Self-Driving Software Startup Baraja Closes $32 Million Series A

Baraja, the creator of Spectrum-Scan™ LiDAR for autonomous vehicles, acquired a Series A investment of $32 million from Sequoia China, Blackbird Ventures, and the CSIRO Innovation Fund managed by Main Sequence Ventures.

In 2018, Baraja launched a Spectrum-Scan LiDAR system that uses prism-like optics and shifting wavelengths of light to create powerful “eyes” for self-driving vehicles. It allows Baraja’s LIDAR to be software-defined, meaning it can be directly controlled and reconfigured by perception algorithms in response to changing environments and driving conditions, allowing for better safety and a quicker path for self-driving vehicles to go to market.

The company plans to use the funding to scale production and hire talent.