Key facts
- Elisa de Martel, previously CFO at Alphabet's Waymo, is now CFO at Wayve.
- Wayve is valued at approximately $8.5 billion and has raised $3.2 billion to date.
- Wayve is preparing to deploy its automated driving technology for robotaxis and passenger vehicles.
- De Martel previously served as CFO at industrial-grade 3D printing company Carbon and held finance roles at Apple.
- Wayve's technology uses an end-to-end neural network that does not rely on high-definition maps or hand-coded rules.
- Wayve has partnerships with automakers including Nissan and Stellantis.
Elisa de Martel, who previously served as chief financial officer at Alphabet's autonomous vehicle company Waymo, has been appointed to the same role at self-driving startup Wayve. She will be based in Sunnyvale, California.
De Martel's appointment comes as Wayve, founded in 2017 and valued at approximately $8.5 billion, prepares to deploy its automated driving technology. The company has raised $3.2 billion to date and is developing an "eyes on" assisted-driving system and an "eyes off" fully automated-driving system. Wayve's technology utilizes an end-to-end neural network that does not rely on high-definition maps or hand-coded rules, instead learning solely from data.
Her prior experience includes serving as CFO at industrial-grade 3D printing company Carbon and an 11-year tenure as manufacturing finance director at Apple. At Waymo, from 2022 to January 2026, she oversaw a critical period of commercial operations and a $5.6 billion Series C fundraising round that valued the company at over $45 billion.
Wayve has secured partnerships with automakers such as Nissan and Stellantis. The company has also begun public robotaxi rides in London, with Tokyo expected to follow. Max Warburton, Wayve's outgoing CFO since 2024, will move into a strategic advisory role.