
AV startup flurry: 2026 pitches surpass decade-ago boom
Trucks VC reports 81 new AV startups pitched, two-thirds more than 2025; firm cites tech breakthroughs
Trucks VC reports a significant surge in autonomous vehicle startup formations, fielding pitches from 81 new companies so far in 2026. This represents a two-thirds increase on last year and surpasses the previous boom of 2016-2017, which the venture capital firm attributes to breakthroughs in AI foundation models.