How Autolane is Developing Infrastructure for Autonomous Commerce

Autolane, developing hardware & software infrastructure for autonomous commerce, led by Ben Seidl and Andy Seidl, has secured $7.4 million in funding co-led by Draper Associates and Hyperplane, with participation from LAUNCH and Feld Ventures.

The funding will accelerate Autolane’s expansion across retail, restaurant, and commercial properties. Supporting autonomous ride-hailing and delivery vehicles, its infrastructure has demonstrated up to 50% reductions in curbside pickup times through optimized order coordination and execution since the first full-scale test in the San Francisco Bay Area in May 2025.

Autolane’s technology has been deployed at The Domain® and Barton Creek Square™ in Austin, Texas, and Stanford Shopping Center® and Great Mall® in the San Francisco Bay Area. The system manages autonomous vehicle arrivals, authenticates and directs parking, and provides real-time stall oversight via a cloud-based dashboard. According to Andy Hutcherson, Senior Vice President of Innovation and Customer Experience at Simon, the collaboration enables integration of advanced curbside technology to boost operational efficiency, enhance guest experience, and prepare properties for the next generation of autonomous transportation and delivery.

The investment from Draper Associates and Hyperplane arrives as autonomous vehicle adoption expands nationwide, while infrastructure for safe and efficient operations at commercial properties has lagged. Autolane provides the essential layer connecting autonomous vehicles to retail destinations, enabling scalable deployment across high-traffic environments. The technology creates coordinated handoff zones that support both autonomous ride-hailing and delivery vehicles, addressing the critical ‘last fifty feet’ challenge and establishing a foundation for the next generation of autonomous mobility.