Wayve launches $85M employee tender offer at $8.5B valuation

Wayve, a U.K.-based self-driving tech startup, is offering its employees $85 million to sell portions of their vested equity at the company's current valuation of $8.5 billion. This type of arrangement, called a tender offer, allows employees to gain liquidity from their stock holdings before the company reaches an exit event like an acquisition or public listing. Tender offers have become increasingly common among AI startups as a retention tool, giving employees a way to realize some value from their equity without leaving the company, while also allowing investors to purchase additional shares at premium valuations. Wayve's offer is its second employee liquidity event and reflects a broader trend where investors are willing to provide funding for these opportunities because they believe the companies will be worth significantly more in the future.