Zoox is a robotics company developing autonomous vehicle fleet using the technology of robotics and machine learning that is headquartered in Foster City, California and was founded in 2014 by Tim Kentley-Klay and Jesse Levinson. It aims to provide autonomous mobility as-a-service in the urban.
Funding
Seed
In July 2015 Zoox completed their seed funding round with $40 million in funding from undisclosed investors.
Series A
In November 2016 Zoox completed their series A funding round with $250 million in funding from undisclosed investors. At the time of announcing their series A funding Zoox came out of stealth mode with a company valuation of $1.55 billion.
Sereis B
On July 18, 2018 Zoox completed a venture capital round with $500 million in series B funding from Grok Ventures (lead investor) and Blackbird Ventures. At the time of receiving their venture funding Zoox had a company evaluation of $2.7 billion. The company plans on using the funding to deploy their autonomous vehicles by 2020.
Timeline
April 26, 2020
Amazon acquires Zoox in a deal worth $1.3 billion.
October 21, 2019
Zoox raises a $200,000,000 convertible note.
July 18, 2018
Zoox raises a $500,000,000 series B round from Blackbird Ventures and Grok Ventures.
2018
Zoox is valued at $3.2 billion, according to data from PitchBook.
November 8, 2016
Zoox raises a $50,000,000 series A round from Composite Capital Management and IDG Capital Partners.
October 2016
Zoox raises a $250,000,000 series A round from AID Partners Capital, ARCHina Capital, Blackbird Ventures, Composite Capital Management, David Spector, Lux Capital, Thomas Tull, Threshold Ventures and Visonnaire Ventures.
July 2015
Zoox raises a $40,000,000 seed round.
Funding rounds
People
Name
Role
LinkedIn
Amanda Lind
Employee
Anne-Elyse Wachur
Employee
Anthony Kuhl
Employee
Brandon Feig
Employee
Carl Bass
Board member
Dimitri Alves
Employee
Felix Lorsignol
Employee
Frank Ramírez
Employee
Greg Zanghi
Employee
James Pearson Hughes
Employee
Jesse Levinson
Co-Founder
Jim Pallotta
Investor
Joseph Wu
Employee
Kit Cutler
Employee
Laurie Yoler
Board member
Luke Robus
Employee
Mark Schwager
Employee
Matt Rudolph
Employee
Megan Yee
Employee
Reid Rosenberg
Employee
Sandy Kory
Investor
Sophia Ho-Sing-Loy
Employee
Tim Kentley-Klay
Co-Founder
Further reading
Title
Author
Link
Type
Date
Documentaries, videos and podcasts
Title
Date
Link
Companies
Company
CEO
Location
Products/Services
News
Title
Author
Date
Publisher
Description
Kirsten Korosec
June 22, 2021
TechCrunch
The hubbub surrounding the autonomous vehicle industry often focuses on venture capital rounds, speculation about IPOs and acquisitions. But the industry's future also hinges on the high-stakes task of proving the technology can operate safer than human drivers do today and gaining the public's trust. In short: safety matters. Zoox issued a safety report Tuesday [...]
Suzanne Loo
June 2, 2021
TechNode
As an indispensable part of the innovation ecology, BEYOND Global Investment Summit will gather global A-list VCs to build a network with innovation at its core and advance the development of businesses with the help of their expertise.
Mark Matousek
May 1, 2021
Business Insider
Waymo was once again a winner in Guidehouse Insight's ranking of the top autonomous-vehicle companies. Tesla was not.
Darrell Etherington
April 26, 2021
TechCrunch
Last year, autonomous driving startup Zoox was acquired by Amazon in a deal worth $1.3 billion. Since then, Zoox has continued to pursue its existing strategy of developing and deploying autonomous passenger vehicles, revealing the design of its long-anticipated robotaxi late in December. From concept to reveal, Zoox spent six years developing its built-for-purpose passenger [...]
Mark Matousek and Lianna Norman
April 21, 2021
Business Insider
Insider asked autonomous-vehicle startups, analysts, and VCs to nominate the industry's biggest stars. The one rule: no CEOs.
Jennifer Eum, Keishel Williams, Sawyer Click and Taylor Tyson
March 1, 2021
Business Insider
Personal stories of how they made it -- and heartfelt career advice for others looking to do the same.
Kirsten Korosec
December 21, 2020
TechCrunch
The Station is a weekly newsletter dedicated to all things transportation. Sign up here -- just click The Station -- to receive it every Saturday in your inbox. Hi friends and new readers, welcome back to The Station, a newsletter dedicated to all the present and future ways people and packages move from Point A to [...]
Natasha Mascarenhas
December 19, 2020
TechCrunch
I often begin calls with founders by asking why they're willing to bet their livelihoods on an idea that will most likely fail. It's a small hack that lets me see how vulnerable a founder is, and how much conviction they have behind their ideas. Sometimes, if they answer, it's the lede of my story. [...]
Kirsten Korosec
December 15, 2020
TechCrunch
Zoox, the autonomous vehicle company that was acquired this year by Amazon, revealed this week the product of six years of work: A purpose-built self-driving vehicle designed to carry people -- and someday maybe even packages -- in dense urban environments. The company's story has captured the attention of skeptics and supporters alike, perhaps because [...]
Mark Matousek
December 15, 2020
Business Insider
Zoox wanted to make sure Amazon wouldn't force it to become an extension of the retail giant's delivery operation.
Aarian Marshall
December 15, 2020
Wired
Without any need for steering wheels or pedals, the cubes give passengers room to maneuver inside. The latest entrant, from Zoox, can hold 4.
Ishan Patra
December 15, 2020
The Hindu
The carriage-style vehicle offers bi-directional driving capabilities and four-wheel steering, and is 3.6 meters long, which allows manoeuvring through compact spaces and changing directions without the need to reverse.
Cal Jeffrey
December 14, 2020
TechSpot
Robotaxi startup Zoox has finally unveiled its first autonomous vehicle. The driverless car intended to ferry people from point A to point B looks quite similar to...
Tim Levin
December 14, 2020
Business Insider
Zoox's small vehicle was designed for cramped city streets, has a top speed of 75 mph, and can drive both forwards and backwards.
Sean O'Kane
December 14, 2020
The Verge
California startup Zoox has unveiled a production-ready version of its first self-driving vehicle, which seats up to four people and can navigate tight spaces thanks to "bi-directional" driving capabilities. Amazon bought Zoox in June 2020, and reportedly wants to create an autonomous ride-hailing service.
Kirsten Korosec
December 14, 2020
TechCrunch
Six years ago, Zoox launched quietly with a mighty mission: build and commercialize just about every aspect of a robotaxi service from the self-driving software stack and on-demand ride-sharing app to the management of the fleet and an unconventional vehicle that would transport passengers. Now, it's finally lifting the veil on its multi-year effort. Zoox, [...]
Nathan Ingraham
December 14, 2020
Engadget
It's been almost six months since Amazon purchased self-driving startup Zoox, and today the company pulled the wraps off its first autonomous vehicle.
Sean Czarnecki
November 25, 2020
Business Insider
With the techlash causing reputation problems in the tech industry, corporations are turning to these PR pros to court favor with the press.
Reuters
July 10, 2020
@bsindia
Amazon will pay $1.3 billion in cash for the takeover, which the parties hope to close by September
Aarian Marshall
July 7, 2020
Wired
Making an autonomous vehicle is proving harder and costlier than many startups predicted. So they're teaming up with giants like Hyundai, Jaguar, and Ford.
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References
Is a
CompanyCompany attributes
Industry
Location
Company status
Active
CEO
Aicha EvansFounder
Crunchbase
Legal name
Zoox Inc.
Parent organization
Amazon (company)Legal classification
Incorporation (business)Number of Employees (ranges)
1,000 – 4,999
Investors
Founded date
2014
Email address
hello@zoox.com
Phone number
(650) 539-9669
Total funding amount (USD)
1,040,000,000
Latest funding round date
October 21, 2019
Competitors
Acquired by
Latest funding type
Series B roundLatest postmoney valuation
3,000,000,000
Patents
United StatesCategories
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