Vivian Sun

One of the only two C-level executives in Waabi. Responsible for the company’s overall go-to-market strategy and ecosystem partnership development. Vivian's strategic leadership played a pivotal role in the company’s transition from a research heavy entity to a commercial force in the self-driving landscape.

• Spearheaded the development of an holistic ecosystem partnership and strategy including OEMs, tier-ones, sensor providers, fleets, shippers and industry associations.
• Responsible for end-to-end partnership development and deal negotiations with Volvo Autonomous Solution, forging a strategic collaboration, unlocked the production and commercialization path for Waabi.
• Secured a strategic investment from Volvo Group Venture
• Cultivated and maintained relationships with both existing (e.g. Khosla Venture, Uber) and potential investors (financial and strategic) steered the quarterly investor meetings and reports.
• Negotiated the multi-year cloud compute strategic partnership with Google Cloud, AWS, Azure and Oracle.
• Conceived and implemented Waabi's go-to-market strategy and product strategy, delineated the product roadmap with a emphasis on the design of 'Waabi Driver,' and spearheaded its successful launch.
• Established the industry's inaugural Driver Advisory Board with 8 elite participating million-mile drivers from U.S.Xpress, Fedex, etc., creating a dialogue between workforce challenges and technology implementation.
• Established strategic alliance with SAE and other associations to enhance AV 2.0 messaging and endorse Waabi's AI-first vision.
• Assembled an industry-leading commercial team from the ground up.

A pivotal member of the executive team at TuSimple (Nasdaq: TSP), joining as the 9th employee and supporting the company's expansion to over 2,000 employees. Instrumental in TuSimple to become the first IPO company in its sector worldwide. Reported directly to the CEO and President, taking charge of full ecosystem partnerships, encompassing OEMs, Tier-one suppliers, fleets, shippers, service providers, and beyond. Deeply understand the entire ecosystem and value chain to architect strategic business deals.

• Forged leading automotive partnerships in the AV realm, including collaborations with ZF, Sony, Bendix, Continental, Bosch, and NVIDIA etc.
• Mobilized the fundraising efforts, strategized and executed pivotal milestones and KPIs as a key member of the fundraising committee; nurtured relationships with strategic and financial investors.
• Structured an industry-first strategic alliance with Navistar (4th largest OEM in the US) and detailed a Joint Development Agreement for the commercialization of autonomous trucks.
• Orchestrated a significant Global partnership with the Traton Group who owns Scania and MAN, leaders of commercial vehicle worldwide, enabling a global introduction of autonomous technology.
• Designed and executed TuSimple’s Reservation Program, securing a backlog of over 6,700 autonomous trucks from industry leaders like Walmart, DHL, Werner Enterprise, McLean, Penske and UPS etc.
• Launched the pioneering go-to-market strategy for TuSimple's Autonomous Freight Network (AFN), presenting a novel business model and real-world operational framework for autonomous trucks.
• Initiated a strategic alliance with Ryder, utilizing their nationwide footprint as AV terminals and maintenance hubs.
• Developed TuSimple's first pricing strategy and customer ROI calculator, worked with 20+ voice of customer interviews to determine willingness to pay.
• Led the establishment and growth of diverse internal teams, including business development, product, government relations, PR, marketing, transportation ops, finance.

• Cultivated and expanded a strategic alliance with UPS, encompassing strategic investment, pilot programs, contractual agreements, and communication strategies.
• Pioneered an unprecedented partnership with the United States Postal Service (USPS), garnering global attention with over 1 billion views.
• Devised groundbreaking presence at conferences like CES, AVS, GTC, etc., marking TuSimple the first company to showcase a truck at CES—a move many competitors have since emulated.
• Collaborated with UCSD on a fuel-saving study for AV trucks, uncovering opportunities for a 10% fuel reduction and bolstering customer adoption through demonstrable benefits.
• Spearheaded the TuSimple demo experience, created a compelling story and technology showcase, drove over 100 demo visits that yielded significant investment ($1.8B total raised), and partnerships (50+ industry leading customers and partners).
• Pioneered industry engagements by leading TuSimple to become the first AV truck company in the American Trucking Association (ATA), a strategic move subsequently followed by several competitors.
• Secured TuSimple’s testing grounds in Tucson and cultivated crucial state-wide relationships, laying a foundation for pivotal company expansion and support across Arizona and beyond.

• Managed a diverse, cross-functional team spanning CKGSB Americas (NYC) and CKGSB Beijing, further enriched by staff and associates from partner institutions.
• Curated an array of MBA, EMBA, and executive short courses, covering subjects such as Digital Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Family Business, and Emerging Markets.
• Engaged in outreach and fostered ongoing relationships with prestigious partner schools including Cornell, Yale, and Harvard.

• Assessed Current's standing within the Distributed Energy Resource (DER) market, leading to precise market sizing
• Mapped the U.S
• Energy market's competitive dynamics and pinpointed regulatory barriers hindering the integration of DER into the wholesale market
• Developed dynamic tools tailored for evaluating distinct regional markets
• Authored a comprehensive five-year business strategy for GE, with three pivotal recommendations subsequently adopted.