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Apeksha Kumavat
"My master's degree from Purdue University, focusing on machine learning, data science, artificial intelligence, and robotics, established my foundation for success. Purdue's rigorous environment fostered my analytical, innovative, and problem-solving skills, crucial for the autonomous vehicle industry. Active membership in HKN, the honor society for electrical and computer engineers, further honed my leadership and technical expertise, fueling my achievements. This blend of education and active community engagement at Purdue equipped me with the necessary tools for tackling ambitious projects and leading innovations in the tech landscape."
Apeksha Kumavat | Electrical and Computer Engineering
Co-Founder & Chief Engineer, Gatik AI
Arjun Narang, Chief Technology Officer and Apeksha Kumavat, Chief Engineer co-founded an autonomous trucking and
delivery company, Gatik AI, that has taken the industry by storm since its inception in 2017.
Narang's work includes the development, strategy, execution, and integration of Gatik's commercial-grade technology for
driverless medium-duty trucks, establishing multi-year, industry-first technical partnerships, and growing the company's
team of engineers and researchers. Under his technical and strategic leadership, the company achieved a groundbreaking
milestone by launching the first driverless commercial operations for Walmart in 2021, then further extending
driver-out solutions to major retailers, including Loblaws in Canada in 2022. Kumavat holds responsibility for
developing the company's proprietary autonomous technology — building and validating the safety-critical
decision-making
systems for constrained operational design domains. She leads Gatik's R&D efforts, directing teams of engineers and
researchers while promoting best practices in software development, system architecture, and hardware design. Her work
has been instrumental in enhancing Gatik's technological resilience and adaptability, which are key to the company's
success in the highly competitive AV industry.
Gatik customizes its algorithms to suit the unique challenges (frequent stops, varied road conditions, and
time-sensitive deliveries) of middle-mile delivery, a part of the supply chain that is ripe for improvement. By reducing
costs and complexity on the middle mile, Gatik enables companies like Kroger, Tyson Foods, and Pitney Bowes to enhance
their logistics networks as online sales and consumer demands skyrocket. The fleet is purpose-built and exclusively
focused on business-to-business (B2B) short-haul logistics, operating on fixed, repeated routes in urban, semi-urban,
and highway environments. This niche enables Gatik to achieve safety sooner and provide value faster across the entire
product lifecycle. The team emphasizes a data-driven approach to AI and ML by collecting and analyzing vast amounts of
sensor data from its trucks — continuously refining algorithms to improve confidence, accuracy, adaptability, and
decision-making.
The company's technology has revolutionized logistics by mitigating the labor shortage — the costliest aspect of
the supply chain — while also reducing operational costs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Gatik's capabilities were
especially in demand. The team's contactless deliveries effectively reduced human-to-human transmission risks,
accommodated urgent public health needs, and supported the e-commerce surge.
Gatik AI's accelerated success has been widely recognized:
Time "Best Invention" (2022);
Fast Company's 2023 list of the "World's Most Innovative Companies";
Forbes' list of "America's Best Startup Employers" (2022, 2023, 2024);
Forbes' AI 50 list;
and World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer.
Narang was named one of Business Insider's "Self-Driving Power Players" of 2022 and an Automotive News
Rising Star of 2023. Kumavat has been featured on Inc.'s 2022 Female Founders 100 list and the
Silicon Valley Business Journal's 40 Under 40.