Latest news with #AnthonyLevandowski
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
AV startup Pronto.ai acquires off-road autonomous vehicle rival SafeAI
The Venn diagram of engineers that know a little bit about AI, self driving, and mining has a small intersection. CEO Anthony Levandowski wants as many of those people as possible. And an acquisition is helping him achieve that goal. The San Francisco-based startup, which has developed a self-driving system designed for haulage trucks and other off-road vehicles used at construction and mining sites, has acquired competitor Safe AI, TechCrunch has learned. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed. However, Levandowski said the acquisition is a talent and technology play. The bulk of the small 12-person startup's engineering team and its IP will come over to Pronto. A source familiar with the deal said Safe AI acquisition price was in 'the millions.' 'In the autonomous haulage system space, there's really kind of two players — it's SafeAI and us,' Levandowski told TechCrunch in a recent interview, adding that SafeAI and Pronto have taken different approaches to the market. 'We've been growing a ton and needed to add more people and resources to the team, so it made sense to purchase them … have more wood behind fewer arrows so that we could grow faster.' Pronto, which was co-founded with Ognen Stojanovski in 2018, uses advanced sensors, cameras and artificial intelligence to operate haul trucks autonomously. Pronto also uses Pollen Mobile, a peer-to-peer open source mobile data network the startup launched in 2022 that allows it to exchange data anonymously and at high speeds without relying on legacy carriers. Pollen is used to support sites with little to no connectivity. Pronto has kept its team fairly lean at about 40 people. The SafeAI acquisition will help Pronto serve more customers, including internationally, Levandowski said. Last year, Pronto extended a partnership with Heidelberg Materials North America, one of the largest build materials and cement producers in the world, following a pilot program at the company's Bridgeport Quarry in Texas. Pronto's technology is integrated into Komatsu haulage trucks, which operates autonomously at the site. Earlier this year, Pronto announced an agreement with Heidelberg to deploy more than 100 autonomous trucks and expanding its team in Brazil. The acquisition will also allow Pronto meet a variety of needs from small quarries to large mines. Notably, the acquisition will allow Pronto to offer customers a tiered technology portfolio. Pronto is known for its camera-only approach. SafeAI, which was founded in 2017 and raised $38 million in Series B round of funding three years ago, uses multiple sensors on-vehicle cameras, radar, and lidar. Pronto plans to offer the multi-sensor approach as well as use SafeAI's safety framework that has been ASIL D-certified, the highest safety integrity level in the while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
TechCrunch
17 hours ago
- Business
- TechCrunch
AV startup Pronto.ai acquires off-road autonomous vehicle rival SafeAI
The Venn diagram of engineers that know a little bit about AI, self driving, and mining has a small intersection. CEO Anthony Levandowski wants as many of those people as possible. And an acquisition is helping him achieve that goal. The San Francisco-based startup, which has developed a self-driving system designed for haulage trucks and other off-road vehicles used at construction and mining sites, has acquired competitor Safe AI, TechCrunch has learned. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed. However, Levandowski said the acquisition is a talent and technology play. The bulk of the small 12-person startup's engineering team and its IP will come over to Pronto. A source familiar with the deal said Safe AI acquisition price was in 'the millions.' 'In the autonomous haulage system space, there's really kind of two players — it's SafeAI and us,' Levandowski told TechCrunch in a recent interview, adding that SafeAI and Pronto have taken different approaches to the market. 'We've been growing a ton and needed to add more people and resources to the team, so it made sense to purchase them … have more wood behind fewer arrows so that we could grow faster.' Pronto, which was co-founded with Ognen Stojanovski in 2018, uses advanced sensors, cameras and artificial intelligence to operate haul trucks autonomously. Pronto also uses Pollen Mobile, a peer-to-peer open source mobile data network the startup launched in 2022 that allows it to exchange data anonymously and at high speeds without relying on legacy carriers. Pollen is used to support sites with little to no connectivity. Pronto has kept its team fairly lean at about 40 people. The SafeAI acquisition will help Pronto serve more customers, including internationally, Levandowski said. Last year, Pronto extended a partnership with Heidelberg Materials North America, one of the largest build materials and cement producers in the world, following a pilot program at the company's Bridgeport Quarry in Texas. Pronto's technology is integrated into Komatsu haulage trucks, which operates autonomously at the site. Earlier this year, Pronto announced an agreement with Heidelberg to deploy more than 100 autonomous trucks and expanding its team in Brazil. Techcrunch event LIVE NOW! TechCrunch All Stage Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Save $450 on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Boston, MA | REGISTER NOW The acquisition will also allow Pronto meet a variety of needs from small quarries to large mines. Notably, the acquisition will allow Pronto to offer customers a tiered technology portfolio. Pronto is known for its camera-only approach. SafeAI, which was founded in 2017 and raised $38 million in Series B round of funding three years ago, uses multiple sensors on-vehicle cameras, radar, and lidar. Pronto plans to offer the multi-sensor approach as well as use SafeAI's safety framework that has been ASIL D-certified, the highest safety integrity level in the industry.
National Post
17 hours ago
- Automotive
- National Post
Pronto Acquires SafeAI, Expanding Leadership in Off-Road Autonomy
Article content Strategic transaction extends Pronto's leadership in providing autonomous technologies to off-road industries with an initial focus on the mining, quarrying, and construction markets Article content SAN FRANCISCO — Inc. (Pronto), the industry leader in scalable, affordable, OEM-agnostic Autonomous Haulage Systems (AHS), today announced it has completed its acquisition of SafeAI Inc., another pioneer in safety-focused, multi-sensor autonomous solutions for heavy industry. The transaction further establishes Pronto as the world's most capable and technologically advanced autonomy provider for the off-road sector. Article content 'Pronto is automating everything with wheels, starting with mining trucks, focused on becoming the first profitable autonomous vehicle company,' said Anthony Levandowski, CEO of Pronto. The combined entity will offer the industry's first and only tiered technology portfolio, capable of serving the full spectrum of customer needs, from small quarries to large mines. This includes Pronto's commercially proven, camera-only AHS for customers prioritizing affordability and rapid deployment, as well as a multi-sensor premium offering, both of which will benefit from SafeAI's safety framework that has been ASIL D-certified, the highest safety integrity level in the industry. Article content 'Pronto is automating everything with wheels, starting with mining trucks, focused on becoming the first profitable autonomous vehicle company,' said Anthony Levandowski, CEO of Pronto. 'This acquisition solidifies our leadership in the automation of the mining, quarrying, and construction industries, and will help us further accelerate the commercial deployment of our technologies to sites around the world.' Article content This strategic transaction comes as Pronto is experiencing rapid growth and gearing up for its next phase of expansion, after recently announcing a global agreement to deploy more than 100 autonomous trucks with Heidelberg Materials and expanding its team in Brazil. Article content The acquisition brings together two of the most experienced teams in autonomy, with decades of experience spanning the DARPA Grand Challenges, Google, Waymo, Uber, Apple, Caterpillar, Lucid, Ford, General Motors, Tesla, and Topcon. Article content About Pronto Article content Pronto is Autonomy Simplified. Founded by the Silicon Valley pioneers who have been at the forefront of the most important advances in autonomous vehicles and robotics for the last two decades, Pronto provides the world's leading Autonomous Haulage System (AHS). Pronto AHS is designed to be the simplest, fastest to deploy, easiest to use, and most cost-effective solution in the mining and quarrying markets, increasing productivity, enhancing safety, and solving labor challenges for its customers. Learn more at Article content Article content Article content
Business Wire
18 hours ago
- Automotive
- Business Wire
Pronto Acquires SafeAI, Expanding Leadership in Off-Road Autonomy
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Inc. (Pronto), the industry leader in scalable, affordable, OEM-agnostic Autonomous Haulage Systems (AHS), today announced it has completed its acquisition of SafeAI Inc., another pioneer in safety-focused, multi-sensor autonomous solutions for heavy industry. The transaction further establishes Pronto as the world's most capable and technologically advanced autonomy provider for the off-road sector. 'Pronto is automating everything with wheels, starting with mining trucks, focused on becoming the first profitable autonomous vehicle company," said Anthony Levandowski, CEO of Pronto. Share The combined entity will offer the industry's first and only tiered technology portfolio, capable of serving the full spectrum of customer needs, from small quarries to large mines. This includes Pronto's commercially proven, camera-only AHS for customers prioritizing affordability and rapid deployment, as well as a multi-sensor premium offering, both of which will benefit from SafeAI's safety framework that has been ASIL D-certified, the highest safety integrity level in the industry. 'Pronto is automating everything with wheels, starting with mining trucks, focused on becoming the first profitable autonomous vehicle company," said Anthony Levandowski, CEO of Pronto. "This acquisition solidifies our leadership in the automation of the mining, quarrying, and construction industries, and will help us further accelerate the commercial deployment of our technologies to sites around the world." This strategic transaction comes as Pronto is experiencing rapid growth and gearing up for its next phase of expansion, after recently announcing a global agreement to deploy more than 100 autonomous trucks with Heidelberg Materials and expanding its team in Brazil. The acquisition brings together two of the most experienced teams in autonomy, with decades of experience spanning the DARPA Grand Challenges, Google, Waymo, Uber, Apple, Caterpillar, Lucid, Ford, General Motors, Tesla, and Topcon. About Pronto Pronto is Autonomy Simplified. Founded by the Silicon Valley pioneers who have been at the forefront of the most important advances in autonomous vehicles and robotics for the last two decades, Pronto provides the world's leading Autonomous Haulage System (AHS). Pronto AHS is designed to be the simplest, fastest to deploy, easiest to use, and most cost-effective solution in the mining and quarrying markets, increasing productivity, enhancing safety, and solving labor challenges for its customers. Learn more at
