Parallel Systems (Parallel or The Company), the world's leading battery-electric autonomous freight rail company, has closed its Series C funding round with $100 million in new capital. New investors include AVP which led the round, Hillspire, Agility Global, and Cobalt Capital, as well as participation from existing investors including Anthos Capital, Congruent Ventures, Riot Capital, and Collaborative Fund. Founded in 2020 by Matt Soule, who spent 13 years with SpaceX, the Company has assembled a team of engineers and rail operations professionals who will drive full commercialization, expansion into international markets, and scale manufacturing of Parallel's third-generation Panther rail vehicle.

Parallel enables railroads to handle shorter, lower-density routes competitively, allowing shippers to use rail for short-haul freight that previously required trucks. The $1 trillion market for surface freight, dominated by trucking, continues to face severe pressure from rising operational costs, tightening capacity, and strict logistics constraints. The United States' rail network remains significantly underutilized particularly for shorter haul routes less than 500 miles representing 60% of the surface freight market. Parallel's integrated technology taps into this existing network, providing an on-demand freight movement solution that provides shippers with the flexibility of trucking combined with the cost and environmental efficiencies of rail.

"Closing our Series C round is a major inflection point for Parallel and as well as the short-haul logistics industry, and is the strongest market signal to-date that autonomous freight rail is ready for its moment," said Matt Soule, Founder and CEO of Parallel Systems. "With the FRA-approved pilot proving our platform in real-world corridors, this capital will directly fund the production scale-up of our Panther vehicles and accelerate our entry into international markets hungry for lower cost, more resilient supply chains," added Soule.

Since closing its Series B round in 2025, Parallel has successfully transitioned from initial prototyping to live commercial deployment under regulatory test approval. A number of major railroads are now under contract to deploy Parallel to transport commercial freight using the Company's fully integrated autonomous delivery system, which seamlessly pairs its advanced hardware and software ecosystem. Parallel's Georgia pilot is actively advancing in partnership with short-line railroad operator Genesee & Wyoming (G&W), operating under Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) supervision.

"Matt and the entire Parallel team have built a proven, viable and scalable autonomous freight rail platform that has generated significant commercial interest among the major rail companies in the U.S. and globally," said Arun Gupta, Parallel's Executive Chairman. "We are now past the question of 'if' and fully onto 'how soon,'" added Gupta.