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§ Private Profile · Palo Alto, CA, USA
Apex.AI is a technology company.
Apex.AI provides software development kits, tools, and services for AI and autonomy in safety-critical systems. Key products streamline embedded software execution, data flow, validation, and development workflows. These solutions prioritize reliable, real-time performance and functional safety for autonomous application development, enabling efficient construction of complex embedded systems.
Dejan Pangercic and Jan Becker founded Apex.AI in 2017. They identified the challenge of efficiently developing secure embedded software for autonomous systems. Leveraging automotive and robotics expertise, the founders created tools to simplify this intricate process, speeding innovation and deployment of autonomy solutions across various industries.
The company's solutions serve organizations developing real-time embedded software for control and processing, particularly in automotive and robotics. Apex.AI envisions efficient, software-defined systems. Its mission empowers customers to build, test, and deploy safe, high-performance autonomy software at scale, fostering rapid adoption of intelligent systems.
Apex.AI has raised $72.0M across 2 funding rounds.
Apex.AI has raised $72.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Apex.AI has raised $72.0M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $56.0M Series B in December 2021.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 1, 2021 | $56M Series B | Ahmed Sallam | Canaan Partners, Momenta Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Eric Hansotia, Airbus Ventures, Canaan Partners, Frank Petznick, Hella Ventures, Jaguar Land Rover, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Suppliers, Toyota Ventures, Volvo Group Venture Capital, Nico Hartmann | Announced |
| Nov 1, 2018 | $16M Series A | Rayfe Gaspar Asaoka | Canaan Partners, Momenta Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners | Announced |
Apex.AI has raised $72.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Apex.AI's investors include Ahmed Sallam, Canaan Partners, Momenta Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Eric Hansotia, Airbus Ventures, Frank Petznick, HELLA Ventures, Jaguar Land Rover, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Suppliers, Toyota Ventures.
Apex.AI is a software company developing safety-certified, developer-friendly middleware for autonomous mobility systems, enabling software-defined vehicles and machines.[1][2][6] Its flagship product, Apex.Grace (formerly Apex.OS), is a certified runtime framework launched in 2020 and commercially certified in 2021, built by enhancing open-source tools like ROS and Eclipse iceoryx with functional safety, real-time performance, and certification support.[1][2] Apex.AI serves automotive OEMs, Tier-1 suppliers, and mobility firms in sectors like agriculture, defense, and industrial robotics, solving the challenge of deploying reliable, scalable AI software in safety-critical environments while cutting development time.[1][3][4] The company also offers engineering services for architecture, optimization, and certification, trusted by clients like MOIA and Brunswick, with strong growth in adoption for ADAS, autonomous driving, and beyond.[1][4]
Apex.AI was founded in 2017 in Palo Alto, California, by Jan Becker and Dejan Pangercic, both with deep expertise in software engineering and autonomous systems spanning over 20 years.[1][6][7] Becker and Pangercic identified a critical gap: open-source software like ROS excels in prototyping but lacks the safety, certification, and scalability for production mobility applications.[1] They launched Apex.Grace in 2020, achieving commercial certification in 2021, which marked early traction and positioned the company as a bridge from research to deployable systems.[1][2] This origin reflects their hands-on experience bringing autonomous products to market, evolving from a startup focused on middleware to a global provider with services for ROS migrations and safety compliance.[4][6]
Apex.AI rides the software-defined vehicle (SDV) wave, where autonomy demands certified middleware to handle AI-driven features like ADAS and full self-driving amid rising regulatory pressures for safety.[1][2][6] Timing is ideal as OEMs shift from hardware-centric to software-centric mobility, fueled by open-source momentum (e.g., ROS ecosystem) but bottlenecked by certification—market forces like ISO 26262 mandates and SDV projections (trillions in value) favor Apex.AI's pre-certified stack.[3][4] It influences the ecosystem by accelerating ROS-to-production transitions, enabling off-road autonomy in agriculture/construction, and partnering for hybrid solutions (e.g., with SYSGO), democratizing safe AI deployment beyond autos.[2][4]
Apex.AI is poised to expand as SDV adoption surges, with Apex.Grace scaling to more OEM integrations and sectors like defense/agriculture, potentially via deeper ROS 2 synergies and edge AI optimizations.[1][3][4] Trends like mixed-criticality computing, cybersecurity (ISO 21434), and real-time C++ on diverse hardware will shape its path, amplifying influence through services that de-risk migrations.[4] As autonomy matures, expect Apex.AI to evolve from middleware enabler to ecosystem orchestrator, powering the next wave of certified, software-defined mobility and solidifying its role in safe AI industrialization—bridging the gap it was born to fill.