Introducing the Techstars Mobility Class of 2016

Today I’m excited to introduce the 12 companies part of the Techstars Mobility Class of 2016. These startup companies are building automotive mobility technologies and services that enable people and goods to move around more freely. On September 8, 2016, we will be hosting our 2nd annual demo day, where we expect over 1000 people to come see and meet these 12 startups.

The quality of teams and companies applying this year has been incredible. We saw a world-wide response with applications from 52 countries across 6 continents. There was a 44% increase in mobility-focused companies. Most impressive, 50% of the 2016 companies include founders with diverse backgrounds.

Techstars Mobility operates at the intersection of two of Detroit’s greatest strengths: its automotive dominance and entrepreneurial resurgence. We are on a mission to connect the startup and automotive worlds, by breaking down silos and working across the industry to build partnerships.

To do this, we’ve partnered with eight global corporations leading the automotive and transportation industries. These partners include Ford Motor Company, Magna International, Verizon, Dana Holding Corporation, Honda R&D Americas, McDonald’s, Munich Re, and Michelin. Additionally, over 150 mentors across 38 different automotive and transportation companies are active mentors in the program. And just recently, we partnered with the Detroit Auto Show to bring another 50+ mobility startups to Detroit in January 2017.

The 2016 class comes from all around the world, including Chile and Canada, building solutions in the autonomous, connected, and shared vehicle mobility spaces. Here is the 2016 class:

• Acerta: Machine-assisted anomaly detection & root cause analysis.
• Algocian: State-of-the-art video analytics for security and autonomous vehicles.
• Braiq: Personalizing the self-driving car.
• Cargo: Data-driven general store for the ride-sharing economy.
• Donut Media: Automotive enthusiast video content for Millennials and Gen Zs.
• Drive Spotter: Real-time video search for fleet management.
• GoKid: A complete carpool solution for busy families.
• HAAS Alert: Connected car and autonomous driving notification platform that warns when emergency vehicles are approaching.
• HERO App: Rewarding safe behavior and helping impaired drivers get home safely.
• Rally: Community mobility platform that powers pop-up mass transit with high occupancy vehicles.
• Spatial: Dynamic, human-driven layer of social intelligence for maps and navigation.
• Voyhoy / Resertrip: Multi-modal transportation booking platform for two continents: Voyhoy in Latin America and Resertrip in Europe.