Alumni Ventures Partners with Gatik to Revolutionize Autonomous Middle-Mile Logistics

The autonomous trucking industry is projected to grow into a $600 billion market by 2035. Additionally, over the next 15 years, employment in the industry could reach 455,000 workers to meet the demand for production, distribution, maintenance, upgrades, and repairs.

Founded in 2017, Gatik has quickly positioned itself as an innovative leader in the middle-mile sector, fulfilling a crucial role in supply chain logistics between distribution centers and retail locations. The company focuses on short-haul, B2B logistics, optimizing customers’ hub-and-spoke operations, enhancing service levels and product flow while reducing delivery time and labor costs.

“We identified a major gap between long-haul and last-mile logistics, where a dedicated solution was lacking,” said Co-Founder and CEO Gautam Narang, who recently discussed his company on AV’s Tech Optimist podcast. “Our mission is to bridge this gap with the safest, most reliable technology, enabling us to scale quickly in a structured environment.”

Through partnerships with major brands, including Walmart, Kroger, and Loblaw, Gatik operates the largest revenue-generating commercial fleet of autonomous trucks on the continent, with over 600,000 commercial deliveries for its customers. The company’s 100% safety record is a testament to its unique business model, which focuses on fixed, repeatable delivery networks to minimize environmental complexity and risk. By the end of 2025, Gatik is targeting Freight-Only operations at scale — operations on multiple routes, across multiple networks, for multiple customers.

Gatik’s leadership position in the $250 billion middle mile logistics market was recently highlighted with the announcement of the company’s collaboration with Edge Case Research and TÜV SÜD to conduct a safety case assessment of its Freight-Only operations. This industry-first initiative underscores the company’s dedication to setting the highest standards possible for safety in autonomous trucking. In August 2024, the company announced a strategic investment from global logistics leader NIPPON EXPRESS HOLDINGS, INC.

“The opportunity within repeat middle-mile routes is both enormous and enduring,” said AV Managing Partner and Board Member Laura (Bordewieck) Rippy, who hosted the conversation with Narang on AV’s Tech Optimist podcast. “We’re excited to support Gautam and the Gatik team as they expand their robust network of Fortune 500 partners and expand to additional geographies.”