Autolane, a startup that builds infrastructure for autonomous vehicles, closed a $7.4 million funding round co‑led by Draper Associates and Hyperplane, with participation from LAUNCH and Feld Ventures. The capital will accelerate the company’s OpenCurb OS, a cloud‑based platform that orchestrates autonomous ride‑hailing and delivery vehicles at commercial destinations.
The system is now live at four Simon Property Group locations: The Domain and Barton Creek Square in Austin, Texas, and Stanford Shopping Center and Great Mall in the San Francisco Bay Area. OpenCurb OS authenticates arriving vehicles, guides them to designated parking stalls, and provides real‑time stall management through a dashboard, with the goal of cutting curbside pickup times by 50 % or more.
Founded in 2024, Autolane launched its first full‑scale test site in the Bay Area in May 2025. The partnership with Simon demonstrates validation of its infrastructure solution and positions the company to capture the growing autonomous‑vehicle market. Simon’s SVP of Innovation and Customer Experience highlighted that the collaboration enhances operational efficiency and guest experience, aligning with Simon’s strategy to future‑proof its properties.
Tim Draper, a founding partner at Draper Associates, noted that without proper destination infrastructure, autonomous vehicles risk chaos; Autolane’s system provides the “air traffic control” layer needed for scaling. Ben Seidl, Autolane’s CEO, emphasized that the partnership solves the “last fifty feet” challenge at high‑traffic retail destinations, enabling both ride‑hailing and delivery vehicles to operate smoothly.
The funding round and deployment position Autolane as a key enabler in the autonomous‑vehicle ecosystem, while Simon Property Group strengthens its portfolio with cutting‑edge technology that improves guest experience and operational efficiency. The partnership is expected to accelerate broader adoption of autonomous mobility across Simon’s portfolio and could open new revenue streams for both companies.
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