Cole Crawford is the co-founder and CEO of Kodiak Robotics, a leading company developing autonomous technology for long-haul trucking. He is a seasoned entrepreneur and technologist with deep expertise in autonomous systems, cloud computing, and software-defined infrastructure. Before co-founding Kodiak Robotics in 2018, Cole was the Head of Autonomous Systems at Udacity, where he led the development of their Self-Driving Car Nanodegree program. He also co-founded Drive.ai, an autonomous vehicle technology company, and previously held significant engineering and leadership roles at VMware, contributing to advancements in cloud infrastructure. Cole is driven by the potential of technology to solve complex real-world problems, particularly in transforming the logistics and transportation industries through safe and efficient autonomous solutions.
Cole Crawford's work history includes a series of influential roles in various companies. Here is a detailed list of his professional journey:
Successfully co-founded Kodiak Robotics in 2018 and has led the company as CEO, securing significant funding rounds (e.g., Series B) and establishing partnerships to advance self-driving technology for the long-haul trucking industry.
As Head of Autonomous Systems at Udacity (2016-2018), he was instrumental in developing and scaling the widely recognized Self-Driving Car Engineer Nanodegree program, educating thousands of engineers globally.
Co-founded Drive.ai in 2015, an early pioneer in applying deep learning to create autonomous vehicle software. The company focused on developing self-driving kits for business fleets.
Held various engineering and leadership roles at VMware for nearly 8 years (approx. 2007-2015), contributing to projects related to cloud infrastructure, software-defined networking, and storage, playing a part in the company's significant growth in enterprise IT.
Frequently speaks and writes about the transformative potential of autonomous trucking, emphasizing improvements in safety, efficiency, and supply chain resilience.
Flagler Technical Institute - Year 1999
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