• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Pentagon accuses Alibaba, Baidu and BYD, three of China's biggest companies, of supporting the Chinese military

2

Analysts expected oil to surge above $200 but China has quietly kept prices half of that—and can’t for much longer

3

Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there

1

Pentagon accuses Alibaba, Baidu and BYD, three of China's biggest companies, of supporting the Chinese military

2

Analysts expected oil to surge above $200 but China has quietly kept prices half of that—and can’t for much longer

3

Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there
NewslettersTerm Sheet

Walmart convenes startups and corporates to work on a dirty problem: decarbonizing its truck and home delivery fleets

Jessica Mathews
By
Jessica Mathews
Jessica Mathews
Senior Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
Jessica Mathews
By
Jessica Mathews
Jessica Mathews
Senior Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 8, 2022, 8:30 AM ET

Two years ago Walmart said it was aiming to reduce its carbon emissions to zero by 2040—and, as the world’s largest company—it’s working with an entire cohort of partners, ranging from tiny startups to large corporates to make it happen.

The company has been tackling its emissions from a series of angles, such as with its last-mile delivery efforts with venture-backed drone company startups like Zipline or DroneUp, driverless deliveries with Gatik, or via the electric robots you might spot roaming a sidewalk in Bentonville, through Serve Robotics. (A Walmart spokeswoman confirmed the retailer was doing “small scale work” with Serve Robotics and said that Walmart is “constantly testing new and up and coming technology to identify solutions that best meet our customers’ needs.”)

But it’s Walmart’s behemoth supply chain that poses the biggest problem. Walmart has more than 90,000 trucks or trailers—what it refers to as its Class 8 fleet—and works with 12,000 drivers. Collectively, Walmart’s fleet is traveling some 1.1 billion miles each year and making up some 24% of the company’s scope one emissions (meaning the emissions Walmart produces from its own assets). 

“The reality today is that there is no scalable solution for us,” Fernando Cortes, senior vice president of transportation, told me at the Up.Summit, a mobility conference taking place in Bentonville, Ark. this week. 

Yesterday, Cortes gave a presentation about how the company was decarbonizing its truck fleet, and he and Luke McCollum, Walmart’s vice president of supply chain sustainability, sat down with me to talk about the efforts in a subsequent interview.

“If you think about yard trucks, we have at least nine pilots going on as we speak—and more to come,” McCollum says.

Later this year, Walmart is going to be testing Capacity’s second generation hydrogen fuel cell-powered yard truck. Early next year, Walmart is going to start adding Cummins’ new 15-liter natural gas engine to a few of its trucks. It’s working with Chevron to supply its trucks with CNG linked to renewable natural gas. Walmart has also been testing out zero-emissions electric yard trucks, like Autocar’s all-electric terminal tractor, in its distribution centers over the last year, and it has been working with Thermo King to haul produce and other groceries in an electric-powered refrigerated trailer—among other efforts.

While Walmart has made at least one investment in one of its last-mile startups, DroneUp, the company hasn’t invested in any of the companies behind its trucking pilot programs, according to Walmart. “A lot of these companies we’ve had a long relationship with… They know that we’re giving an aim point to decarbonize, so there’s a lot of incentive to transform their engine capability, because they see that’s where a customer like Walmart is going,” McCollum says.

With delivery, Cortes says Walmart is incorporating 1,100 all-electric vans it purchased into its fleet this year, and that it has reserved 5,000 General Motors BrightDrop EVs which will hit the road in 2023. 

Layoffs at Bird… Bird, the electric scooter company that went public at the end of last year, has reportedly laid off 23% of its staff, according to Layoffs.fyi. The startup had merged with a SPAC last year, raising $414 million in cash ($264 million of it equity), after a difficult couple years during the pandemic. Bird’s stock has fallen more than 90% since then—now trading at less than $1.

See you tomorrow,

Jessica Mathews
Twitter: @jessicakmathews
Email: jessica.mathews@fortune.com
Submit a deal for the Term Sheet newsletter here.

Jackson Fordyce curated the deals section of today’s newsletter.

VENTURE DEALS

- Pintu, a Jakarta, Indonesia-based crypto wallet and trading platform, raised $113 million in Series B funding. Intudo Ventures, Lightspeed, Northstar Group, and Pantera Capital invested in the round. 

- Immuta, a Boston-based cloud data access and data security company, raised $100 million in Series E funding. NightDragon led the round and was joined by investors including Snowflake Ventures, Dell Technologies Capital, DFJ Growth, IAG, Intel Capital, March Capital, StepStone, Ten Eleven Ventures, and Wipro Ventures. 

- nfinite, a Paris-based CGI photography studio for business, raised $100 million in Series B funding. Insight Partners led the round and was joined by US Venture Partners.

- ImmunOs Therapeutics, a Schlieren, Switzerland-based HLA-based platform developing therapeutics for cancer and autoimmune disease treatment, raised $74 million in Series B funding. Samsara BioCapital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Gimv led the round and were joined by investors including Mission BioCapital, GL Capital, PEAK6 Strategic Capital, Fiscus Financial, Pfizer Ventures, BioMed Partners, and Schroder Adveq. 

- Delphia, a Toronto-based investing platform, raised $60 million in Series A funding. Multicoin Capital led the round and was joined by investors including Ribbit Capital, FTX Ventures, Valor Equity Partners, FJ Labs, Lattice Ventures, Cumberland, Road Capital’s Thomas Bailey, and M13. 

- Let’s Do This, a London-based outdoor activities booking platform, raised $60 million in Series B funding. Craft Ventures and Headline led the round and were joined by investors including EQT, NFX, Y Combinator, and Morpheus Ventures. 

- Ergeon, a remote-based fence installation and repair services provider, raised $40 million in Series B funding. Prysm led the round and was joined by investors including GGV, DST, Basis Set, and Metaprop. 

- Encamp, an Indianapolis-based environmental compliance data management and reporting company, raised $30 million in Series C funding. Drive Capital, OpenView, High Alpha Capital, Allos Ventures, and others invested in the round.  

- Whistic, a Pleasant Grove, Utah-based vendor security assessment platform, raised $35 million in Series B funding. JMI Equity led the round and was joined by investors including Forgepoint Capital, Emergence Capital, Album VC, and FJ Labs. 

- Ethena, a Brooklyn, New York-based compliance training platform, raised $30 million in a Series B funding round. Lachy Groom led the round and was joined by investors including Felicis, Neo, Homebrew, and other angels. 

- Defacto, a Paris-based B2B lending platform for SMEs, raised €15 million ($16 million) in  Series A funding. Northzone led the round and was joined by investors including GFC and Headline.

- Vybe Network, a Vancouver-based data infrastructure solution, raised $10.5 million in Series A funding. FTX led the round and was joined by investors including Sino Global, Staking Facilities, Serum, Panony, Tess Ventures, Contango, Canonical Crypto Fund, and EBT Group.

- 443ID, an Austin-based identity and access management cybersecurity company, raised $8 million in seed funding co-led by Bill Wood Ventures and Silverton Partners. 

- Teal, a Miami-based career growth platform, raised $6.3 million in seed funding. City Light Capital led the round and was joined by investors including Rethink Education, Human Ventures, Gaingels, Pareto Ventures, Basecamp Fund, Zelkova Ventures, Flybridge, Lerer Hippeau, and Oceans.

- Mash, a Toronto-based payments platform for builders, creators, and developers, raised $6 million in seed funding. Castle Island Ventures and Whitecap Venture Partners co-led the round and were joined by investors including Maple VC, Strategic Cyber Ventures, Aquanow, Spacecadet Ventures, and other angels. 

- GO, a Philadelphia-based digital car subscription company, raised $4.95 million in seed funding. Cathexis Ventures, Starting Line, MGV Capital Group, Klaff Realty, and DVC Syndicate invested in the round. 

- Reflex, an Austin-based online retail marketplace, raised $4.5 million in a seed funding round. Indicator Ventures led the round and was joined by investors including Sugar Capital, Red Swan Ventures, ATX Venture Partners, Precursor Ventures, Active Capital, and Clutch VC.

- PayShepherd, a Calgary-based contractor billing management platform for manufacturing facilities, raised $3 million in seed funding. Nashville Capital Network led the round and was joined by investors including Thin Air Labs and the Accelerate Fund.

- Verse, a London-based NFT platform, raised $2.4 million in seed funding. Indeed co-founder Paul Forster, Impala founder and CEO Ben Stephenson, Galaxy Digital chairman Michael Daffey, Integrity founder Jeremy Hindle, The Venture Collective’s founding partner Nick Shekerdemian, and Venrex VC invested in the round. 

- Klasha, a Lagos, Nigeria and San Francisco-based cross-border payments solution, raised $2.1 million in seed extension funding. Amex Ventures and Global Ventures invested in the round.  

- Mila, a Zürich-based tech support provider, raised $2 million in pre-Series A funding. Born2Grow led the round and was joined by investors including Alpana Ventures and Oriza Ventures. 

- Showplace, a Denver-based furniture provider for vacation rentals, raised $2 million in seed funding. Matchstick Ventures led the round and was joined by investors including Boost VC, Taurus Ventures, and other angels. 

PRIVATE EQUITY

- Antelope, a portfolio company of Alpine Investors, acquired Diggin’ Your Dog and Super Snouts, a Reno-based pet CBD supplier. Financial terms were not disclosed. 

- ​​Frazier Healthcare Partners acquired Apollo Intelligence, a Watertown, Mass.-based data and insights provider to the health care and life science industries. Financial terms were not disclosed. 

- Funds managed by Harvest Partners acquired Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa, a Trevose, Pa.-based massage, skincare, and health and wellness services provider, from Levine Leichtman Capital Partners. Financial terms were not disclosed. 

- Mercer Global Advisors acquired Fure Financial Corporation, a Bloomington, Minn.-based wealth management firm. Financial terms were not disclosed.  

- The Fuse Group, a portfolio company of EagleTree Capital, acquired El Ranchito, a Madrid-based visual effects studio. Financial terms were not disclosed.  

EXITS

- EQT and Mubadala agreed to acquire Envirotainer, a Stockholm-based air cargo services provider for the pharmaceutical industry, from Cinven and Novo Holdings. A deal is valued at approximately €2.8 billion ($3 billion). 

- Atlas Holdings acquired Foster Farms, a Livingston, Calif.-based fresh, frozen, and prepared poultry products provider, from entities associated with the Foster Family. Financial terms were not disclosed.  

OTHER

- Sanoma Corporation agreed to acquire the K12 Courseware businesses of Pearson, a London-based education group, for $203 million.

- MFS Africa agreed to acquire Global Technology Partners, a Tulsa-based pre-paid mobile money solutions provider. Financial terms were not disclosed. 

- Standard Meat Company acquired Syracuse Sausage, a Ponder, Texas-based sausage and meatball company. Financial terms were not disclosed. 

FUNDS + FUNDS OF FUNDS

- Felix Capital, a London-based venture capital firm, raised $600 million for a fourth fund focused on early to growth stage companies in Europe and the U.S. 

- Cathay Innovation, a Paris-based venture capital firm, and Ledger, a Paris-based digital asset management solution, raised $110 million for a fund focused on creators and entrepreneurs within Web3 and cryptocurrency industries. 

- Titan Capital Partners, a Tel Aviv-based investment firm, raised $100 million for a fund focused on Israel and U.S.-based companies. 

PEOPLE

- Elsewhere Partners, an Austin-based venture capital firm, hired Hannah Johnson as chief talent officer and Sean McDonell as head of investor relations. Formerly, Johnson was with Thoma Bravo and McDonell was with Barings.

This is the web version of Term Sheet, a daily newsletter on the biggest deals and dealmakers. Sign up to get it delivered free to your inbox.
About the Author
Jessica Mathews
By Jessica MathewsSenior Writer
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Jessica Mathews is a senior writer for Fortune covering transportation, defense tech, and Elon Musk’s companies.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Newsletters

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Newsletters

How the World Cup is a high-stakes stage for Big Tech’s AI push
NewslettersCIO Intelligence
How the World Cup is a high-stakes stage for Big Tech’s AI push
By John KellJune 10, 2026
13 hours ago
New York is going crazy for the Knicks in the NBA finals. Only one brand is advertising to women inside Madison Square Garden
NewslettersMPW Daily
New York is going crazy for the Knicks in the NBA finals. Only one brand is advertising to women inside Madison Square Garden
By Emma HinchliffeJune 10, 2026
15 hours ago
Businesswoman working at desk with laptop and documents in office
NewslettersCFO Daily
Finance teams can’t quit Excel. Workday wants to change that with AI
By Sheryl EstradaJune 10, 2026
20 hours ago
Health care’s AI dividend is real. The fight now is over who reaps the gains
NewslettersCEO Daily
Health care’s AI dividend is real. The fight now is over who reaps the gains
By Diane BradyJune 10, 2026
23 hours ago
JB Straubel, co-founder of Tesla and founder and CEO of Redwood Materials, speaking at Fortune Brainstorm Tech 2026 in Aspen, Colorado. (Photo: Michael Faas/Fortune)
NewslettersFortune Tech
Why China is outpacing the U.S. power grid
By Andrew NuscaJune 10, 2026
24 hours ago
Trump speaking into a mic.
NewslettersEye on AI
Should Americans get an equity stake in AI? Trump and progressive Democrats float public ownership of AI
By Beatrice NolanJune 9, 2026
2 days ago

Most Popular

Pentagon accuses Alibaba, Baidu and BYD, three of China's biggest companies, of supporting the Chinese military
Asia
Pentagon accuses Alibaba, Baidu and BYD, three of China's biggest companies, of supporting the Chinese military
By Kate O'Keeffe and BloombergJune 8, 2026
2 days ago
Analysts expected oil to surge above $200 but China has quietly kept prices half of that—and can’t for much longer
Energy
Analysts expected oil to surge above $200 but China has quietly kept prices half of that—and can’t for much longer
By Sasha RogelbergJune 10, 2026
14 hours ago
Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there
Success
Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there
By Preston ForeJune 8, 2026
3 days ago
Marc Lore’s robots make 500 burrito bowls an hour. A human can make 45
Innovation
Marc Lore’s robots make 500 burrito bowls an hour. A human can make 45
By Amanda GerutJune 9, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of June 10, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 10, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 10, 2026
19 hours ago
A ‘MAGA Warrior’ Texas ag chief is publicly blasting the USDA over a flesh-eating pest threatening America's beef supply
North America
A ‘MAGA Warrior’ Texas ag chief is publicly blasting the USDA over a flesh-eating pest threatening America's beef supply
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJune 10, 2026
22 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.