Vince Gaydarzhiev, the Bulgarian founder behind biometric security company Alcatraz AI, has raised $10 million (€8.62 million) for his second venture, Self Inspection. The round was led by Sandberg Bernthal Venture Partners, the family office of Sheryl Sandberg, with strategic investments from U.S. AutoForce and Westlake Financial. BrightCap Ventures, a Bulgarian fund, also participated in the round, making it the only European fund among the investors.
The investment comes just months after Gaydarzhiev’s first company, Alcatraz AI, raised a $50 million Series B, co-led by BlackPeak Capital, Cogito Capital and Taiwania Capital. The round included a $35 million investment from the three lead investors and an additional $15 million commitment, bringing Alcatraz AI’s total funding to more than $100 million.
Now, with Self Inspection, Gaydarzhiev is turning his attention from biometric security to the automotive industry. The San Diego-based startup uses AI and smartphone cameras to automate vehicle inspections, allowing users to capture a vehicle’s condition without specialized hardware.
Building an AI-powered system of record for vehicle condition
Founded in 2021, Self Inspection combines computer vision, mobile-first data capture and expert validation to assess vehicle condition. Its platform can detect and classify damage, generate standardized condition reports, and produce repair cost estimates.
Self Inspection aims to build what it calls a “System of Record for Vehicle Condition” — a trusted digital record that can follow a vehicle throughout its lifecycle. Its platform captures, verifies and analyzes vehicle condition data through a smartphone-based inspection process, generating condition reports and repair cost estimates.
“It is not enough for an AI model to simply recognize damage. The product needs to be accurate, easy to use, and integrated into the workflows of banks, leasing companies, rental car companies, and dealerships. The results need to be reliable enough to support real financial decisions,” said Gaydarzhiev.
The company has now completed more than 1 million vehicle inspections, helping customers save more than $80 million in costs and 300,000 operational hours, according to Self Inspection.
One of its significant customers is Stellantis Financial Services, which uses the platform for corporate vehicle management and end-of-lease inspections. The financial services arm of Stellantis works across the automotive group’s brands, including Peugeot, Fiat, Jeep and Opel.
“The potential of this partnership is for millions of inspections per year.”
Why the investor mix matters
Alongside Sheryl Sandberg’s Sandberg Bernthal Venture Partners, the round brings together strategic players with deep ties to the automotive and financial sectors, including U.S. AutoForce and Westlake Financial. It also includes DVx Ventures, founded by former Tesla president Jon McNeill, alongside early-stage investors Costanoa Ventures, Rebellion Ventures and BrightCap Ventures.
Beyond providing capital, these investors bring industry expertise and access to automotive and financial networks that could help Self Inspection expand its enterprise customer base.
Looking Ahead to European Expansion
Self Inspection plans to use the new funding to develop new products, expand its enterprise customer base, and enter European markets. The company already serves customers in several markets and sees Europe as a key part of its next stage of growth.
“We have already proven that the technology works at scale. The next step is to reach more corporate clients and accelerate our growth in the U.S. and Europe.”
For Europe, the opportunity is similar to that in the U.S., Gaydarzhiev says, with vehicle inspections still often being slow, costly and subjective. Self Inspection is betting that smartphone-based AI can make the process faster, more standardized and easier to scale.
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