Computer scientist Raquel Urtasan is launching tech startup Waabi in a period when self-driving technology companies are consolidating. : Waabi founder and CEO Raquel Urtasan, a computer scientist and University of Toronto professor, sees a new path to commercializing self-driving technology. Computer scientist Raquel Urtasan, an artificial intelligence expert who led a team of Toronto-based engineers for Uber’s self-driving vehicle program, is launching tech startup Waabi with an $83.5 million funding round and a new “AI mindset” approach to commercializing automated driving.