Jaguar Land Rover now has a new state-of-the-art facility in Portland with 30 new engineering roles and three new innovative start-up companies joining its Tech Incubator program, overseen by Rupert Poole.
As part of its Tech Incubator program, Jaguar Land Rover added three latest startup companies to join its Portland center: AVE, Validated and Lyfeboat. These companies will work alongside Jaguar Land Rover to explore the development of future infotainment technologies in the U.S and join current Jaguar Land Rover Tech Incubator start-ups Workfrom, SICdrone and Carfit.
Over a six month period, as part of the Incubator program, these three new startups will be given a combination of direct investment and services, development support from engineers, internal and external mentorship and designated space in the new Jaguar Land Rover Tech Incubator in Portland.
AVE optimized entertainment in both the front and rear of cars. Using AVE’s technology, brands can deliver existing content to infotainment systems in a format that is efficient and consistent with other in-car user control models.
Validated is an app that lets shops, restaurants and other businesses buy their customers a ride or pay for their parking. Validated is currently live in Seattle, Portland and Los Angeles.
Lyfeboat is software that provides easy-to-use logistics and online booking tools for auto service centers, allowing them to communicate directly and transparently with their customers.
To further Jaguar Land Rover’s future technology research, the company has also announced the addition of a new 20,000 sq. ft., state-of-the-art vehicle center, focused on the development and trial of new technologies and in-car experiences for customers. In July 2014, Jaguar Land Rover opened its Open Software Technology Center (OSTC) in Portland, for its proximity to technology hubs in California and Seattle. The Jaguar Land Rover Tech Incubator opened in January 2016 and together, the two facilities have grown to have approximately 80 employees.
Current and past JLR Tech Incubator companies include:
- ParkIT- Computer vision/machine learning technology using cameras to collect real-time parking availability data and lot utilization analytics to improve the parking experience for drivers, parking managers, and cities.
- Urban.Systems – builds vibrant communities using technology to facilitate civic engagement, deliver services and share resources. They do this through an open, secure, transaction platform and a searchable catalog of solutions compatible with this platform.
- BabyBit – a small wearable sensor you snap onto your baby’s clothing. It connects through the caregiver’s smartphone and sends notifications throughout the day, giving new parents the information they need when they can’t be with their baby.
- Workfrom – a platform that connects the growing community of nomadic workers, creatives, freelancers, independent professionals and entrepreneurs with the businesses that support a work anywhere culture.
- SICdrone – a UAS solutions company that builds off the platform of: Speed, Stability, Payload and Distance.
- Carfit – a device that monitors vibrations of the steering wheel to analyze driving information and road conditions, enabling drivers to make informed decisions on usage, costs and maintenance.
The start-up companies from the inaugural group selected for the Jaguar Land Rover Tech Incubator have already begun to see successes. ParkIT has started further collaboration with Jaguar Land Rover and has secured a real-world trial of their technology with the city of Portland, while Urban.Systems has been working with a number of companies globally on its open connected infrastructure platform and are currently in the final stages of its next round of funding. BabyBit has seen successes as well, with extensive national coverage of their demonstrated infant wearing technology with vehicles