Jul 12, 2017   SOURCE: BusinessWire

Autonomous System Simulation Startup Metamoto Raises $2M

Metamoto, Inc., a startup in scalable simulation for autonomous systems, closed its seed round fundraise of $2M. Proceeds will fuel Metamoto’s go-to-market plans. Metamoto’s investor group is headlined by Motus Ventures, who leads the round, and UL, a strategic investor. As part of the deal, Motus Ventures will act as Strategic Advisor for Metamoto, and Robert Seidl, General Manager of Motus Ventures, joins Metamoto’s board.

“Autonomy has completely overhauled how vehicles are designed, developed and especially tested,” says Chad Partridge, Metamoto’s CEO. “Autonomous system software is overwhelmingly complex, not necessarily intuitive, and always evolving. Continuous on-demand simulation is mandatory to verify system integrity and safety via operation over millions of virtual miles, unique edge cases, and varied conditions, every time something changes. Simulation will not replace physical testing, but most problems are resolved in simulation before a vehicle goes out into the real world. Metamoto brings the best of continuous integration and regression testing to this new software driven world.”

Robert Seidl adds, “The complexity, development pace and maintenance cost of highly and fully automated vehicles outpaces current development and testing methodologies. Large scale sensor simulation will play a key role in the functional and safety validation of autonomous systems. Sensor simulation can also generate the massive amount of training data required for deep learning systems that are becoming increasingly popular in this context.”

“As the trusted, independent third-party for safety, security and sustainability, UL sees a growing need to innovate virtual and physical test methods for autonomous systems. We are delighted to partner with Metatomo and help solve the next generation of safety challenges,” says Simin Zhou, Vice President and Managing Director, UL Corporate Ventures.

Other investors in Metamoto’s seed round include Western Technology Investment, v1.vc, SK Ventures, and Synapse Partners. The Ridless Law Office acted as Metamoto’s lead counsel.

About Metamoto, Inc.

Metamoto brings best practices for test and validation of autonomous system software to world-class enterprises and is a provider of superior simulation-centric products and services. Headquartered in Redwood City, CA, Metamoto was founded in 2016 by a veteran team of enterprise software entrepreneurs with numerous software engineering and autonomous systems successes. The team features scalable continuous test and integration discipline and expertise steeped in simulation, computer vision, machine learning, standards, and regulations. To learn more, visit metamoto.com.