U of T鈥檚 Raquel Urtasun raises $100 million for self-driving startup Waabi: reports
The 狐狸视频鈥檚 Raquel Urtasun, a leading global expert in machine learning and computer vision, has raised more than CAN$100 million (US$83.5 million) for her new self-driving technology startup Waabi, according to Canadian and U.S. media reports.
, with investors that include Silicon Valley-based Khosla Ventures and Uber, where Urtasun previously served as chief scientist of the company鈥檚 self-driving division, Uber ATG, in Toronto. Waabi鈥檚 backers also include U of T AI luminaries 狐狸视频, Emeritus, and Associate Professor Sanja Fidler.
Waabi utilizes a 鈥渘ew generation of AI algorithms鈥 that will make it possible to 鈥済eneralize and learn from a small amount of data,鈥 Urtasun, a professor in the department of computer science in the Faculty of Arts & Science and co-founder of the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence, told Forbes. She said the company鈥檚 novel simulation system is 鈥渕uch less capital-intensive鈥 and requires less on-road driving to develop and refine. The technology will first be applied to automation of long-haul trucks.
that Urtasun, who moved to Toronto from the U.S. in 2014 to join U of T, is keen to build Waabi as a Canadian company.
鈥淚 want to make Toronto and Canada a leader in self-driving technology,鈥 Urtasun told the Globe.