Pronto.ai just acquired rival Safe AI to bulk up its autonomous haulage tech and talent pool.
The SF startup, known for self-driving haul trucks at mining and construction sites, snapped up Safe AI — a smaller 12-person team with solid IP. The price? Sources say it ran into the millions.
CEO Anthony Levandowski told TechCrunch this move is about growth and consolidating the market. 
“In the autonomous haulage system space, there’s really kind of two players — it’s SafeAI and us,” Levandowski said.
“We’ve been growing a ton and needed to add more people and resources to the team, so it made sense to purchase them … have more wood behind fewer arrows so that we could grow faster.”
Pronto has been lean at around 40 employees since launching in 2018. Safe AI’s team and tech will boost its reach, including global expansion.
Pronto’s tech uses cameras and AI to pilot Komatsu haul trucks autonomously. They also run a peer-to-peer mobile data network called Pollen Mobile, launched in 2022, to keep data flowing at remote sites with little connectivity.
The acquisition lets Pronto serve a wider range, from small quarries to huge mines. It also adds sensor variety: Safe AI uses multi-sensor setups combining cameras, radar, and lidar. Pronto plans to offer this multi-sensor stack alongside its camera-only system.
Safe AI’s safety framework, ASIL D-certified (the highest safety standard), will also be integrated into Pronto’s lineup.
Pronto already has a big partnership with Heidelberg Materials, with over 100 autonomous trucks planned globally, plus new growth in Brazil.
This deal tightens the duo’s grip on autonomous haulage tech and speeds up Pronto’s expansion.
