Glydways Nabs $170M Series C, In Talks For Additional Funding To Hit $1B+ Valuation

Glydways, a San Francisco-based startup building autonomous personal transit pods designed to run on dedicated 2-meter-wide urban corridors, has closed a $170 million Series C funding round.

The growth round was co-led by Suzuki Motor Corporation, global infrastructure firm ACS Group, and venture firm Khosla Ventures. Existing stakeholders Mitsui Chemicals and Gates Frontier also joined the raise, alongside new strategic investor Obayashi Corporation.

According to a recent Bloomberg report, the startup is already in active negotiations to secure an additional $250 million in fresh funding. If the round closes as planned, it would push Glydways’ total valuation above the $1 billion unicorn threshold.

The company has advanced its proprietary transit concept considerably since its 2016 founding. Glydways claims its system can move up to 10,000 passengers per hour per lane, while cutting total infrastructure costs by as much as 90% compared to traditional urban rail systems. This year, the firm will launch three fully operational pilot projects across Atlanta, New York City, and the United Arab Emirates, with a target launch for full large-scale commercial operations set for 2027.

Glydways’ disruptive approach to urban mobility has attracted backing from several high-profile industry leaders. OpenAI founder Sam Altman counted himself among investors in the startup’s earlier Series B round.

Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures and a member of Glydways’ board of directors, has previously publicly touted the startup as a superior alternative to mainstream robotaxi development for cities. Khosla argued that Glydways’ dedicated-lane system could replace the vast majority of private passenger vehicles in most urban centers over the next 25 years.

“That sounds radical, but these entrepreneurs want to make that happen, and I’m pretty certain it will happen, and it’s not robotaxis; it’s not Waymo. It’s a much better solution,” Khosla previously told TechCrunch.