Grab invests 60 million dollars in VayGrab invests up to 410 million US dollars in Berlin-based Vay

Grab Holdings Limited, one of Southeast Asia's largest tech companies, has announced its investment in Vay Technology GmbH. The Berlin-based startup is a pioneer in the field of remote driving, where vehicles are controlled remotely by human drivers.

The initially agreed investment comprises 60 million US dollars in cash, combined with the option of a further investment of up to 350 million US dollars if certain financial and operational milestones are achieved within one year of the transaction closing. These include sales growth, expansion into additional US cities and regulatory approvals. If Grab exercises all options, the company could even acquire a majority stake in Vay in the medium term.

Remote driving as a bridging technology

Vay combines technological innovation with a pragmatic approach to mobility. Customers can use the Vay app to request an electric vehicle, which is driven to their location by a remote driver. After the handover, the driver takes over the wheel themselves. At the end of the journey, the vehicle is parked again by remote control or taken to the next customer.

We share the vision of making private vehicle ownership superfluous. With Grab at our side, we can scale our technology faster and open up new markets.

Thomas von der Ohe, co-founder and CEO Vay

This hybrid approach combines the flexibility of car sharing with the efficiency of automated vehicle logistics. As the remote control drivers only take over the first and last few minutes of a trip, significantly more journeys can be made per hour than with conventional ride-hailing services. Vay is thus creating a cost-efficient and scalable alternative to traditional mobility models.

The company has been operating its first commercial fleet in Las Vegas since 2024, where it has already completed tens of thousands of journeys. Vay's technology is based on a camera- and sensor-based system that has been certified by German vehicle authorities according to automotive safety standards.

Tech meets operational experience

For Grab, the investment marks a further step towards autonomous and connected mobility.

The future of mobility in Southeast Asia will be hybrid - a combination of our driving partners, autonomous vehicles and remote driving services. The partnership with Vay helps us to make this future a reality faster.

Anthony Tan, CEO and Co-Founder Grab

Grab plans to leverage its experience from over 800 cities in eight countries in Southeast Asia. In particular, this will be in the areas of marketing, fleet management and product development. At the same time, the Group will benefit from Vay's extensive real-time driving data, which will be incorporated into the development of autonomous systems in the long term.

The future of driverless driving

Grab's investment in Vay strengthens its position in a rapidly developing market segment. The company joins a growing group of investors who are focusing on remote driving as an intermediate step towards fully autonomous vehicles. In addition to Vay, Grab has already invested in players such as WeRide and May Mobility in recent years.

For Vay, the deal not only means fresh capital, but also access to international markets and strategic expertise. Together, the partners want to show that driverless mobility is not just a promise for the future, but a scalable business model. Another big step forward for Vay, after we have already raised over 34 million and 84 million for the startup.