Fly Ventures portfolio company Wayve launches autonomous rides with Uber in London

What happened

On 3 September 2026 Uber began offering autonomous rides in London using Wayve's AI Driver, the first time autonomous trips have been available to the public in the UK and only the second European city, after Zagreb, with a robotaxi service. Riders requesting an UberX, Uber Electric, or Uber Comfort may be matched with a Wayve-powered all-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E at no extra cost, and can travel anywhere in London except the airports. A licensed safety operator remains in the front seat until Transport for London authorises fully driverless operation. Fewer than 20 vehicles were in service at launch, more than 140,000 Londoners had opted in to autonomous rides through the app beforehand, and Uber has described London as the first of 12 planned Wayve markets.

Wayve is a Fund I investment of Fly Ventures, the Berlin-based first-cheque investor that backs technical founders from day zero to seed. Fly invested in 2020; Wayve has since raised more than $1 billion, including a $1.05 billion Series C in 2024 led by SoftBank, and in 2026 announced robotaxi collaborations with Nissan and Uber in Tokyo, a supply relationship with Stellantis from 2028, and, on 22 September, a partnership with Mercedes-Benz on autonomous driving.

Fund I's other flagship holding, 9fin, the AI-native debt-markets intelligence platform, closed a $170 million Series C led by HarbourVest in March 2026 at a $1.3 billion valuation, with CPP Investments, Redalpine, Highland Europe, Spark Capital, and Seedcamp participating.

The Shackleton Secondaries Victoria Fund holds its interest in Fly Ventures Fund I through Ioniq. The exposure is indirect; the development is recorded here as evidence of the quality of the underlying Fund I portfolio, not as a change in any fund's position.

Why it matters for Gorilla Tech Capital

For Gorilla Tech Capital, Wayve's move from testing to public service, alongside its Mercedes-Benz production agreement and 9fin's US$1.3 billion valuation, is evidence of the quality of the underlying Fund I portfolio. The exposure is indirect, held through Ioniq, and the development does not change any fund's position.