Nuro’s $106M raise backs its shift from delivery robots to licensing autonomy tech

Summary

After months of hearty marketing efforts and large-scale technology demos across the U.S., Nuro has secured $106 million in fresh funding to help scale its autonomous driving technology and advance commercial partnerships. The Series E round brings Nuro’s total funding raised to $2.2 billion and its valuation to $6 billion. That’s a drop from the $8.6 billion post-money valuation Nuro secured after its $600 million Series D in 2021, but most startup valuations have come down from the highs seen during the era of easy money. Usually, a down round can be cause for concern, as it might reflect diminished investor confidence among slower-than-expected progress. That said, it’s a tough funding environment out there. It’s also possible that in Nuro’s case, the company may need less capital as it pursues a recent business pivot that now focuses on licensing its self-driving technology to automotive OEMs, commercial delivery fleets, and ride-hail companies. TechCrunch reported on Nuro’s shift in strategy in the fall of last year. Nuro’s previous go-to-market plan revolved around building and operating cute on-road delivery robots that could carry only goods, not passengers, for partners like Domino’s. But building vehicles is expensive work, and Nuro was burning cash fast. After several rounds of layoffs and putting its manufacturing plans on hold, Nuro decided to focus instead on beefing out its self-driving technology, which it had been continuously testing in California and Texas. In September 2024, Dave Ferguson, Nuro’s co-founder and president, told TechCrunch the company would rely on advancements in AI to accelerate its autonomy progress, which would extend its runway from 1.5 years to 3.5 years. This new round likely extends that runway further. TechCrunch has reached out to Nuro for more information. Despite the down round, it’s a good sign for Nuro that its backers are mostly institutional investors – like T. Rowe Price Associates, Fidelity Management & Research C...