Autolane, a developer of autonomous vehicle infrastructure, has announced $7.4 million in funding co-led by Draper Associates and Hyperplane, with participation from LAUNCH and Feld Ventures. Additionally, Autolane is deploying its curbside operating system at four Simon Malls and properties in Texas and California.
The funding will accelerate Autolane’s deployment across the retail, restaurant, and commercial property sectors. The technology supports both autonomous ride-hailing services like Waymo and Tesla Robotaxi, as well as autonomous delivery vehicles serving retailers and restaurants within the shopping centers.
Since launching its first full-scale test site in the San Francisco Bay Area in May 2025, Autolane has demonstrated that dedicated autonomous vehicle infrastructure can reduce curbside pickup times by 50 percent or more via operational efficiencies in order communication, handoff, and execution.
Autolane at Simon centers
Autolane brings its technology to The Domain and Barton Creek Square in Austin, Texas, and Stanford Shopping Center and Great Mall in the San Francisco Bay Area. The system coordinates autonomous vehicle arrivals, authenticates and guides parking, and provides real-time stall management through a cloud-based dashboard.
“As autonomous mobility evolves from pilot to scale, we recognize the importance of preparing our properties with the right infrastructure,” said Andy Hutcherson, senior vice president, innovation and customer experience at Simon.
“This collaboration with Autolane allows us to integrate advanced curbside technology that enhances operational efficiency, improves the guest experience, and positions our centers to support the next generation of autonomous transportation and delivery.”
Addressing the autonomous vehicle infrastructure gap
The investment from Draper Associates and Hyperplane comes as autonomous vehicle adoption accelerates nationwide. However, the infrastructure to safely and efficiently manage these vehicles at commercial properties has lagged behind.
“Autonomous vehicles are transforming transportation, but without proper infrastructure at destinations, we risk chaos at the curb,” said Tim Draper, founding partner at Draper Associates.
“Autolane is building the essential layer that connects autonomous vehicles to the places people want to go. Their work with Simon shows how quickly this technology can scale across some of America’s most iconic retail centers.”
“Autonomous mobility has transitioned from experimental to inevitable, and the missing piece is infrastructure that can operate at scale,” said Samara Gordon, general partner at Hyperplane.
“Autolane has built the connective tissue that lets autonomous vehicles function in the environments where people and goods move every day. We’re thrilled to partner with the Autolane team as they define the operating system for the autonomous era.”
“This funding and collaboration with Simon validates our vision that the future of retail and autonomous vehicles is inextricably linked,” said Ben Seidl, CEO and co-founder of Autolane.
“Simon operates some of the most visited shopping destinations in the country – high-traffic environments where our collaboration is solving the critical ‘last fifty feet’ challenge at scale. Our technology creates orchestrated handoff zones that can serve both autonomous ride-hailing passengers and delivery vehicles.”
