The micromobility company, founded inside Rivian and spun off last year, will also work with DoorDash to develop autonomous delivery vehicles, the companies announced Tuesday.
As part of the deal, DoorDash participated in Also’s $200 million Series C funding round led by previous investor Greenoaks Capital. DoorDash also serves on Also’s board of directors.
The raise brings Also’s total funding to $505 million and its valuation to more than $1 billion. The startup got its start with a $105 million investment from Eclipse, which backs Mind Robotics, an external industrial AI company founded by Rivian late last year.
It also began as a Skunkworks project inside Rivian in 2022. The EV manufacturer initially set out to build electric bikes, even working with Jony Ive’s design firm LoveFrom, as first reported by TechCrunch last year. And while their first product is a classy, funky-looking e-bike, they’ve also introduced a design for a small, pedal-assisted delivery vehicle.
Amazon, a major Rivian investor and partner, ordered thousands of delivery vehicles late last year. He also said it can carry packages weighing more than 400 pounds while still being small enough to fit in a bike path.
The DoorDash deal is also the first sign that the company will develop autonomous versions of its small electric vehicles. Rivian founder RJ Scaringe and CEO Chris Yu told TechCrunch last year that almost all form factors are being discussed within practical limits.
Rivian and Also said the micromobility startup will leverage the automaker’s technology not only for its own products, but also for retail stores and economies of scale. It’s also unclear whether it will leverage any of the autonomous technology Rivian has been working on.
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Rivian currently plans to use a mix of cameras, ultrasonic sensors, radar, and eventually LiDAR to give vehicles autonomy. And late last year, Rivian said it had developed its own custom silicon and autonomous computers in an effort to increase the self-driving capabilities of its vehicles. Scaringe has already hinted that Mind Robotics will use this chip, so that’s also possible. TechCrunch has reached out to both Rivian and Also and will update this story if they respond.
It’s possible that DoorDash will handle autonomous technology.
The company has its own autonomous division and has spent years developing a robotic vehicle called Dot, which is equipped with LiDAR, radar, and camera sensors and can drive autonomously on roads, bike paths, and sidewalks. The brightly colored vehicles with cartoonish eyes can travel up to 20 miles per hour and are making deliveries throughout the metro Phoenix area.
