Former Uber Exec Joins Board of Self-Driving Startup
Former Uber Executive Joins Board of Oxford Self-Driving Startup
(Bloomberg) -- Oxbotica, a U.K. startup whose self-driving vehicle software will help guide the European Space Agency’s Mars rover, has appointed former Uber executive Fraser Robinson to its board.
Robinson served as the ride-hailing company’s head of business for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and played a role in negotiations with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund that resulted in the fund making a $3.5 billion investment in Uber.
Oxbotica, which is based in Oxford, England, said Robinson would help the company formulate business strategy. The startup was spun out of Oxford University four years ago.
Last month, Oxbotica announced a 14 million pound ($18.3 million) investment round led by Axa SA, the insurance group, IP Group, and Parkwalk Advisors, which backs companies that are spun-out of universities.
Oxbotica hopes to sell its autonomous driving software to a number of companies building self-driving cars. It said it was using its new funding to double its workforce to 200 employees and open offices in Silicon Valley, Japan, Australia and possibly China and other North American cities.
To contact the reporter on this story: Jeremy Kahn in London at jkahn21@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Giles Turner at gturner35@bloomberg.net, Edwin Chan
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