Announcing the 2019 Mobility Startup Pitch Competition Finalists at AutoMobili-D

Announcing the 17 mobility startups selected for the 2019 AutoMobili-D PlanetM Startup Pitch Competition powered by Techstars. The pitch competition will be held on January 15, 2019, 1230p - 5p ET, on the PlanetM Stage in the AutoMobili-D exhibit area of the North American International Auto Show.

Techstars Mobility and PlanetM today are excited to announce the mobility startups selected as finalists for the PlanetM Startup Pitch Competition powered by Techstars. The pitch competition will be held on January 15, 2019, on the PlanetM Stage in the AutoMobili-D exhibit area of the North American International Auto Show.

These 17 mobility startups were selected from the 65 mobility startups coming to the 2019 Detroit Auto Show. They will be competing in 3 categories: Mobility Application, Mobility Technology, and Mobility Service. Additionally, all exhibiting startups will be qualified to compete for the Startup of the Year award as well.

These startups will be pitching in front of an impressive roster of judges. These judges include:

• Accenture, Mindy Doerr
• Bosch, Kevin Mull
• City of Detroit, Mark de la Vergne
• Denso, Zhe Huang
• Detroit Venture Partners, Aaron McClendon
• EcoMotion, Orlie Dahan
• Fontinalis Partners, Chris Stallman
• Ford, Jessica Robinson
• Hemi VC, Kate Yuan
• Lear, Robert Humphrey
• M25 Ventures, Abhinaya Konduru
• PlanetM, Amanda Roraff
• Story Ventures, Hannah Pianko
• Techstars, Kelly Kang, Laura Kennedy, Ted Serbinski
• Thirdware Solution, Kristin Slanina
• USAA, Steve Harrison

Here are the mobility startup finalists in each category:

Mobility Application

Tuesday, January 15, 2019 – 12:30pm

• Busie — Kingston, NY, United States — Busie simplifies online booking and logistics for operators and organizers.
• DeepHow — Detroit, MI, United States — The first AI solution for skilled trades know-how capturing and training.
• FAIRFARE — New York, NY, United States — FairFare is a direct booking, ride hail marketplace app. Our algorithm tailors a client-oriented response. It’s a marketplace that cross matches tailored transportation with lifestyle spending habits.  Thereby becoming a direct asset to businesses, government and consumers.
• Fantasmo — Los Angeles, CA, United States — Fantasmo is building a decentralized platform for 3D spatial maps and camera-based positioning. Our end-to-end solution enables the creation, access, management, & monetization of 3D maps which is critical for mobility, autonomous robotics, augmented reality, and many other emerging industries.
• Xapix — San Francisco, CA, United States — Xapix is building an orchestration platform for digital mobility services, providing vehicle manufacturers, suppliers, and service providers with ultimate flexibility, speed, and security around data interoperability. This allows mobility companies to scale services faster and more secure than ever.

Mobility Technology

Tuesday, January 15, 2019 – 1:50pm

• Alchemy — Kitchener, ON, Canada — We are a nanotechnology startup pioneering two nanocoatings: a passive anti-frost coating and an abrasion resistant coating. Our coatings enable multi-climate reliability for AVs by providing impact/scratch resistance, frost prevention, deicing to combat snow/freezing rain, and water/dirt shedding.
• Autobon AI — Chicago, IL, United States — Autobon is providing trucking fleets with the first after-market autopilot system that enables existing semi-trucks to deliver freight autonomously on US highways. We are deploying the system in a way that builds trust with operators while increasing job safety and efficiency.
• CARMERA — Brooklyn, NY, United States — CARMERA is building the world’s most robust street intelligence platform, specializing in “living” high definition maps for autonomous vehicles.
• Derq — Dubai, United Arab Emirates — Derq is an MIT-spinoff and Techstars mobility alum with a mission to eliminate crashes. Our AI-based ITS and V2X software applications predict the behaviors and intentions of road users to warn cars with enough time to avoid crashes. We are deployed in Dubai and Detroit.
• Toposens — Munich, Bavaria, Germany — Toposens developed the world’s first 3D ultrasound sensor, a robust and affordable 3D sensor enabling close-range object detection for autonomous driving cars or mobile robots.
• WaveSense — Somerville, MA, United States — WaveSense is accelerating the arrival of self-driving vehicles by using subterranean maps created with ground penetrating radar. Vehicles with WaveSense can navigate in common but challenging conditions such as snow, rain, fog, poor lane markings, and areas with sparse landmarks.

Mobility Service

Tuesday, January 15, 2019 – 3:10pm

• Alto — Dallas, TX, United States — Alto offers on-demand rides that are safe, consistent, and tailored to our members’ preferences. We use a dedicated fleet of new cars, employee drivers, and elegant apps and in-car technology to deliver exceptional rides, every time.
• HAAS Alert — Chicago, IL, United States — Vital safety information streamed to drivers, connected and autonomous cars via in-vehicle systems and smartphone apps when emergency vehicles are approaching and on-scene. Drivers, emergency crews and roadway operators use the C-V2X enabled solutions to avoid collisions and reduce traffic delays.
• IntelliTire — San Mateo, CA, United States — Making tires smarter
• Parkofon — Alexandria, VA, United States — Parkofon delivers automated on-street and off-street parking by using its high-accuracy geolocation device. We pilot with Avis and launch in Brooklyn NY next month.
• Priva — Chicago, IL, United States — Priva is a regional transportation alternative to commuter flights - taking customers door-to-door in a private, connected, mobile office.
• Sawatch Labs — Denver, CO, United States — Sawatch Labs provides algorithmic decision making to vehicle fleet stakeholders around electrification, infrastructure, fleet rightsizing and more.