Self-driving truck startup Einride raises $113M PIPE ahead of public debut

Save up to $680 on your pass with Super Early Bird rates. REGISTER NOW.Save up to $680 on your Disrupt 2026 pass. Ends February 27. REGISTER NOW. Latest AI Amazon Apps Biotech & Health Climate Cloud Computing Commerce Crypto Enterprise EVs Fintech Fundraising Gadgets Gaming Google Government & Policy Hardware Instagram Layoffs Media & Entertainment Meta Microsoft Privacy Robotics Security Social Space Startups TikTok Transportation Venture Staff Events Startup Battlefield StrictlyVC Newsletters Podcasts Videos Partner Content TechCrunch Brand Studio Crunchboard Contact Us Einride has secured an oversubscribed $113 million PIPE (private investment in public equity) ahead of its public debut that’s expected for the first half of 2026. The Swedish startup is most well-known for building both electric trucks and autonomous pods that are designed to carry freight with no room for a human driver. Einride announced its plans to go public via a merger with a special purpose acquisition company, Legato Merger Corp., last November. The deal values Einride at a pre-money valuation of $1.35 billion — down from the $1.8 billion figure initially attached to the SPAC deal. Despite a drop in valuation, there’s still clearly investor appetite for the firm. The PIPE exceeded the company’s earlier target of up to $100 million. Einride’s PIPE comes from new and existing investors, including a global asset management company based on the West Coast of the United States, and Stockholm-based EQT Ventures.In total, Einride has secured around $213 million tied to this transaction, including $100 million previously announced crossover financing. The SPAC, which will see Einride trading on the New York Stock Exchange, had been expected to deliver roughly $220 million from Legato’s trust account. With the addition of the $113 million PIPE, the companies now project total gross proceeds of about $333 million before redemptions and expenses. Though they say they may seek additional capital before closing. The proceeds will support Einride’s technology roadmap, global expansion, and autonomous deployments in North America, Europe, and the Middle East. Outside of Sweden, Einride operates a fleet of 200 heavy-duty electric trucks in Europe, North America, and the UAE for companies like Heineken, PepsiCo, Carlsberg Sweden, and DP World. The company has also done limited deployments of its autonomous pod-like trucks with customers including Apotea in Sweden and GE Appliances in the U.S. Einride is not the first autonomous vehicle company to have pursued a SPAC merger in recent years for additional funding. Aurora Innovation went public via a SPAC merger valued at $13 billion in 2021 and has since launched a commercial self-driving trucks operation (with a human observer on board). Kodiak AI also took the SPAC road to the public market in 2025.Topics Senior Reporter Rebecca Bellan is a senior reporter at TechCrunch where she covers the business, policy, and emerging trends shaping artificial intelligence. Her work has also appeared in Forbes, Bloomberg, The Atlantic, The Daily Beast, and other publications. You can contact or verify outreach from Rebecca by emailing rebecca.bellan@techcrunch.com or via encrypted message at rebeccabellan.491 on Signal.Save up to $680 on your pass before February 27.Meet investors. Discover your next portfolio company. Hear from 250+ tech leaders, dive into 200+ sessions, and explore 300+ startups building what’s next. Don’t miss these one-time savings. It’s time to pull the plug on plug-in hybrids Americans are destroying Flock surveillance cameras Bill Gurley says that right now, the worst thing you can do for your career is play it safe The 9,000-pound monster I don’t want to give back Sam Altman would like to remind you that humans use a lot of energy, too Google VP warns that two types of AI startups may not survive Great news for xAI: Grok is now pretty good at answering questions about Baldur’s Gate © 2026 TechCrunch Media LLC.