GoKawiilWayve hires former Waymo CFO Elisa de Martel as it nears robotaxi launch
Wayve, the self-driving software startup valued at roughly $8.5 billion, has named Elisa de Martel as its new chief financial officer. De Martel spent 2022 to January 2026 as Waymo's CFO, overseeing a period when the Alphabet unit expanded commercial operations and raised $5.6 billion at a $45 billion-plus valuation. She replaces Max Warburton, who is shifting to a strategic advisory role at Wayve.
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The hire signals Wayve's ambition to move beyond testing into commercial deployment of both robotaxis and consumer driver-assistance systems, areas where de Martel's Waymo experience with scaling and fundraising could prove valuable. It also reflects intensifying competition among autonomous vehicle companies to secure leadership with proven track records in navigating the capital-intensive, high-stakes path to commercialization.
- Elisa de Martel moves from Waymo to Wayve as CFO, bringing experience from a major commercial scale-up.
- Wayve, valued at about $8.5 billion, is transitioning toward deploying its self-learning driving software in robotaxis and passenger vehicles.
- Outgoing CFO Max Warburton shifts to an advisory role as Wayve prepares for its next growth phase.
Source: techcrunch.com — Kirsten Korosec, 2026-09-16
Published there as: “Former Waymo CFO jumps to self-driving startup Wayve”
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