Autolane Secures $7.4 Million to Accelerate Autonomous Vehicle Infrastructure, Deploys Curbside Operating System Across Simon® Centers
Autolane, a fast-rising developer of infrastructure designed for autonomous vehicles (AVs), has announced a significant milestone in its growth journey: the company has secured $7.4 million in funding, co-led by Draper Associates and Hyperplane, with additional participation from LAUNCH and Feld Ventures. Alongside this investment, Autolane has confirmed the deployment of its advanced curbside operating system at four Simon® properties in California and Texas, marking one of the most meaningful collaborations to date between an AV infrastructure provider and a national retail property owner.
The dual announcement underscores the rapid evolution of the autonomous mobility ecosystem and highlights the increasing urgency for commercial properties to adopt infrastructure that is capable of supporting the next wave of autonomous ride-hailing and delivery services. As AV fleets grow and consumer adoption accelerates, the need for reliable, safe, and optimized curbside systems has become a critical gap that Autolane is positioning itself to fill.
Accelerating Deployment Through Strategic Funding
The newly raised $7.4 million will serve as a catalyst for Autolane’s expansion across retail, hospitality, food service, logistics, and mixed-use commercial properties nationwide. The company’s core technology is designed to serve both autonomous ride-hailing vehicles, including those operated by leaders like Waymo and Tesla, and autonomous delivery vehicles, which are increasingly being used by retailers, grocers, and restaurants to enhance same-day and on-demand service offerings.
Since establishing its first full-scale test site in the San Francisco Bay Area in May 2025, Autolane has validated the measurable operational advantages that purpose-built AV infrastructure brings to commercial destinations. The company reports that its system has demonstrated the ability to reduce curbside pickup times by 50% or more by streamlining communication between AV fleets, optimizing the handoff of goods and passengers, and reducing delays related to vehicle positioning and stall availability.
This funding round gives Autolane the financial capacity to accelerate installations, expand its engineering roadmap, and deepen partnerships with property owners who see autonomous mobility as fundamental to long-term asset value and customer experience enhancements.
Autolane Expands to Simon Centers in Texas and California
As part of its expansion strategy, Autolane has announced installations at four high-visibility Simon properties:
- The Domain® in Austin, Texas
- Barton Creek Square™ in Austin, Texas
- Stanford Shopping Center® in Palo Alto, California
- Great Mall® in Milpitas, California
These locations offer a blend of high foot traffic, diverse transportation modes, and strong retail activity—an ideal environment to test, validate, and scale infrastructure for autonomous passenger pickups, drop-offs, and last-mile deliveries.
The Autolane operating system is designed to seamlessly manage the curbside experience and ensure that autonomous vehicles can navigate congested retail environments with precision. Its core capabilities include:
- Coordinated vehicle arrival scheduling
- Authentication and guidance for vehicles entering designated zones
- Automated stall assignment and real-time occupancy monitoring
- Cloud-based dashboards for property managers and fleet operators
- Analytics to optimize throughput and reduce congestion
Together, these features create standardized “handoff zones” that reduce curb confusion, prevent bottlenecks, and ensure that autonomous vehicles operate within controlled and predictable parameters—critical requirements as AV interactions become more frequent and mainstream.
Simon’s Vision for Autonomous-Ready Propertie
Simon, the largest retail real estate operator in the United States, recognizes that autonomous mobility will play an increasingly central role in how shoppers and goods access retail destinations. Preparing properties for an autonomous future is a long-term strategic priority.
“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.”
Simon’s decision to adopt Autolane technology across multiple centers reflects a broader shift in retail real estate: curbside operations—whether for pickup, drop-off, delivery, or rideshare—have become a defining component of customer experience. Automated infrastructure not only supports AV fleets but also improves operational clarity for human-driven vehicles, curbside employees, and tenant partners.
Addressing the Infrastructure Gap in the Autonomous Vehicle Era
While autonomous vehicles have made tremendous strides in perception, navigation, and fleet operations, infrastructure at the destination level has struggled to keep pace. Commercial properties—especially high-traffic retail centers—are not naturally optimized for autonomous operations. Human-driven vehicles, unpredictable traffic patterns, ambiguous loading areas, and a lack of digital infrastructure make curbside environments one of the most challenging segments of the AV ecosystem.
Investors recognize that the industry is at a tipping point.
“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.”
According to industry analysts, the acceleration in autonomous ride-hailing deployments by Waymo, Cruise-era brands, and upcoming competitors such as Tesla’s Robotaxi service will place new pressures on real-world infrastructure. Without systems to coordinate arrivals and manage dynamic stall usage, AVs may congest drop-off areas and compromise safety.
Hyperplane General Partner Samara Gordon highlights that we are transitioning into a period when scaled AV deployment is no longer theoretical—but imminent.
“Autonomous mobility has transitioned from experimental to inevitable, and the missing piece is infrastructure that can operate at scale,” Gordon said. “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.
Creating the ‘Last Fifty Feet’ Operating System for Retail
At the center of Autolane’s mission is its vision to tackle the notoriously complex “last fifty feet” challenge—the final stretch of a passenger journey or delivery handoff where precision, timing, and predictability matter most. As retail and restaurant operators increasingly rely on app-driven pickup and delivery models, smooth curbside operations have become a revenue-critical function.
Autolane CEO and cofounder Ben Seidl emphasizes the strategic importance of building infrastructure that benefits both autonomous vehicles and commercial property owners.
“This funding and collaboration with Simon validates our vision that the future of retail and autonomous vehicles is inextricably linked,” Seidl said. “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.”
By integrating digital curb management with AV-ready features, Autolane provides a unified platform that benefits property owners, mobility companies, delivery operators, and customers alike.
A Future-Ready Foundation for Autonomous Mobility
Autolane’s latest funding round and its deployment across Simon centers represent a major step toward building AV-ready commercial properties across the United States. As autonomous technology becomes a larger part of everyday transportation and commerce, infrastructure readiness will determine which destinations can support reliable, safe, and efficient AV operations.
With strong investor backing, a proven technology platform, and partnerships with world-class property owners, Autolane is positioning itself as a foundational player in the emerging autonomous mobility ecosystem—one that will shape how people and goods move through retail spaces for decades to come.
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