Oxa
Category: Robotics / Embodied AI
A universal autonomous vehicle software platform that enables any vehicle to operate self-driving capabilities in any environment, specializing in Industrial Mobility Automation (IMA) for ports, airports, warehouses, and manufacturing facilities. Oxa was founded in 2014. The company is led by Paul Newman. Based in Oxford, United Kingdom. Team size: 300-400. Total funding raised: $290.0M+. Latest round: Series D (First Close, Mar 2026). Key investors include UK National Wealth Fund, NVIDIA NVentures, bp Ventures, IP Group, Parkwalk Advisors, Google, Tencent, Ocado Group.
- Founded
- 2014
- Headquarters
- Oxford, United Kingdom
- Team size
- 300-400
- Total funding
- $290.0M+
Value proposition
Retrofits existing industrial vehicles with autonomous capabilities in under a day using vehicle-agnostic, GPS-independent software, enabling immediate productivity gains and safety improvements in structured industrial environments with clearer regulatory pathways than public roads.
Products and solutions
Oxa Driver - Full-stack autonomy software with multi-sensor AI and mapless navigation, Oxa Foundry - Development toolkit for configuring and customizing deployments, Oxa Hub - Cloud-based fleet management and operational data platform, Oxa MetaDriver - Generative AI and digital twin testing tools for accelerated validation, Reference Autonomy Designs (RADs) - Modular hardware blueprints for sensor and compute integration, Ford E-Transit Autonomous Van & Minibus (launched Oct 2024), Autonomous Bradshaw T800 Tow Tractor
Unique value
Vehicle and platform-agnostic autonomy software that operates without GPS dependency (using multi-sensor AI and mapless navigation) and can be deployed across 20+ vehicle types; features explainable AI where every decision can be traced to design choices, building trust with regulators and operators; ACE framework (Available, Configurable, Explainable) for rapid commercial deployment.
Target customer
Industrial fleet operators at ports, airports, logistics hubs, warehouses, manufacturing facilities, and passenger shuttle service providers facing labor shortages and rising operational costs
Industries served
Industrial Logistics & Warehousing, Port Operations & Container Handling, Airport Ground Operations & Baggage/Cargo Transport, Manufacturing & Factory Automation, Passenger Shuttle Services, Solar Farm & Industrial Site Monitoring, Automotive (OEM partnerships)
Technology advantage
Full-stack IMA platform combining advanced autonomy software, generative AI-powered testing/validation tools, cloud fleet management, and modular hardware integration designs; can retrofit existing OEM vehicles (Terberg tractors, Ford E-Transit, Bradshaw T800) in under 24 hours versus competitors requiring purpose-built vehicles; strategic pivot from public road AVs to industrial settings addresses $2T IMA market with faster regulatory approval and clearer commercial scaling path.
How they differentiate
Pure software platform focused exclusively on Industrial Mobility Automation (IMA) for ports, airports, warehouses, and manufacturing facilities. Vehicle and platform-agnostic autonomy software that operates without GPS dependency, capable of retrofitting existing OEM vehicles in under 24 hours. Explainable AI where every decision can be traced to design choices, building trust with regulators and operators.
Main competitors
Aurora, Waymo, Gatik
Key partnerships
NVIDIA (NVentures - Series D investor; technical partnership using NVIDIA Drive AGX Thor and Cosmos World Foundation Models), UK National Wealth Fund ($50M commitment in Series D), BP & bp Ventures (strategic investor and customer), DHL Supply Chain (autonomous airport logistics at Heathrow), Vantec (Nissan Sunderland plant logistics), Beep (US passenger shuttle deployments in Florida and California), Ford (E-Transit autonomous vehicle partnership), StreetDrone (acquired 2024 - drive-by-wire and vehicle integration specialist), Bayanat AI (geospatial AV development partnership), Q Terminals Kramer (Port of Rotterdam deployment), IP Group (early investor and commercialization partner), Ocado Group (autonomous delivery trials), TÜV SÜD (safety certification for German trials)
Notable customers
DHL Supply Chain, BP, Vantec, Beep
Major milestones
First UK company to test self-driving cars on public roads (2016), First commercial deployment of Oxa Driver with Beep in Florida (2024), Company rebrand from Oxbotica to Oxa (May 2023), Acquired StreetDrone for drive-by-wire and vehicle integration capabilities (2024), Series D funding with $50M commitment from UK National Wealth Fund (Mar 2026), Paul Newman appointed CEO, founder returns to lead company (early 2026), P-CAL autonomous logistics project successfully delivered at Port of Tyne (Apr 2026)
Growth metrics
Transitioned from R&D-focused startup to commercial deployment phase with 3+ active US passenger shuttle operations and UK industrial logistics deployments; raised $103M Series D first close backed by UK National Wealth Fund and NVIDIA
Market positioning
Specialized B2B industrial autonomy provider avoiding consumer taxi/personal transport markets. Targets structured industrial environments with clearer regulatory pathways and faster commercial scaling opportunities than public road AVs.
Geographic focus
United Kingdom, Europe, Middle East
Patents and IP
13+ patents filed since 2021 covering perception, planning, and scalable autonomy integration technologies; active IP licensing strategy with Head of Licensing and IP Management; trade secrets also used to protect autonomous vehicle innovations
About Paul Newman
Appointed CEO of Oxa in December 2021. Previously served as Managing Director at Microsoft (UK) from September 2020 to December 2021, CEO International at UiPath from May 2019 to September 2020, Managing Director EMEA at Amazon Web Services (AWS) from January 2015 to May 2019, and held senior leadership positions at VMware and EMC. Over 20 years of experience scaling enterprise software companies and commercializing technology.
Official website: https://oxa.tech/