CargoX lands USD 250 mn to scale driverless delivery

UAE-based autonomous delivery startup CargoX has raised USD 250 mn fresh out of stealth from an investor group led by Abu Dhabi’s BlueFive Capital, according to a press release. The startup has already piloted its driverless delivery vehicles — spanning last-mile, middle-mile, and long-haul logistics routes — on public roads in the UAE. It is now preparing for commercialization in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and engaging with regulators including Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority and Abu Dhabi Mobility.

The funding will go toward expanding CargoX’s logistics network inside and outside the UAE, alongside investing in vehicle technology, operations infrastructure, and partnerships.

Based on the tagline “bringing autonomous to the world,” CargoX looks set on taking the platform global, though it’s not yet clear which markets beyond the UAE it will prioritize first. EnterpriseAM was unable to reach the firm and BlueFive ahead of dispatch time.

Who’s at the helm? None other than former Talabat CEO Tomaso Rodriguez (LinkedIn), who spent six years leading the delivery service platform and later steering the company through its USD 2 bn IPO in 2024.

This is BlueFive’s second big mobility play in as many months. Last month it agreed to buy a 49% stake in fleet-management company Massar Solutions from Taqa, saying at the time that the acquisition is part of a wider strategy to build a regional mobility platform that integrates leasing and transport services under a single ecosystem. BlueFive was also the largest investor in a consortium that acquired Porsche’s stake in Bugatti earlier this year.

What to watch: CargoX says it has already lined up anchor relationships with e-commerce, retail, and logistics operators as it prepares to scale, without disclosing who the partners are. We’ll be keeping an eye out for updates on its regulatory status, partnerships, and commercialization.