US start - ups specialising in self - driving vehicle technology are looking further afield than Silicon Valley for funding . While large corporations are thought to have invested between $ 40bn and $ 50bn in the technology , funding of start - ups in the field has reached only about $ 5bn , according to a recent analysis . Instead , some start - ups are seeking investment from overseas , particularly China . Xu and Song are bankrolled by corporate money, but unlike many of their fellow entrepreneurs, they skipped funding from Silicon Valley venture capitalists. These include Nullmax , which was founded by two former Tesla employees and has received $ 10 m from China 's State Science and Technology , with a view to delivering autonomous systems to China by 2020 .
US start - ups specialising in self - driving vehicle technology are looking further afield than Silicon Valley for funding . While large corporations are thought to have invested between $ 40bn and $ 50bn in the technology , funding of start - ups in the field has reached only about $ 5bn , according to a recent analysis . Instead , some start - ups are seeking investment from overseas , particularly China . These include Nullmax , which was founded by two former Tesla employees and has received $ 10 m from China 's State Science and Technology , with a view to delivering autonomous systems to China by 2020 .