Key Takeaways
- Kleiner Perkins raised $150.0M from Kleiner Perkins.
- Sector: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Transport Infrastructure & Services (traditional).
- Geography: United States.
Analysis
On July 30, 2025, San Francisco-based AI leader Motive announced a successful funding round, securing $150 million in investment. The round was led by Kleiner Perkins, with further participation from both existing investors and new investor AllianceBernstein. This new funding will allow Motive, renowned for its AI-powered Integrated Operations Platform, to enhance its AI capabilities, scale internationally, and maintain momentum with enterprise customers.
Motive's Board of Directors will welcome back Ilya Fushman, Partner at Kleiner Perkins, as part of this investment round. A steadfast believer in Motive's mission, Fushman led the company's Series A in 2015 and backed the company once more in its Series F in 2022.
Fushman lauded Motive's accomplishments, stating, "Motive has solidified itself as a clear leader in bringing advanced AI to the physical economy. The company's growth trajectory is a testament to the value it delivers to customers. We are proud to continue our partnership as Motive enters its next phase of global scale."
Motive's CEO and Co-founder, Shoaib Makani, reiterated the company’s commitment to its mission, saying, "This funding allows us to extend our AI leadership, enter new markets, and expand our teams to support the world's largest and most complex operations."
The funding will be used to advance Motive's AI roadmap and expand automation across its Integrated Operations Platform. This expansion will enhance all aspects of physical operations, including driver safety, service verification, preventive maintenance, fraud detection, and automated coaching. These improvements aim to help customers streamline repetitive tasks, improve safety, and increase productivity.
Motive has a substantial customer base, serving nearly 100,000 customers and 1.3 million drivers spanning various industries such as transportation and logistics, construction, oil and gas, utilities and telecoms, food and beverage, agriculture, the public sector, and many more. Some of its notable clients include FedEx Freight, Cintas, KONE, Davey Tree, ABM, and CRH.
Due to increased global demand for its AI-powered platform, Motive plans to expand its go-to-market operations, invest in R&D, customer success and support, and develop tailored capabilities to support large, worldwide organizations. The company is experiencing rapid growth in North America, particularly in Mexico and Canada, and plans to launch in the UK in August 2025. It also aims to use the new funding to accelerate R&D expansion in India, building on Motive's early 2025 hiring initiative.