Nine Self-Driving Startups Chasing Waymo’s Lead

For years, self-driving cars were a feature of the sci-fi future. But Waymo’s leap from testing to ferrying paying customers in four cities has made robotaxis a reality. That’s set off a race among newcomers and industry stalwarts to expand new businesses that support autonomous vehicles.

Below we provide exclusive details on nine startups worth watching in this field in the coming year. Some are developing software to simulate driving while others are selling hardware such as cameras, lidar and radar that help the cars perceive the world. One startup will provide its autonomous vehicles to Lyft riders while another struck a deal with Waymo to clean robotaxis hailed through Uber’s app.