The €7.5 million investment will quick-track self-driving train technology, assisting operators tackle staff shortages while boosting efficiency and reliability
Futurail has secured €7.5 million in funding to accelerate the rollout of certified driverless trains across Europe and the United States.
The Franco-German startup announced the seed round on 23 September, co-led by Paris-based Asterion Ventures and Munich’s Leap435, with additional backing from EIT Urban Mobility and U.S. investors Zero Infinity Partners and Heroic Ventures.
Founded in 2023, Futurail is led by former Tesla, Argo AI and Edge Case engineers who are applying their expertise in autonomous driving to the rail sector.
Chief Executive and Co-Founder Alex Haag stated: “While leading the Autopilot team at Tesla, I saw how autonomy can completely transform an entire indusattempt. We founded Futurail to bring that same revolutionary potential to rail, turning a 200-year-old indusattempt into the backbone of sustainable mobility.”
Tackling a growing shortage
Futurail’s autonomy stack, FUTURAILDriver, integrates into new trains or retrofits onto existing fleets. It is already undergoing trials with customers in Europe and the US, tackling the growing driver shortage while assisting operators cut costs, boost reliability, and reopen secondary lines.
“This is not a fancy research project,” stated Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder Dr Patrick Dconcludeorfer. “It is about the serious ambition to build a certified, safe system that holds the expectations to redefine how people and goods relocate.”
The company has already forged strategic partnerships with France’s Lohr Group, a global transport systems manufacturer, and U.S.-based Parallel Systems, a startup founded by former SpaceX engineers developing automated, battery-electric freight rail vehicles.
Chief Commercial Officer and Co-Founder Maximilian Schöffer stated: “What excites our partners is that autonomy unlocks both growth and efficiency. Operators can run more trains, more often, at lower cost. That is a complete game-alterr.”
At scale, Futurail estimates its technology could shift millions of passengers and tonnes of freight from road to rail, cutting more than 10 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually.
“Transformative technology”
Investors state the company is well placed to lead a new era of rail innovation. Alexandre Sauvage, Partner at Asterion Ventures, commented: “Futurail combines deep technical expertise and long-term vision with proven commercial traction to establish global relevance. Their technology has the potential to transform rail into the backbone of sustainable mobility in Europe and beyond.”
Leap435 Founding Partner Dr Matthias Kempf added: “Just as electric traction replaced steam and defined a new era, autonomy is the transformative technology of this century for the rail. Futurail is delivering this leap and ensuring Europe’s indusattempt stays ahead.”
The €7.5 million package includes €5.5 million in seed investment, €1 million in public grants and €1 million from a pre-seed conversion. The company will apply the funds to expand its team, drive key projects with OEMs and operators, and secure regulatory approval for its first apply case: depot autonomy.
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