REDWOOD MATERIALS HIRES TESLA'S FORMER CFO
INDUSTRY DESK■ 1 MIN READ
MON, MAY 11, 2026■ AI-SUMMARIZED FROM 1 SOURCE ▸ TIMELINE
Battery-recycling company Redwood Materials appointed Deepak Ahuja as incoming CFO, reuniting him with co-founder JB Straubel, Tesla's former CTO. Ahuja dismissed speculation about an IPO as premature.
Deepak Ahuja, who previously served as Tesla's finance chief, will join Redwood Materials in a finance leadership role. The move reunites Ahuja with co-founder JB Straubel, who left Tesla in 2019 as Chief Technology Officer.
Redwood Materials focuses on battery recycling and energy storage solutions. The company has positioned itself as a critical player in the EV supply chain, extracting materials from battery waste.
When asked about potential public market plans, Ahuja stated it remains too early in the company's development to discuss an IPO. The statement suggests Redwood is prioritizing operational scaling over near-term exit strategies.
Ahuja's appointment signals the company's growth phase, bringing proven financial expertise from one of the world's most scrutinized public companies. His track record at Tesla, where he managed finance through multiple capital raises and the path to profitability, could inform Redwood's financial strategy as the battery recycling sector expands.
■ SOURCES
► TechCrunch■ SUMMARY WRITTEN BY AI FROM THE LINKS ABOVE
■ MORE FROM THE STARTUPS DESK
Triomics, an AI platform automating data-heavy tasks for oncologists, secured $22M in Series B funding. The raise follows a $15M Series A in 2024.
MAY 29— AI Desk
Xcena secured $135 million in Series B funding at a $570 million valuation for its MX1 chip, which handles data orchestration and KV cache management directly within memory modules.
MAY 29— AI Desk
Pittsburgh-based Gray Swan, which stress-tests AI models for frontier labs, secured $40M in Series A funding at a $200M valuation. The round was co-led by Wing VC and Madrona.
MAY 29— AI Desk
H1, a healthcare SaaS startup, secured $40 million in funding from CVS Health. The investment signals continued investor confidence in specialized software platforms despite AI disruption concerns.
MAY 29— Industry Desk