Elisa de Martel, who served as CFO at Alphabet’s Waymo from 2022 until January 2026, has been appointed as the new chief financial officer at self-driving startup Wayve. She replaces Max Warburton, who held the role since 2024 and will now provide strategic advisory support to Wayve's leadership. De Martel will operate out of Sunnyvale, California, during a critical phase for Wayve as it transitions from development and testing toward commercial deployment of its autonomous driving technology in robotaxis and passenger vehicles.

De Martel’s background includes significant roles in tech firms such as industrial 3D printing company Carbon and an 11-year tenure at Apple as manufacturing finance director. At Waymo, her tenure included the company’s expansion into commercial operations in multiple cities and leading a major $5.6 billion Series C funding round in 2024 that boosted Waymo’s valuation to over $45 billion. Wayve, by comparison, is currently valued at about $8.5 billion and has drawn attention for its unique self-learning autonomous driving software, which utilizes neural networks without dependence on high-definition maps or custom hardware.

Wayve’s autonomous driving technology underpins two products: an "eyes on" assisted-driving system and an "eyes off" fully automated system designed for robotaxis and consumer vehicles. Its hardware-agnostic software approach appeals to automakers that are already committed to existing platforms and has attracted $3.2 billion in investment so far. Key partnerships with automakers like Nissan and Stellantis, as well as collaborative efforts with companies such as Uber, position Wayve to expand its robotaxi services beyond current pilot programs in London and soon Tokyo.

As the new CFO, de Martel will lead Wayve’s financial strategy, capital management, governance, and reporting while closely working with the executive team on commercial and investor relations, as well as strategic partnerships. Her deep tech finance expertise is considered a valuable asset for Wayve’s goal of moving from initial deployments to becoming a major supplier of autonomous driving systems in the automotive industry at large.