Toyota AI launches $100m fund for mobility start-ups

Toyota AI Ventures has announced a $100 million fund dedicated to investing in early-stage start-ups developing autonomous mobility and robotics. The company says the fund brings its total assets under management to more than $200m to invest in and support promising projects around the world. Jim Adler, managing director of Toyota AI Ventures, says: “Investing in start-ups creates long-term relationships that help Toyota explore the latest innovations in mobility.” The company looks across a range of in
May 13, 2019 Read time: 2 mins
1686 Toyota AI Ventures has announced a $100 million fund dedicated to investing in early-stage start-ups developing autonomous mobility and robotics.


The company says the fund brings its total assets under management to more than $200m to invest in and support promising projects around the world.

Jim Adler, managing director of Toyota AI Ventures, says: “Investing in start-ups creates long-term relationships that help Toyota explore the latest innovations in mobility.”

The company looks across a range of industries that are applying artificial intelligence (AI), data, and cloud technologies. Existing investments includes the following companies:

  • Joby Aviation: Pioneering an electric vertical take-off and landing passenger aircraft service
  • May Mobility: A Level 4 self-driving shuttle service
  • Sea Machines: Building autonomous control and navigation systems for the maritime industry
  • Elementary Robotics: Developing robotics platforms to assist with automating everyday tasks
  • Intuition Robotics: Creating social companion technologies using cognitive AI


Edwin Olson, co-founder and CEO of May Mobility, says: “For us, Toyota AI Ventures isn’t just an important investor, they are a critical partner in helping us realise our long-term vision of making transportation safer and more personal.”

Urban Traffic Control

Related Content

  • ITS America unveils future ITS roadmap
    February 9, 2017
    The Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America) has released its public policy roadmap, The Road Ahead: The Next Generation of Mobility, providing policy recommendations on how to advance the research and deployment of transformational and intelligent transportation technologies. In particular, the roadmap provides recommendations on the policy issues shaping the next generation of transportation driven by robotics, automation, artificial intelligence, wireless communications and cloud co
    Read More
  • RCA designs mobility for life
    June 11, 2019
    The Royal College of Art is a design powerhouse, and researcher Artur Mausbach is turning his attention to what future mobility will look – and feel – like. Adam Hill finds out more The name Royal College of Art (RCA) does not immediately bring to mind images of industrial design. But past alumni of this prestigious London institution include vacuum cleaner king James Dyson as well as that former enfant terrible of the artistic world, Tracey Emin: the RCA has always had a foot in both camps. And now it
    Read More
  • Intertraffic Amsterdam 2024: Smart, safe & sustainable mobility for all
    April 4, 2024
    Intertraffic Amsterdam 2024 is the place where the movers and shakers of the global ITS industry will gather from 16-19 April. With emphasis on climate, artificial intelligence – and even drones – this edition has something for everyone in the transportation sector…
    Read More
  • Gearing up for IntelliDrive cooperative traffic management
    February 1, 2012
    Beginning in the first quarter of 2010 it became evident that the IntelliDrivesm programme direction had been reestablished, by the USDOT's ITS Joint Program Office (JPO), after being adrift for a few years. The programme was now moving toward a deployment future and with a much broader stakeholder involvement than it had exhibited previously. By today not only is it evident that the programme was reestablished with a renewed emphasis on deployment, it is also apparent that it is moving along at a faster pa
    Read More

Highlighted Content