when they encounter a new situation, they signal a need for human...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/this-autonomous-robot-isn