Day: August 27, 2026

Gatik has secured $200 million in Series D funding following a multiyear commercial agreement with PepsiCo, giving the autonomous trucking company additional capital to expand driverless freight operations. The company plans to increase its workforce and enter additional markets as it builds commercial relationships around its middle-mile autonomous trucking service.

Key Takeaways

• Gatik raised $200 million in Series D funding.
• The financing follows a multiyear commercial agreement with PepsiCo.
• Gatik plans to expand its autonomous freight operations and workforce.
• The company operates driverless middle-mile freight routes.
• PepsiCo is using Gatik trucks to transport Frito-Lay products in Dallas, Phoenix and Northwest Arkansas.

Gatik Raises $200M in Series D Funding

The Series D financing gives Gatik additional capital for its autonomous freight business after the company secured a multiyear commercial agreement with PepsiCo. Qatar Investment Authority and Koch Disruptive Technologies led the funding round, with participation from Millennium Management, ARK Invest and Intact Private Capital.

Gatik is based in Santa Clara, California, and has built its business around autonomous box trucks used for short-haul and middle-mile deliveries. The company has raised about $500 million since emerging from stealth in 2019, according to the company and its latest financing announcement.

The new funding is intended to support the company’s expansion plans. Gatik said it will use the capital to expand its operations, hire additional employees and enter new markets.

The company currently has a workforce of about 350 people. Its planned hiring includes engineers and operational staff as it expands its autonomous freight network.

Gatik’s latest financing follows the development of its commercial customer base. The company has worked with major retailers, grocery businesses and consumer packaged goods companies on autonomous freight routes.

Related coverage of AI startup funding and growth also examines how new capital can support product development, hiring and commercial expansion.

PepsiCo Expands Commercial Relationship With Gatik

PepsiCo’s agreement with Gatik provides a major commercial application for the company’s driverless trucks. Under the arrangement, 41 autonomous box trucks transport Frito-Lay products between distribution centers and stores in Dallas, Phoenix and Northwest Arkansas.

The trucks carry products including Cheetos and Doritos as part of PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay operations. The routes are part of Gatik’s middle-mile freight model, which focuses on moving goods between distribution facilities and retail locations.

The agreement was announced before Gatik’s Series D financing and established a commercial relationship that extends beyond a limited pilot operation. Gatik has described the PepsiCo deployment as a multiyear arrangement covering autonomous freight operations in North America.

The PepsiCo relationship also adds another large commercial customer to Gatik’s existing customer base. The company has previously completed deliveries for businesses including Walmart, Loblaw, Kroger and Tyson Foods.

Gatik’s commercial model is centered on recurring freight movements rather than consumer-facing autonomous vehicles. Its trucks are deployed to move goods as part of established supply-chain routes.

PepsiCo Freight Operations

The PepsiCo deployment uses Gatik’s driverless box trucks to move Frito-Lay products between distribution centers and stores. The current operations cover three U.S. markets: Dallas, Phoenix and Northwest Arkansas.

The deployment uses Gatik’s autonomous technology for recurring freight deliveries between distribution centers and stores. Instead of relying on individual consumer trips, the company operates trucks on freight routes connected to the distribution of packaged food products.

The arrangement also provides a direct connection between Gatik’s autonomous trucking system and PepsiCo’s existing logistics operations. The trucks are used to transport products that must move between distribution facilities and retail locations.

Gatik Builds Driverless Middle-Mile Freight Operations

Gatik’s autonomous trucking business focuses on middle-mile transportation, a segment between distribution centers and stores. The company’s trucks were initially designed for fixed routes of less than 10 miles before its operations expanded to routes with multiple pickup and drop-off locations covering as much as 400 miles.

The company operates driverless box trucks rather than autonomous vehicles designed primarily for passenger transportation. Its focus on freight allows the vehicles to serve commercial delivery networks with defined logistics requirements.

Gatik has deployed its trucks across several markets and has developed commercial relationships with large businesses. Its customer base includes companies in retail, grocery and consumer packaged goods.

The company has also moved beyond operations that require a safety driver. Gatik said it reached a milestone that allowed it to remove the safety driver from its commercial routes, enabling fully driverless freight operations.

Its current fleet includes dozens of self-driving trucks operating commercially across several markets. The company has said its latest generation of autonomous trucks operates on surface streets and highways and can handle conditions including light rain and snow.

Gatik uses its autonomous trucks for recurring middle-mile freight movements between distribution centers and retail locations.

The company’s approach can be compared with Waabi’s autonomous trucking expansion, which covers another autonomous-vehicle startup that began with freight transportation.

New Funding Supports Fleet and Market Expansion

Gatik plans to use the Series D financing to expand its operations and enter additional markets. The company also expects to increase its workforce as those operations grow.

The expansion will require additional engineering and operational employees. Gatik’s plans therefore connect the new financing directly to the company’s ability to deploy and manage more autonomous freight operations.

The company has also reported more than $600 million in contracted revenue from commercial agreements. That figure includes contracts with customers using Gatik’s autonomous freight services.

Gatik’s financing follows the development of a business based on commercial deployments rather than only technology development. The company has moved from earlier pilot programs to recurring driverless freight operations involving multiple commercial customers.

The latest capital gives Gatik resources to expand that operating model. Its stated plans include growth within existing markets as well as entry into new markets.

The company has not disclosed a valuation for the Series D round. The financing was led by Qatar Investment Authority and Koch Disruptive Technologies, with Millennium Management, ARK Invest and Intact Private Capital also participating.

Gatik Expands Its Commercial Customer Base

Gatik’s customer relationships extend beyond PepsiCo. The company has completed deliveries for Walmart, Loblaw, Kroger and Tyson Foods as part of its autonomous freight operations.

Walmart was among Gatik’s early commercial customers. The company launched commercial service for Walmart between a warehouse and retail location in Bentonville, Arkansas, before expanding its autonomous freight operations into additional markets.

Gatik also operates with Loblaw in Canada and has transported goods for other large businesses through regional distribution networks. These relationships have given the company multiple commercial applications for its autonomous trucking technology.

The company’s business model depends on moving freight through established supply chains. That approach gives customers a way to use autonomous trucks for recurring transportation routes rather than isolated demonstrations.

The PepsiCo agreement adds another large-scale application for that model. Its deployment of 41 driverless trucks across Dallas, Phoenix and Northwest Arkansas provides Gatik with a commercial freight operation spanning multiple U.S. markets.

The new financing is intended to support further expansion of this customer-based operating model. Gatik plans to add employees, expand within existing markets and enter additional markets as it increases its commercial operations.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much funding did Gatik raise?

Gatik raised $200 million in Series D funding. The round was led by Qatar Investment Authority and Koch Disruptive Technologies, with participation from Millennium Management, ARK Invest and Intact Private Capital.

What is Gatik’s agreement with PepsiCo?

Gatik has a multiyear commercial agreement with PepsiCo to deploy autonomous freight operations. The arrangement includes driverless trucks transporting Frito-Lay products between distribution centers and stores.

What does Gatik’s autonomous trucking technology do?

Gatik operates autonomous box trucks for middle-mile freight transportation. Its trucks move goods between distribution centers and retail locations on commercial delivery routes.

Which products is PepsiCo transporting with Gatik trucks?

PepsiCo is using Gatik’s driverless trucks to transport Frito-Lay products, including Cheetos and Doritos. The current deployment covers Dallas, Phoenix and Northwest Arkansas.

How will Gatik use its new funding?

Gatik plans to use the $200 million financing to expand its autonomous freight operations, hire additional engineering and operational employees, and enter new markets.