# Evan Walker

> Evan Walker is the co-founder and executive chairman of Route, the Utah post-purchase technology company. A teenage ecommerce founder in the 1990s, he returned to a familiar problem after a Florence antiques dealer could not safely ship a vintage trunk. Route turned that irritation into a platform for tracking, package protection, issue resolution and returns, and grew from a January 2019 launch to more than 13,000 merchant brands, more than $20 billion in protected merchandise and a reported $1.4 billion valuation.

- **Role:** Founder and Executive Chairman at Route
- **Organizations:** Route
- **Known for:** Started his first ecommerce business at age 14 and sold it at 19., Co-founded Route, which reached more than 2,000 connected merchants and a reported $14.4 million annual run-rate in its first year., Led Route through its early growth and its 2022 $200 million Series B at a $1.25 billion valuation.

## Career timeline

- **1994** — At age 14, started an ecommerce business selling video games from his bedroom.
- **circa 1999** — Sold his first ecommerce business at age 19; Route later described the sale as $10 million.
- **2019** — Co-founded Route with Mike Moreno and launched the platform in January.
- **2019** — Route finished its first year with 120 employees, more than 2,000 connected merchants and a reported $14.4 million annual run-rate.
- **2021** — Named a Utah Business CEO of the Year honoree while serving as Route's founder and CEO.
- **2022** — Route announced a $200 million Series B at a $1.25 billion valuation.
- **2023** — Michael Yamartino stepped into the CEO role; Walker continued as founder and executive chairman.
- **2024** — Route raised a $40 million Series C at a reported $1.4 billion valuation after surpassing $100 million in 2023 revenue.
- **2025** — As executive chairman, supported Eric Kobe's appointment as Route CEO for its next stage of enterprise growth.
- **2026** — Commented as executive chairman on Route's acquisition of Frate Returns, which added returns and exchanges to the platform.

## Achievements

- Started his first ecommerce business at age 14 and sold it at 19.
- Co-founded Route, which reached more than 2,000 connected merchants and a reported $14.4 million annual run-rate in its first year.
- Led Route through its early growth and its 2022 $200 million Series B at a $1.25 billion valuation.
- Helped establish Route's post-purchase platform, used by more than 13,000 brands by 2024.
- Named a Utah Business CEO of the Year honoree in 2021.
- Remained executive chairman as Route reported profitability in 2025 and expanded into returns through its 2026 Frate acquisition.

## Latest updates

- **2026-01** — Route acquired Frate Returns. Walker said the deal would accelerate Route's evolution as enterprise adoption grew; Route reported more than 13,000 brands and over $20 billion in protected gross merchandise value.
- **2025-07** — Route appointed Eric Kobe CEO effective July 14. Walker, identified as founder and executive chairman, said Kobe's scaling and ecommerce experience aligned with Route's enterprise-growth plans.
- **2024-06** — Route announced a $40 million Series C led by Hanaco VC at a $1.4 billion valuation, after reporting more than $100 million in 2023 revenue and $15 billion in protected merchandise.

## Links

- Website: https://route.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evanwalker

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/evan-walker
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-26