The organizers of Los Angeles Auto Show’s (LA Auto Show) AutoMobility LA announced the finalists for its sixth annual Top Ten Automotive Startups Competition™ (Top Ten), presented this year by Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s (MEDC) mobility initiative, PlanetM, and co-sponsored by Plug and Play. More than 160 startups from all over the world applied to make the show’s coveted shortlist that spotlights new companies aiming to revolutionize the way mobility is perceived and experienced. The ten finalists will have the opportunity to introduce and demonstrate their latest technologies and innovations in front of media and industry professionals at this year’s AutoMobility LA (Nov. 18-21).
“The finalists for this year’s Top Ten competition have developed solutions with real potential for optimizing transportation and positively impacting society. From leveraging research and analytics to scaling and innovating end-user mobility services, these startups represent an ever-growing mobility industry,” said Terri Toennies, President of the LA Auto Show and AutoMobility LA. “To see continued interest in our competition is a true testament to the show’s enduring allure as an important platform for new and established automotive players alike.”
This year’s Top Ten finalists are:
- Acerta Analytics Solutions (Kitchener, Canada): Acerta is helping OEMs and Tier 1s leverage machine learning to optimize vehicle quality, safety and reliability throughout the entire product lifecycle. These solutions are forged from industrial experience and driven by data, enabling Acerta’s clients to detect the earliest indicators of future product failures.
- Chanje (Los Angeles, USA): Chanje is a innovation company delivering ground-up electric trucks and turnkey energy infrastructure solutions for the commercial last mile industry. They are focused on creating sustainable solutions that improve how companies move people and packages from transportation hubs to their final destinations.
- GBatteries Energy Canada Inc. (Ottawa, Canada): GBatteries is an advanced battery technology company on a mission to charge electric vehicles as fast as it takes to fill a tank of gas. They have developed an innovative way to charge Li-ion batteries using artificial intelligence. Their goal is to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles, by removing the “charge time” barrier.
- GuardKnox Cyber Technologies (Ramla, Israel): GuardKnox provides optimized and cybersecure high-performance computing platforms to not only ensure security and safety, but serve as the foundational layer for added services, personalization and revenue generating opportunities across the automotive ecosystem.
- Humanising Autonomy (London, UK): Humanising Autonomy is a startup building AI-powered technology that is able to predict the full range of pedestrian and vulnerable road user behavior in real time. The company is on a mission to set the global standard in human-machine interaction and was founded on the premise of enabling a safer, more human-centered implementation of autonomous technologies.
- Silicon Mobility (Valbonne, France): Silicon Mobility is a technology leader delivering flexible, real-time, safe and open semiconductor solutions for the automotive industry that are used to increase energy efficiency and reduce pollutant emissions while keeping passengers safe. By using Silicon Mobility’s technologies, manufacturers improve the efficiency, reduce the size, weight and cost of electric motors, and increase the battery range and durability.
- StreetScooter (Aachen, Germany): StreetScooter is a leading electric delivery vehicle startup with currently more than 12,000 vehicles in daily use. The company was acquired by Deutsche Post DHL Group in 2014 and together they have electrified more than 700 depots and installed 13,500 charging points for joint use.
- TriEye (Tel Aviv, Israel): TriEye is a semiconductor company solving the low visibility challenge for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and Autonomous Vehicles (AV). The company’s cutting-edge technology enables HD imaging under all weather and lighting conditions using a cost-effective, mass-produced, CMOS-based, short-wave infrared (SWIR) camera.
- TuSimple (San Diego, USA): TuSimple is the most advanced self-driving truck company and plans to start driverless operations in 2021. TuSimple is the only autonomous truck company capable of driving from depot-to-depot without human intervention needed, which requires both complex highway and local street driving.
- Wunder Mobility (Hamburg, Germany): Wunder Mobility is a technology provider enabling companies, cities and OEMs to innovate, build, and scale mobility services. Wunder Mobility can help any company – from emerging tech startups to legacy automakers – offer innovative mobility services that meet the needs of today’s consumer.
On Tuesday, Nov. 19, Top Ten finalists will have the opportunity to pitch their companies to a panel of esteemed judges with deep understanding of startups and the evolving automotive industry. This year’s judging panel includes Dan Ratliff, Principal at Fontinalis Partners; Dirk Evenson, Director at New Mobility World; Fan Wen, Venture Associate at Plug and Play Tech Center; Justin Fishkin, Advisory Board Member at AutoMobility LA; and Trevor Pawl, Senior Vice President of Business Innovation at PlanetM. Following the live pitch sessions, the judges will deliberate and determine the winner of the 2019 Top Ten Automotive Startups Competition, who will be formally announced on stage (in the Technology Pavilion at the L.A. Convention Center) at 4:35 pm on Tuesday, Nov. 19.
“AutoMobility LA’s Top Ten is a solid shortlist for investors in the mobility space to look at,” said Justin Fishkin, AutoMobility LA Advisory Board Member and judge for the show’s signature competition. “The opportunity for exposure for the Top Ten is immense among all the media, automakers, tech giants and capital providers attending the show each year. I am pleased to serve on the advisory board of a global automotive event (AutoMobility LA) that celebrates both the big boys and the up-and-comers who are redefining the way we get around.”
This year, AutoMobility LA will also spotlight the winner of Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung (IAA)/New Mobility World’s startup competition, COMPREDICT, in its Top Ten area. Based in Darmstadt, Germany, the company has developed a purely software-based solution that relies on virtual sensors and a proprietary data analytics platform that enables it to identify overdesign and the current health state of the most important components of a vehicle; it does this by calculating precise load histories and monitoring behavior changes.
In addition to the Top Ten Automotive Startups Competition, attendees to 2019 AutoMobility LA will be able to witness vehicle debuts, hear major announcements from manufacturers and technology companies, gain insights into the future of the automotive industry, and network over the course of four days. Immediately following 2019 AutoMobility LA, the Los Angeles Convention Center will open its doors to the public for the LA Auto Show, where nearly 1,000 vehicles will be on display alongside interactive experiences, celebrity appearances, and free test drives.