Newsroom

RoboTruck Secures ¥5.2B Equity at Series A First Close
to Advance Level 4 Autonomous Trucks

July 31, 2026

TOKYO, Japan — July 31, 2026 — RoboTruck Inc. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Yusuke Haga; hereinafter “RoboTruck”), a developer of Level 4 autonomous driving systems for heavy-duty trucks, announced today that it has secured approximately JPY 5.2 billion in equity at the first close of its Series A round. To further accelerate development, the company is preparing for an upcoming second close.

The round was led by JIC Venture Growth Investments Co., Ltd. a venture capital arm of Japan Investment Corporation (JIC), with participation from new investors SPARX Asset Management Co., Ltd.(managing Mirai Creation Fund III, backed by Toyota Motor Corporation and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation) and Mitsubishi UFJ Capital Co., Ltd.

Existing investors Globis Capital Partners, Archetype Ventures, Mizuho Leaguer Investment, and SMBC Venture Capital also participated in the round.

                                             

Background of the Fundraise

The Japanese government is promoting the social implementation of autonomous trucks as a countermeasure against the logistics crisis. The Comprehensive Logistics Policy Outline sets a target of deploying 1,000 autonomous trucks by FY2030.

Furthermore, autonomous driving technology is positioned as a key technology in the field of "Digital Technologies and Cybersecurity," one of the 17 strategic fields in "Japan's Growth Strategy," making it a critical strategic investment area supporting Japan's growth potential and economic security.

Facing the logistics issue often referred to as Japan's '2024 Logistics Crisis', RoboTruck aims to provide solutions to logistics operators. The company develops autonomous driving systems for heavy-duty trucks that enable them to lead autonomous transport operations by implementing the technology into their own transport networks and vehicles. Our defining feature is the domestic development of systems adapted to Japan's road and logistics environments—independent of overseas autonomous driving technology foundations—enabling practical integration into existing logistics operations.

Since our founding in April 2024, we have participated in the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)'s "Support Project for the Development and Demonstration of Unmanned Automated Driving to Promote Mobility DX" and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT)'s "Demonstration Project Toward Social Implementation of Autonomous Driving Trucks for Trunk Transport." To realize Level 4 autonomous driving systems, we have accumulated a track record of highway testing between the Kanto and Chubu regions, with safety drivers on board.

In May 2026, as announced in a separate press release today, the company invited government officials and investors for a demonstration tour, and completed approximately 260 km autonomous driving test on a highway. The demonstration covered the route from Atsugi-Minami IC in Kanagawa Prefecture to Toyota JCT in Aichi Prefecture, and the vehicle completed the entire distance with no driver intervention.

In FY2026, we have also been selected for the following projects:

(i) "Robot Foundation Model Research and Development Support Project" under "GENIAC"
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)

(ii) FY2026 "Autonomous Driving Truck Implementation Support Project"
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
・ Participated in the "Toyota Tsusho Consortium": An 11-company consortium led by Toyota Tsusho Corporation, including 7 logistics operators and Hino Motors, Ltd.
・ Participated as a member of "The L4 Autonomous Driving Logistics Trailer Promotion Council": A 4-company consortium led by ORIX Auto Corporation, including 2 logistics operators.

Moving forward, through these initiatives, we will accelerate development and on-road testing toward the commercialization of Level 4 autonomous trucks within defined operational design domains, in collaboration with stakeholders, not only logistics operators and vehicle manufacturers but other partners as well.

Use of Funds and Future Outlook

RoboTruck positions autonomous trucks as one of the prime domains for the social implementation of "Physical AI," which perceives and predicts the real world based on sensor data to generate and control vehicle behavior. The company will build a Level 4 autonomous driving system that prioritizes safety while ensuring an optimal balance of development speed and viability. The technology will be developed in conjunction with our tested rule-based system,E2E models, and world models, alongside vehicle redundancy, safety validation, and operational frameworks.

Our purpose is to implement a Japan-made Level 4 autonomous driving system that comprehensively covers highway routes, public roads connecting to logistics hubs, and operations within the facilities.

The funds raised in this round will be primarily used for the following purposes:

・ Increasing the number of demonstration vehicles to accelerate research, and implementation of autonomous driving system redundancy to enhance safety

・ Expansion of operational design domains (ODDs) by increasing testing scenarios to support safety evaluation and certification acquisition

・ Investing in computing resources, simulation, and driving data platforms to develop Physical AI technology integrating End-to-End (E2E) AI and world models

Investor Comments

Yuki Kuwabara
Venture Capitalist, JIC Venture Growth Investments Co., Ltd.

"While logistics is a crucial social infrastructure supporting our daily lives and industrial activities, it faces severe challenges such as a shortage of truck drivers and the need to improve transport efficiency. Consequently, the early social implementation of domestically produced autonomous trucks is highly anticipated.

Centered around an engineering team with extensive experience in autonomous driving system development, RoboTruck has steadily advanced the technology required for driverless operations. Highly evaluating the company's technological capabilities and its commitment to early commercial deployment, we have decided to make an additional investment in this round. We look forward to seeing RoboTruck collaborate with diverse business partners and powerfully drive progress to bring Level 4 autonomous trucks to reality."

Kosuke Tatsumi
Vice President, Investment for Next-generation Growth Division, SPARX Asset Management Co., Ltd.

"We are truly grateful for the opportunity to participate in RoboTruck's funding round.

While the challenges facing the logistics industry have been highlighted for many years, as logistics serves as such a critical infrastructure supporting society, resolving these issues requires considerable time and effort.

Under these circumstances, RoboTruck's initiative to automate long-haul transportation is a critical pillar of logistics transformation, and we are confident in its potential to bring a major breakthrough to the industry.

At the same time, social infrastructure means there are numerous hurdles to overcome—such as co-creating rules and regulations, as well as integrating with existing logistics operations. However, with their strong business and technological leadership, we believe they will steadily overcome these difficulties one by one.

We sincerely look forward to seeing RoboTruck grow into a company that supports the foundation of Japanese logistics and society, and eventually extend its impact across Asia and the world. We wish them continued success in their future endeavors."

Message from the CEO
Yusuke Haga
CEO, RoboTruck Inc.

“The environment surrounding autonomous trucks has advanced significantly since our previous funding round one year ago. The Japanese government has established a target for the "deployment of 1,000 autonomous trucks by FY2030," and autonomous driving technology is positioned as one of the key technologies in "Japan's Growth Strategy".

In light of these social demands, receiving support from leading domestic investors in this round fills us with both deep gratitude and a strong sense of responsibility to live up to expectations—to become a Japan-born autonomous driving startup that develops Level 4 autonomous driving technology to solve Japan's social challenges.

Together with logistics operators, our entire company will work as one to make the 'future everyone dreams of' a reality—full autonomous trucks. We sincerely appreciate your continued support and guidance”

About RoboTruck

Company: RoboTruck Inc.
Headquarters: Odanaka Bldg., 1-15-11 Shinkawa, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Representative: Yusuke Haga, CEO
Established: April 15, 2024
Business: Research and development of autonomous driving systems for trucks
Official Website: https://robotruck.jp/company.html

Media Contact

Business Development and Public Relations, RoboTruck Inc.
Email: info@robotruck.jp