Dive Brief:

• Tesla alum Jeff Evanson has joined intelligence robotics firm Pickle Robot as its CFO, coming as the company targets its next phase of growth, according to a Thursday press release.
• The company, which describes itself as a “Physical AI” business, offers intelligent robotics systems that use AI to aid with unloading trucks. Pickle will lean on Evanson’s expertise in capital markets and his experience in fostering growth at high-tech companies as it looks to expand its headcount and management team amid a surge in customer demand, according to the release.
• “I’m excited to join Pickle Robot at such a pivotal moment,” Evanson said in a statement included in the release. “The team has built compelling Physical AI technology that is solving a real, persistent problem in logistics at a speed that is impressive. I see significant opportunity ahead, and I’m looking forward to helping the company scale thoughtfully while maintaining the speed and innovation that have defined it so far.”

Dive Insight:

Evanson is joining the Charlestown, Massachusetts-based business at an “inflection point” for Pickle Robot as the business moves “quickly from early deployment to scaled adoption,” CEO and Founder AJ Meyer said in a statement included in the release.

“[Evanson] advised many companies at this stage and I consider us very lucky to be bringing Jeff on board as we focus on high growth — he sees the potential in Pickle and has chosen to roll up his sleeves with us,” Meyer said in the statement. “That speaks volumes.”

Evanson currently serves part-time as a managing partner for Galilee Capital Management, and has served as a board member for First PREMIER Bank since 2003, according to his LinkedIn profile.

He also served six years at Tesla as its vice president of global investor relations and strategy beginning in January 2011. During his span at the electric vehicle manufacturer, Evanson helped to raise “substantial equity and debt financing” to facilitate Tesla’s launch of several EV models, and “played a central role” in helping to secure shareholder buy-in for the company’s acquisition of SolarCity, Pickle Robot said in the press release.

As CFO, Evanson will take responsibility for driving Pickle Robot’s financial strategy, “supporting disciplined growth, operational scaling, and long-term value creation as the company expands deployments with existing customers and prepares for additional commercial milestones,” Pickle said in the release.

The company announced Evanson’s appointment shortly after it revealed plans to hire 50 new engineers over the following four months and named SharkNinja alum Frank Hopke as its new vice president of engineering. The hiring surge will help the company to support its “rapid customer demand,” according to a Dec. 15 press release.

One such customer reportedly may be the United Parcel Service. The company is investing $120 million in 400 robots from the robotics intelligence firm that can help with unloading its trucks, Bloomberg reported in a Dec. 15 article, citing people familiar with the matter. The order is reportedly part of UPS’ “Network of the Future” plan, according to Bloomberg.

A multi-year initiative the shipping firm announced in 2024, UPS as part of the plan will invest approximately $9 billion in automation and consolidation strategies by 2028, with the aim of driving cost savings of about $3 billion, according to an investor day presentation at the time.

UPS has a “working relationship with Pickle Robot, among many other automation and robotics companies. Our work in this area helps reduce repetitive tasks and physical stress while promoting safety for UPS employees,” a company spokesperson told CFO Dive in an emailed response to questions — citing a 2023 press release detailing UPS’ use of Pickle’s unloading technologies, among other usages of AI and automation.

“We have not announced specific purchases or planned deployments of Pickle’s solutions in our facilities,” the spokesperson said. “Our technology agreements are often contingent upon successful testing before we make additional purchases. The details of our contracts are private and we do not have anything more to share at this time.”

Pickle Robot did not immediately respond to requests for comment.