Rivian buys Third Dimension AI to build 3D driving simulation scenes

Rivian said on October 22 that it acquired Third Dimension AI, a UK company founded in 2024 by Tolga Kart and Piotr Sokolski. Its leadership and technical staff will join Rivian's autonomy research and engineering teams, and the startup's 15 employees, most of them in the UK, come with it. The company had raised $7 million in seed funding from Abstract Ventures, MVP, Soma Capital and Solari Capital, and financial terms were not disclosed. Its software builds steerable 3D environments from standard camera footage, which suits driving simulation. The deal also gives Rivian a way to expand its AI hub in London, according to the company's exclusive interview with TechCrunch. For founders, this is a strategic buyer paying for a small team and its data pipeline rather than for disclosed revenue. Teams building physical AI should expect acquirers to value proprietary data generation and engineers who can ship it into production, and should set retention and IP terms early.