Glydways, the San Francisco-based autonomous transit network developer, has closed an oversubscribed $170 million Series C round co-led by Suzuki Motor Corporation, ACS Group, and Khosla Ventures. The company plans to begin public operations this year at three pilot sites in the UAE, the greater New York City area, and Atlanta, marking its transition from development to real-world deployment.
Highlights
- $170M Series C co-led by Suzuki, ACS Group, and Khosla Ventures brings Glydways’ total funding past $250 million.
- Three 2026 pilot launches planned in the UAE, greater NYC, and South Metro Atlanta ahead of large-scale operations in 2027.
- New and returning investors include Obayashi Corporation, Mitsui Chemicals, and Gates Frontier.
- MOUs signed with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office and Dubai Roads & Transport Authority signal Middle East expansion.
Investor Syndicate and Use of Proceeds
The commercialization round drew participation from existing investors Mitsui Chemicals and Gates Frontier alongside new backer Obayashi Corporation, one of Japan’s largest general contractors. The oversubscribed raise will fund three strategic priorities: geographic expansion through the 2026 pilot programs, accelerated production of next-generation Glydcars manufactured by Suzuki, and headcount growth across eight global offices spanning North America, APAC, the Middle East, and Europe.
“Glydways is not an evolution of transportation, it’s a fundamentally new model for how cities move. Glydways is now entering real-world operations, showing that high-capacity, on-demand personal mobility can be better for riders, financially sustainable, and solve congestion,” said Mark Seeger, Founder and Co-CEO, Glydways.
How Glydways Works
Glydways pairs autonomous electric vehicles with dedicated, narrow guideways to create on-demand transit networks that operate without congestion or stops. The company claims its systems can move up to 10,000 passengers per hour on a single two-meter-wide lane while reducing infrastructure costs by up to 90 percent compared to rail. Unlike conventional AVs deployed on existing roads, the guideway approach eliminates mixed-traffic constraints.
“The future of urban mobility is seamless, zero-congestion, zero-stop movement, where movement is designed as continuous flow, not managed as traffic,” added Seeger. “Relative to existing systems, Glydways will feel like teleportation.”
Strategic Partners Weigh In
Suzuki’s investment deepens an existing manufacturing partnership for the Glydcar fleet. Toshihiro Suzuki, Representative Director and President, Suzuki Motor Corporation, tied the collaboration to the automaker’s broader mission:
“Glydways’ mission—to provide a public transportation solution that stays close to people’s daily lives—resonates strongly with Suzuki’s corporate slogan, ‘By Your Side.’ Through this additional investment, we will further strengthen this synergy and continue to move forward together toward realizing the mobility of the future.”
Obayashi Corporation, the round’s newest investor, framed its participation around urban development. Takayuki TOMIOKA, Managing Executive Officer, Obayashi Corporation, said:
“Throughout its history, Obayashi Corporation has actively engaged in the development of sustainable urban environments, including both smart cities and compact cities. In all of these initiatives, transportation has consistently been recognized as an indispensable element. Through this investment, Obayashi aims to help Glydways realize its vision of using mobility to solve the social problems arising from traffic congestion in urban settings.”
ACS Group, one of the world’s largest infrastructure firms, co-led the round in a dual investor-partner capacity. Nuria Haltiwanger, Chief Investment Officer of ACS Group and Board President for ACS Infrastructure in the U.S., noted the company’s interest in bringing Glydways systems from development into deployment:
“Our role as both investor and partner reflects our commitment to helping bring systems from development into real-world deployment, and to advancing infrastructure solutions that create long-term value for communities. We look forward to scaling this approach globally.”
Deployment Timeline
Glydways broke ground on its first publicly accessible system in South Metro Atlanta in 2024, and opened a 14-acre development and demonstration facility in Richmond, California, earlier this year. The three 2026 pilots are designed as precursors to large-scale operations beginning in 2027. Founded in 2016, Glydways has now raised well over $250 million as it scales toward commercial deployment across multiple continents.
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