Gatik, a Palo Alto-based startup deploying autonomous vehicles for business to business (B2B) short-haul logistics, recently launched with Walmart as a partner.

“We are a strong believer in autonomous vehicle technology, and we look forward to learning more about how Gatik’s innovation can benefit our customers in the coming months,” Tom Ward, senior VP of Digital Operations at Walmart, said in a statement.

Last year, the company raised a $4.5 million seed round led by Innovation Endeavors that has led to the development of Gatik’s technology and secured launches of additional commercial services this year. Additional investors of the company’s seed round included Trucks Venture Capital; Dynamo Venture Capital; Fontinalis Partners; and AngelPad.

In an increasingly on-demand economy, urban logistics have become the most expensive partof a business’ supply chain. Gatik brings delivery and logistics into the future with Level 4 autonomous light commercial trucks and vans for B2B short-haul logistics. While the majority of autonomous innovation is occurring in passenger transportation, Gatik meets a critical need in the market, serving a variety of use-cases including: 

• Third-party logistics (3PL) companies

• Consumer goods distributors

• Food and beverage distributors

• Medical and pharmaceutical distributors

• Auto parts distributors

Gatik ensures goods are transported efficiently and affordably in city environments between business locations. Gatik claims its solution cuts operation costs up to 50% for businesses while improving safety, increasing efficiency, and reducing road congestion and emissions.

Both brothers and co-founders, Gautam Narang and Arjun Narang, CTO, have been working together in the field of robotics, AI, and machine learning for more than years, also previously working with Apeksha Kumavat, Gatik’s third co-founder, to develop autonomous outdoor security robots. Together, the trio of co-founders bring expertise from Carnegie Mellon, Ford, and Honda’s self-driving research units; and bring more than a decade of experience, deep knowledge of autonomous systems, and award-winning innovations including the DARPA Challenges and the Google X Prize for moon rover technology.