Figure AI vs Wayve

By valuation, Figure AI is the larger company at $39B versus $5B — a 7.8x difference. Size can also be measured by team: Figure AI employs 450 people while Wayve has 100-500 employees.

Figure AI has raised more in total funding at $1.9B, compared to Wayve's $1.3B — a gap of $600M. Combined, the two companies have completed 3 known funding rounds.

Both Figure AI and Wayve share the same Awaira Score of 95/100. The Awaira Score is a composite metric that factors in valuation, total funding raised, company stage, employee count, and market category.

Figure AI was founded by Brett Adcock in 2022. Wayve was founded by Amar Shah in 2017. Visit each company's profile on Awaira for a full founder biography.

Figure AI: Figure AI is a robotics company founded in 2022 that develops humanoid robots designed for industrial and commercial applications. The company focuses on creating general-purpose robots capable of performing complex physical tasks in real-world environments. Figure AI's primary technology centers on advanced robotics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning systems that enable autonomous operation and human-robot collaboration. The company has raised $1.9 billion in funding across multiple rounds, achieving a valuation of $39 billion as of its Series C stage, reflecting significant investor confidence in the humanoid robotics sector. This valuation places Figure AI among the most valuable robotics startups globally. The company's approach emphasizes practical deployment in industries facing labor shortages and operational challenges. Figure AI competes in the growing humanoid robotics market alongside companies developing similar technologies. The company's competitive positioning is strengthened by substantial capital resources enabling rapid research and development. Figure AI has demonstrated prototypes and engaged with potential enterprise customers across manufacturing, logistics, and service sectors, though specific customer details remain largely confidential. The company's growth trajectory reflects the broader acceleration in AI-enabled robotics investment. Figure AI's development timeline suggests advancement toward commercial deployment, with the robotics industry expecting increased real-world implementations in the coming years. Figure AI has achieved unicorn status within two years of founding, indicating rapid progress in humanoid robotics commercialization despite the sector's technical complexity. Wayve: Wayve builds embodied AI systems for autonomous driving, developing a data-driven approach that trains neural networks end-to-end from raw sensor inputs to vehicle controls. Founded in Cambridge and headquartered in London, the company focuses on a generalist AI model that can adapt to new environments without hand-coded rules, distinguishing it from traditional autonomous vehicle stacks.\n\nThe company raised a $1 billion Series C round in 2024 led by SoftBank, with participation from Microsoft and NVIDIA, bringing total funding to approximately $1.3 billion. Wayve has deployed test vehicles across London and conducts large-scale data collection partnerships with commercial fleet operators including Asda and Ocado.\n\nWayve competes in a global autonomous vehicle market projected to exceed $500 billion by 2030, positioning itself against Waymo, Cruise, and Mobileye with a fundamentally different AI-first architecture. The company holds a valuation of approximately $5 billion and is considered one of the most significant autonomous vehicle startups outside the United States, with backing from some of the largest technology investors globally.

Wayve was founded first in 2017, giving it 5 years of additional market experience. Figure AI was founded later in 2022. In AI, even a year or two of head start can translate into significantly more training data, customer relationships, and institutional knowledge.

Figure AI has approximately 450 employees, while Wayve has approximately 100-500. A larger team often signals higher revenue or venture backing, but in AI, smaller teams are increasingly capable of building at scale.

Yes, Figure AI and Wayve are direct competitors — both operate in the AI Robotics space and likely target overlapping customer segments. This comparison is especially relevant for buyers evaluating both platforms.