Sheryl Sandberg leads $10 million investment in AI vehicle inspection startup

Sheryl Sandberg's family office, Sandberg Bernthal Venture Partners, has spearheaded a $10 million funding round for Self Inspection, a San Diego-based startup specializing in AI-driven vehicle damage assessment.

The investment round also attracted strategic backing from US AutoForce, a tire distributor, and automotive lender Westlake Financial. Other participants included DVx Ventures, led by former Tesla president Jon McNeill, and early-stage funds Costanoa Ventures, Rebellion Ventures, and BrightCap Ventures.

Founded in 2021, Self Inspection provides software to enterprise customers in rental fleets, automotive finance, auctions, and marketplaces. Its platform enables users to photograph vehicles via smartphone, with the images analyzed against a vast dataset of damaged vehicles to generate detailed inspection reports. These reports include estimates for labor, parts, and repairs.

To date, Self Inspection has completed over one million vehicle inspections, reportedly helping clients save more than $80 million and over 300,000 operational hours. The company plans to utilize the new capital to develop new products, expand its client base, and establish a presence in European markets.