Gatik raises $200M to scale driverless freight to thousands

Gatik had raised roughly $270 million in total before this round, Forbes reported in January.

Scaling Driverless Freight Operations From Dozens to Thousands

Gatik’s trucks run high-frequency regional routes between distribution centers and stores. Those routes can reach up to 400 miles at highway speeds with the trucks running nearly around the clock, FreightWaves reported. The target lanes are time-sensitive and operationally complex.

Gatik’s system is purpose-built for both highways and surface streets. This makes distribution-center-to-store routes viable. To manage capacity, the trucks use dynamic routing to respond to shifting demand, distribution center activity and pickup and drop-off needs.

The 99% on-time delivery figure benefits retail planners as these routes replenish store shelves on fixed windows.

“Autonomous trucking should meaningfully lower the cost of transporting goods and reshape modern supply chains,” said Tasha Keeney, director of research for autonomous technology and robotics at ARK Invest. “Gatik is leading this transformation by bringing driverless technology to regional networks and unlocking value for customers.”

The customer list already includes major retail and beverage shippers. Gatik moves freight for PepsiCo across roughly 250 retail locations in Texas, Arizona and Arkansas. PepsiCo announced the multi-year agreement in June, FreightWaves reported.

Gatik plans to mass-produce its trucks with Isuzu at a South Carolina plant expected to come online in late 2027, the same report said.

“What we’re seeing today is autonomy moving beyond a promising technology into real-world commercial operations,” said Byron Knight, president of Koch Disruptive Technologies. “Gatik has demonstrated a practical approach to that transition, and we look forward to supporting the company’s continued growth.”

Sovereign Wealth Fund Backs Autonomous Trucking

QIA is the sovereign wealth fund of the State of Qatar, established in 2005. Its lead position puts state capital behind a U.S. driverless freight operator. The round also brings in Millennium Management and ARK Invest, both better known for public-market investing. Koch Disruptive Technologies first invested in Gatik in 2021.

“Autonomous freight is transforming the global logistics industry, making it more efficient and reliable,” said Abdulla Al-Kuwari, head of industrials at QIA. “QIA is committed to supporting next-generation solutions providers like Gatik that are shaping the future of freight infrastructure.”

“We are no longer debating the potential of autonomous trucking. This category will be led by the companies that have proven technology, rigorous safety standards and the commercial discipline to operate at scale,” said Justin Smith-Lorenzetti, managing director at Intact Private Capital. “We have tripled our commitment with this latest round, driven by the conviction that Gatik has the execution record, customer traction and technical maturity to be the leader in autonomous freight across North America.”