TC Sessions: Mobility 2021
June 9, 2021
Speakers
Max Bajracharya
Vice President of Robotics Toyota Research Institute
Chris Barker
Founder and CEO CBC Transportation Consulting
Radha Basu
Founder and CEO iMerit
Neal Best
Director of Client Services California Mobility Center (CMC)
JoeBen Bevirt
Founder & CEO Joby Aviation
Bill Brandt
Business Development Advisor Zeus Electric Chassis
Clara Brenner
Co-founder & Managing Partner Urban Innovation Fund
Tamika L. Butler
Tiffany Chu
Co-founder & CEO Remix/Via
Evette Ellis
Co-founder & Chief Workforce Officer ChargerHelp! Inc.
Pam Fletcher
Vice President, Global Innovation General Motors
Ernestine Fu
Director Hyundai Motor Group
Quin Garcia
Managing Director Autotech Ventures
Ahti Heinla
Co-founder & CTO Starship Technologies
Reid Hoffman
Partner Greylock
Rachel Holt
Co-founder & Managing Partner Construct Capital
Karl Iagnemma
President & CEO Motional
Amy Jones Satrom
Head of Operations Nuro
Sae Hyung Jung
Founder & CEO oVice
Shawn Kerrigan
COO and Co-Founder Plus
Avlok Kohli
CEO AngelList
Apeksha Kumavat
Co-founder and Chief Engineer Gatik
Nina Grooms Lee
Chief Product Officer May Mobility
Jesse Levinson
CTO and Co-Founder Zoox
Jewel Li
Chief Operating Officer AutoX
Jennifer Li
Vice President of Finance WeRide
Trevor Pawl
Chief Mobility Officer Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification
Mark Rawson
Chief Operating Officer California Mobility Center (CMC)
Frank Reig
Co-founder & CEO Revel Transit
Mate Rimac
Founder & CEO Rimac Automobili
Mario Santillo
Ford Research & Advanced Engineering, Robotics Supervisor Ford Motor Company
Ben Schippers
Co-founder & CEO TezLab
Bret Scott
VP, Partnerships Wejo
Shardul Shah
Partner Index Ventures
Michael Sherwood
Chief Innovation Officer City of Las Vegas
Huan Sun
General Manager of Momenta Europe Momenta
Scott Ungerer
Founder and Managing Director EnerTech Capital
Chris Urmson
Co-founder & CEO Aurora
Raquel Urtasun
Founder & CEO Waabi
Alexandr Wang
Founder & CEO Scale AI
Max Bajracharya is Vice President of Robotics at Toyota Research Institute (TRI), where he leads TRI’s robotics effort to develop fundamentally new robotics capabilities to enable robots to empower, amplify, and improve the quality of life of people in an increasingly aging society. Previously at TRI, Max was a Director of Robotics, leading the Mobile Manipulation Technology team to combine in-situ and fleet learning to enable robots to perform complex mobile manipulation tasks in unstructured human environments. Prior to joining TRI, Max was the autonomy technical team lead for a confidential robotics project at X, Alphabet’s “Moonshot Factory,” focusing on mobile manipulation and machine learning. He was the software technical team lead and system architect of a confidential mobile manipulation consumer robot project as part of Google Robotics, and the perception lead for Boston Dynamics’ quadruped and humanoid robots, while part of Google. From 2001-2014, Max was a Member of Technical Staff and group leader of the Computer Vision group at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech. His initial focus was on developing advanced autonomous technology for the Mars rovers, which was used on the 2003 Mars Exploration Rover and 2011 Mars Science Laboratory missions. He was a principal investigator, task lead, system architect, and project manager for many NASA and US Department of Defense basic. He worked on applied research tasks resulting in technology transfer to space missions and terrestrial systems. Subsequently, he led the development, integration, fielding, and deployment of advanced perception, manipulation, and mobility algorithms for autonomous robots for the DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC), Legged Squad Support System (LS3), Autonomous Robotic Manipulation Software (ARM-S), and Learning Applied to Ground Robots (LAGR) programs, among others, as well as the Army Research Lab (ARL) Robotic Collaborative Technology Alliance (RCTA) and Future Combat Systems Autonomous Navigation System (FCS ANS). Max graduated with a B.S. and M.Eng. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2001.
Max's Sessions
Mobility's Robotic Future
More than ever, automotive manufacturers are looking to robotics as the future of mobility, from manufacturing to autonomy and beyond. We’ll be speaking to the heads of robotics initiatives at the world’s largest automakers to find out how the technology is set to transform the industry.
Chris is the founder and CEO for CBC, a global transportation and technology consulting firm focused on helping cities, companies, universities, and governments around the world to advance autonomous transportation and other new mobility services. Chris has more than 25 years of experience in deploying aerospace, autonomous transportation, cybersecurity, and smart city innovations for companies such as Boeing, Cisco, Honeywell, Lucent, Microsoft, Raytheon, Real Networks, and the Volvo Group. Chris is currently a transportation/smart cities advisor for the Cities Today Institute helping cities around the world with transportation infrastructure and autonomous surface transportation planning. His CBC team has also developed and deployed self-driving car simulators for State DOTs/DMVs, universities, museums and other public facilities – to teach the public about self-driving vehicles. Previously, Chris was the Vice President of New Mobility at Keolis Group and helped launch the first open road #autonomous #shuttle service in North America. Chris is a national Board Member for the Association for Commuter Transportation. He’s also a global keynote speaker on topics ranging from smart cities and new mobility services to cybersecurity, alternative energy options and advancements in artificial intelligence.
Chris's Sessions
How Edge Cases and Data Will Enable Autonomous Transportation in Cities Across the U.S.
Data will play a vital role in solving the critical edge cases required to gain city approval and deploy autonomous transportation at scale. Pilot projects are underway across the U.S. and cities such as Las Vegas are leading the way for progressive policies, testing and adoption. But, how do these projects involving a limited number of vehicles gain city approval, expand to larger geographic areas, include more use cases and service more people? Join our expert panel discussion as we examine the progress, challenges and road ahead in harnessing data to enable multiple modes of autonomous transportation in major cities across the U.S.
Radha Basu is the founder and CEO of iMerit, a global data annotation company delivering high-quality data that powers machine learning and artificial intelligence applications for Fortune 500 companies. Under Radha’s leadership, iMerit employs an inclusive workforce of more than 5,500 people worldwide, with 80% from underserved communities and 54% being women. Radha led iMerit through two funding rounds, raising $23.5 million to date from investors and led the company to reach new revenue heights. Previously, Radha was the SupportSoft chairwoman and CEO. She spent 20 years at Hewlett Packard, where she grew HP’s electronic software division into a $1.2 billion business and launched HP in India. Radha has received accolades, including the Global Thinkers Forum Award, UN Women-ITU Gender-Equality Mainstreaming Technology Award, Silicon Valley Business Journal Women of Influence Award, Top 25 Women of the Web, and CEO of the Year. She serves on the boards of NetHope, Jhumki Basu Foundation, and the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship. Radha founded the SCU’s Frugal Innovation Hub and co-founded the Anudip Foundation.
Radha's Sessions
How Edge Cases and Data Will Enable Autonomous Transportation in Cities Across the U.S.
Data will play a vital role in solving the critical edge cases required to gain city approval and deploy autonomous transportation at scale. Pilot projects are underway across the U.S. and cities such as Las Vegas are leading the way for progressive policies, testing and adoption. But, how do these projects involving a limited number of vehicles gain city approval, expand to larger geographic areas, include more use cases and service more people? Join our expert panel discussion as we examine the progress, challenges and road ahead in harnessing data to enable multiple modes of autonomous transportation in major cities across the U.S.
Neal has over 17 years of international corporate consulting experience and is the founder of Best Consulting Company, a company specializing in the future mobility space. Previously, Neal was Consulting Manager at Cushman & Wakefield in San Francisco, Chicago, and London, UK.
Neal's Sessions
Innovating Future Mobility for Global Scale
Learn how the CMC’s model of bringing their Clients’ new technologies to market is new and innovative, going beyond a typical demonstration or pilot program, to the point of product launch and sustaining market viability. Hear from an expert panel about how the CMC’s programming is unique, innovative, and game-changing.
JoeBen Bevirt is the founder and CEO of Joby Aero, Inc., a mobility company that is building a fully-electric vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) passenger aircraft optimized to deliver an air taxi service. The Company is certifying a 5-seat aircraft nearly twice as fast and yet 100 times quieter than a helicopter. Born an engineer, JoeBen has dedicated his life to driving radical innovation in the fields of electric propulsion and robotics. In 1999, JoeBen co-founded Velocity11 to develop high-performance robotic laboratory systems. Velocity11 experienced incredible growth and was acquired by Agilent Technologies in 2007. In 2005, he founded Joby Inc., which develops useful, unique, and delightful consumer products, including the popular Gorillapod flexible camera tripod. JoeBen holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Davis and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University. He is the recipient of the 2018 Haueter Award for outstanding technical contribution to the field of VTOL aircraft development. He holds 40 U.S. patents.
JoeBen's Sessions
The Future of Flight
Joby Aviation founder JoeBen Bevirt spent more than a decade quietly developing an all-electric, vertical take-off and landing passenger aircraft. Now he is preparing for a new phase of growth as Joby Aviation merges with the special purpose acquisition company formed by famed investor and Linked co-founder Reid Hoffman. Bevirt and Hoffman will come to our virtual stage to talk about how to build a startup (and keep it secret while raising funds), the future of flight and, of course, SPACs.
Bill Brandt is the Vice President of Business Development and OEM Sales for Zeus Electric Chassis, responsible for strategic partnerships, direction, vision, and growth of this exciting new start-up company. Bill has been with Zeus for 3 years and was instrumental in creating their partnership with the California Mobility Center (CMC) as one of their first clients. Bill brings 34 years of industry experience and a passion for accelerating electrification in the severe-duty vocational work truck market. He most recently served 7 years as General Manager at Van-Tech/Nott Company, an engineering and systems integration company where he led growth through innovation and technology. Before that Bill acted as Business Development Manager for 15 years with Parker Hannifin’s Global Mobile Systems Division, working internationally for a team with $1.3 billion in revenue. Prior to that Bill worked as a design engineer with Boeing’s fighter aircraft programs in St. Louis, Missouri. Bill holds a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Washington University and a BS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Minnesota. He is based at the Zeus headquarters in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area.
Bill's Sessions
Innovating Future Mobility for Global Scale
Learn how the CMC’s model of bringing their Clients’ new technologies to market is new and innovative, going beyond a typical demonstration or pilot program, to the point of product launch and sustaining market viability. Hear from an expert panel about how the CMC’s programming is unique, innovative, and game-changing.
Clara Brenner is a co-founder of Tumml, a venture accelerator focusing on entrepreneurs solving urban problems.
Clara's Sessions
Will Venture Capital Drive the Future of Mobility?
Clara Brenner, Quin Garcia and Rachel Holt will discuss how the pandemic changed their investment strategies, the hottest sectors within the mobility industry, the rise of SPACs as a financial instrument and where they plan to put their capital in 2021 and beyond.
Tamika L. Butler is a national expert and speaker on issues related to the built environment, equity, anti-racism, diversity and inclusion, organizational behavior, and change management. As the Principal + Founder of Tamika L. Butler Consulting she focuses on shining a light on inequality, inequity, and social justice. Most recently, she was the Director of Planning, California and the Director of Equity and Inclusion at Toole Design. Previously, Tamika served as the Executive Director of the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, a non-profit organization that addresses social and racial equity, and wellness, by building parks and gardens in park-poor communities across Greater Los Angeles. Tamika has a diverse background in law, community organizing and nonprofit leadership. Tamika received her J.D. from Stanford Law School, and received her B.A. in Psychology and B.S. in Sociology at Creighton University in her hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. She is pursing her PhD in Urban Planning and lives in Los Angeles with her wife and two kids.
Tamika L.'s Sessions
Equity, Accessibility and Cities
Can mobility be accessible, equitable and remain profitable? We have brought together community organizer, transportation consultant and lawyer Tamika L. Butler; Remix by Via co-founder and CEO Tiffany Chu and Revel co-founder and CEO Frank Reig to discuss how (and if) shared mobility can provide equity in cities, while still remaining a viable and even profitable business. The trio will also dig into the challenges facing cities and how policy may affect startups.
Tiffany Chu is a designer, planner, and the CEO & Co-founder of Remix (remix.com). She and her team build a collaborative software platform for 350+ cities around the world to plan their mobility future. She has been named in Forbes\’ 30 Under 30, LinkedIn\’s Next Wave of Leaders Under 35, Curbed’s Young Guns, and featured at SXSW, Helsinki Design Week, the New York Times Cities for Tomorrow Conference and more. Remix has been recognized as both a 2020 World Economic Forum Tech Pioneer and BloombergNEF (New Energy Finance) Pioneer for the company’s work in empowering cities to make transportation decisions with sustainability and equity at the forefront. The company is backed by Sequoia Capital, Energy Impact Partners, Y Combinator, and Elemental Excelerator. Remix was acquired by Via in 2021 for $100M.
Tiffany's Sessions
Equity, Accessibility and Cities
Can mobility be accessible, equitable and remain profitable? We have brought together community organizer, transportation consultant and lawyer Tamika L. Butler; Remix by Via co-founder and CEO Tiffany Chu and Revel co-founder and CEO Frank Reig to discuss how (and if) shared mobility can provide equity in cities, while still remaining a viable and even profitable business. The trio will also dig into the challenges facing cities and how policy may affect startups.
Evette Ellis is co-founder, and chief workforce development officer at ChargerHelp Inc. Her ten-year career with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Job allowed both an internal and external understanding of how to develop workforce alongside of actual work, specifically in Black and LatinX communities. During this time, Evette led teams that placed over 3000 workers in the workforce with salaries ranging from 40K to 100,000K. She has worked with major OEM’s, ensuring clear understanding of their needs to successfully produce ideal candidates qualified for immediate hire. Evette is an impactful, thought provoking and candid industry expert, championing technology, innovation, and eco-conscious workforce development. She is dedicated to empowering decision-makers to take massive action towards impactful, equitable and lasting change through the lens of workforce development.
Evette's Sessions
EV Founders in Focus
We sit down with the founders poised to take advantage of the rise in electric vehicle sales. This time, we will chat with Evette Ellis, co-founder of ChargerHelp! a startup that enables on-demand repair of electric vehicle charging stations.
Pamela Fletcher (Pam) has been the Vice President of Global Innovation since 2018. Global Innovation is on a mission to turn high potential innovative ideas into scalable business ventures that drive growth and transform the GM business model beyond traditional automotive. Fletcher’s experience is broad and global. For more than a decade, she has been in leadership roles guiding the development of GM’s electric vehicle and self-driving portfolio and technologies, most recently as Vice President-Global Electric Vehicles. Her teams were responsible for developing several of GM’s most awarded vehicles, including two generations of the Chevrolet Volt, and the Chevrolet Bolt EV, the industry’s first mass-market, long- range, affordable electric vehicle. Her team also led the development of Super Cruise, the industry’s first hands-free highway driver assist system as well as three generations of Cruise AVs. Fletcher earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in engineering. She serves as a corporate director of Coherent Inc. (COHR), a NASDAQ-listed company based in Silicon Valley, and is also a board member of GM Defense LLC. She continued her education with the Executive Development Program at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, the Stanford Graduate School of Business Transformational Leadership Program and the Harvard Women on Boards Program. Fletcher was named to Motor Trend’s 2018 and 2019 Power List of auto industry leaders and was one of Fast Company’s “Most Creative People” of 2017. She serves on the Board of Advisors for the College of Engineering at the University of North Carolina Charlotte.
Pam's Sessions
Driving Innovation at General Motors
GM is in the midst of sweeping changes that will eventually turn it into an EV-only producer of cars, trucks and SUVs. But the auto giant’s push to electrify passenger vehicles is just one of many efforts to be a leader in innovation and the future of transportation. We’ll talk with Pam Fletcher, vice president of innovation at GM, one of the key people behind the 113-year-old automaker’s push to become a nimble, tech-centric company.
Dr. Ernestine Fu is a director at Hyundai Motor Group, leading technology development to build novel ultimate mobility vehicles at the recently-established New Horizons Studio. She also holds the roles of investor at Alsop Louie Partners to support startup companies and adjunct professor at Stanford University to teach courses in the school of engineering. She received her BS, MS, MBA and PhD from Stanford University.
Ernestine's Sessions
Mobility's Robotic Future
More than ever, automotive manufacturers are looking to robotics as the future of mobility, from manufacturing to autonomy and beyond. We’ll be speaking to the heads of robotics initiatives at the world’s largest automakers to find out how the technology is set to transform the industry.
Quin brings to Autotech a passion for enabling the success of mobility entrepreneurs by advising them on business development, recruitment, fundraising, and competitive differentiation. Raised in Silicon Valley, Quin is a lifelong “car guy” who has spent his career solving transportation problems with technology. He has dedicated his career to using technology to create safe, equitable, convenient, clean transportation for all. In addition to his work with Autotech Ventures portfolio companies, Quin has served in his personal capacity as a Board Director, Board Observer, or Advisory Board member at numerous mobility startups, including Lyft, Peloton Technology, and Connected Signals. He was part of the founding team at the electric vehicle infrastructure startup Better Place, responsible for partnerships with automakers and parts suppliers while living in Israel, Japan, and China. Quin holds a MS degree in Management Science and Automotive Engineering from Stanford and a BS degree with High Honors in Applied Economics and Management from Cornell. Quin speaks English, Spanish, and Chinese and enjoys driving race cars.
Quin's Sessions
Will Venture Capital Drive the Future of Mobility?
Clara Brenner, Quin Garcia and Rachel Holt will discuss how the pandemic changed their investment strategies, the hottest sectors within the mobility industry, the rise of SPACs as a financial instrument and where they plan to put their capital in 2021 and beyond.
Ahti Heinla is the current CEO, CTO at Starship Technologies. He guides the engineering team and develops the architecture of Starship’s robotic platform. Ahti has always had a passion for innovative technology, having designed his own computer program at the age of ten. You can find him the happiest when he lifts up his laptop and shoots another module of code. In 2013, he designed a robot to compete in a NASA contest to find a ‘soil sample retrieval robot’ for Mars missions. Armed with that experience, Ahti and his co-founder Janus Friis, realized there was a huge opportunity to disrupt the delivery industry – an industry that hadn’t been revolutionized by technology yet. They set to work creating a last-mile robotic delivery solution, which is when Starship Technologies was born. Fast forward six years and Starship is now completing thousands of autonomous deliveries per day, operating in five countries around the world.
Ahti's Sessions
Self-Driving Deliveries
Autonomous vehicles and robotics were well on their way transforming deliveries before the pandemic struck. In the past year, these technologies have moved from novel applications to essential innovations. We’re joined by a trio of companies — each with individual approaches that span the critical middle and last mile of delivery.
An accomplished entrepreneur, executive, and investor, Reid Hoffman has played an integral role in building many of today’s leading consumer technology businesses. In 2003 he co-founded LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional networking service.
In 2009 he joined Greylock. He currently serves on the boards of Apollo, Aurora, Coda, Convoy, Entrepreneur First, Microsoft, Nauto, Neeva, Xapo, and a few early stage companies still in stealth. In addition, he serves on a number of not-for-profit boards, including Kiva, Endeavor, CZI Biohub, New America, Berggruen Institute, Opportunity@Work, the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI, and the MacArthur Foundation’s Lever for Change.
He is the host of Masters of Scale, an original podcast series and the first American media program to commit to a 50-50 gender balance for featured guests. He is the co-author of three best-selling books: The Start-Up of You, The Alliance, and Blitzscaling. He is an Aspen Institute Crown Fellow, a Marshall Scholar at Oxford, and a graduate of Stanford University.
Reid's Sessions
The Future of Flight
Joby Aviation founder JoeBen Bevirt spent more than a decade quietly developing an all-electric, vertical take-off and landing passenger aircraft. Now he is preparing for a new phase of growth as Joby Aviation merges with the special purpose acquisition company formed by famed investor and Linked co-founder Reid Hoffman. Bevirt and Hoffman will come to our virtual stage to talk about how to build a startup (and keep it secret while raising funds), the future of flight and, of course, SPACs.
Rachel Holt is Co-founder and Managing Partner of Construct Capital, an early stage focused venture firm that invests in extraordinary founders who are transforming the most foundational industries of our economy. Sectors such as manufacturing and supply chain to logistics and transportation drive half our economy’s GDP yet lack advanced technology and are failing to meet customer expectations. Before Construct, Rachel spent nearly 8.5 years at Uber and was a long time member of the company’s Executive Leadership Team. Rachel began as one of the company’s first 30 employees, and her role quickly expanded to running the US & Canada Rides business in addition to Global Marketing and Brand, and Customer Support, which represented nearly half of Uber’s bookings, and just under half of the team. Most recently, Rachel led the company’s New Mobility organization, which includes the eBike and eScooter businesses as well as running Uber’s Incubator which funds and develops new products and services on Uber platform. Rachel began her career at Bain & Company, advising companies in the private equity, financial services and healthcare industries. She graduated magna cum laude from Amherst College and earned her MBA from Stanford University, where she was an Arjay Miller Scholar. She was ranked #9 on Fortune’s 40 under 40 and was named by Fast Company as One of the Most Creative People in Business.
Rachel's Sessions
Will Venture Capital Drive the Future of Mobility?
Clara Brenner, Quin Garcia and Rachel Holt will discuss how the pandemic changed their investment strategies, the hottest sectors within the mobility industry, the rise of SPACs as a financial instrument and where they plan to put their capital in 2021 and beyond.
Karl Iagnemma is an authority on robotics and driverless vehicles. His commentary has been published and broadcast worldwide on Bloomberg, The Economist, CNBC, and BBC, among others. As former director of the Robotic Mobility Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), his research resulted in more than 150 technical publications, 50 issued or filed patents, and numerous edited volumes, including books on the DARPA Grand Challenge and Urban Challenge autonomous vehicle competitions. In 2017, Iagnemma was named one of the “Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs” by Goldman Sachs and designated a member of the “Recode 100” list of technology influencers. He holds MS and PhD degrees from MIT, where he was a National Science Foundation fellow, and a BS from the University of Michigan, where he graduated first in his class. Iagnemma co-founded nuTonomy, Inc. in 2013 and saw the company through acquisition by Aptiv in late 2017. He is now president and CEO of Motional, which was formed from a joint venture by Hyundai Motor Group and Aptiv in 2020. Motional is making driverless vehicles a safe, reliable, and accessible reality.
Karl's Sessions
AVs: Past, Present and Future
TechCrunch Mobility will talk to two pioneers, and competitors, who are leading the charge to commercialize autonomous vehicles. Karl Iagnemma, president of the $4 billion Hyundai-Aptiv joint venture known as Motional, and Chris Urmson, the co-founder and CEO of Aurora, will discuss — and maybe even debate — the best approach to AV development and deployment, swap stories of the earliest days of the industry and provide a few forecasts of what’s to come.
Amy Jones Satrom is Head of Operations at Nuro, where she leads on-road operations, software quality and mapping operations, and Operations Product. She leads teams across the US, most notably in Houston, TX Scottsdale, AZ and Mountain View, CA. Prior to joining Nuro, Amy led operations at 23andMe where she was responsible for overseeing supply chain, lab operations, logistics, and operating systems. Previously, she held various leadership roles at Amazon, across both operations and the company’s retail businesses. Amy started her career as a nuclear engineer in the US Navy. Amy received her Master of Philosophy in Engineering for Sustainable Development from the University of Cambridge, and her B.S. in Oceanography from the United States Naval Academy.
Amy's Sessions
Self-Driving Deliveries
Autonomous vehicles and robotics were well on their way transforming deliveries before the pandemic struck. In the past year, these technologies have moved from novel applications to essential innovations. We’re joined by a trio of companies — each with individual approaches that span the critical middle and last mile of delivery.
After graduating from high school in Australia, he returned to South-Korea to start a trade intermediary business. Taking advantage of the Great East Japan Earthquake, he entered a Japanese university, worked as a planning intern for an IT company, started a business in Osaka while he was a university student, and carried out cross-border IT projects. He raised funds from several venture capitals and sold the company to an incorporation listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2017. Since 2019, he has been conducting consulting on cutting-edge IT technologies such as AI, blockchain, and RPA, and established NIMARU TECHNOLOGY to create new technologies in 2020. After being stranded in North-Africa by COVID-19, oVice began to develop.
Sae Hyung's Sessions
Will Remote Work Push Japan’s Rural Mobility Forward?
With remote work becoming the new normal and the mass movement from the city to the Japanese countryside, the trend of private car ownership is growing day by day. During this session, we’ll be hearing from Sae Hyung Jung, serial entrepreneur, founder and CEO of oVice. oVice is an agile communication tool that facilitates hybrid remote and virtual meetups. Most notably, a hope that can trigger a sudden expansion in the Japanese mobility and vehicle infrastructure.
Shawn Kerrigan, Ph.D., is COO and Co-founder at Plus. Under his direction, the company is developing self-driving trucks to enable large-scale commercialization of autonomous transport. Prior to Plus, Shawn was CTO and Co-founder of a hardware and software company in the solar industry. His earlier experience includes investment work at Bridgewater Associates, as well as strategy and operations work at McKinsey & Company. Shawn earned his Bachelor of Science degree from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He received his Master’s and Ph.D. in Engineering from Stanford University, where he conducted research across engineering and computer science, and first worked with artificial intelligence technology.
Shawn's Sessions
Delivering Supervised Autonomous Trucks Globally
Plus is applying autonomous driving technology to launch supervised autonomous trucks today in order to dramatically improve safety, efficiency and driver comfort, while addressing critical challenges in long-haul trucking — driver shortage and high turnover, rising fuel costs, and reaching sustainability goals. Mass production of our supervised autonomous driving solution, PlusDrive, starts this summer. In the next few years, tens of thousands of heavy trucks powered by PlusDrive will be on the road. Plus’s COO and Co-Founder Shawn Kerrigan will introduce PlusDrive and our progress of deploying this driver-in solution globally. He will also share our learnings from working together with world-leading OEMs and fleet partners to develop and deploy autonomous trucks at scale.
Avlok Kohli is the CEO of AngelList. Prior to AngelList, Avlok founded and sold two companies; FastBite a food delivery company that was acquired by Square in 2015 and Fairy a provider of high-frequency house-cleaning services.
Apeksha Kumavat is Co-founder and Chief Engineer of Gatik, where she leads the company’s autonomous driving technology and engineering organization. A lifelong technologist, she began building predictive agents and robotics systems as a teenager before earning her master’s degree at Purdue University. After working on autonomous vehicle systems at Ford and leading machine learning software at robotics startup OTSAW, she co-founded Gatik in 2017 with Arjun and Gautam Narang. In 2021, Apeksha led the deployment of the trucking industry’s first fully driverless commercial vehicles on public roads. Since then, she has helped take Gatik’s operations to commercial scale, with dozens of driverless trucks operating across North America for some of the world’s largest companies including PepsiCo and Canada’s Loblaw.
Apeksha's Sessions
Self-Driving Deliveries
Autonomous vehicles and robotics were well on their way transforming deliveries before the pandemic struck. In the past year, these technologies have moved from novel applications to essential innovations. We’re joined by a trio of companies — each with individual approaches that span the critical middle and last mile of delivery.
Nina Grooms Lee is Chief Product Officer of May Mobility, Inc. She was appointed to this position in June 2020 and is responsible for taking the company forward into its next phase of profitable growth by further defining its product and technology portfolio. Grooms Lee was drawn to join May Mobility because of their mission to provide safe, driverless transportation options that will help improve congestion and access in urban areas – benefiting those who need it most and ultimately level the playing field socially and economically. Prior to joining May Mobility, Grooms Lee was the Chief Product Owner of Ford Autonomous Vehicle Software Solutions where she built a team of more than 100 professionals who were responsible for delivering software, data and AI solutions for Ford’s first generation of AV offerings. She also spent nine years with GE Digital in various leadership positions focused on creating Internet of Thing (IoT) software, data and analytics for transportation and other industries and introducing them into the marketplace. Earlier in her career, Grooms Lee built her engineering and software expertise across a variety of industries. Grooms Lee holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkley and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Harvard Business School.
Nina Grooms's Sessions
Public-Private Partnerships: Advancing the Future of Mobility and Electrification
The future of mobility starts with the next generation of transportation solutions. Attendees will hear from some of the most innovative names on opportunities that await when public and private entities team up to revolutionize the way we think about technology. Trevor Pawl, Michigan’s Chief Mobility Officer, will be joined by Nina Grooms Lee, Chief Product Officer of May Mobility.
Jesse Levinson co-founded Zoox in 2014 and is the company’s Chief Technical Officer (CTO). He graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University and completed his Computer Science Ph.D. and Postdoc under Sebastian Thrun at Stanford University, where he developed algorithms for the $1M-winning entry in the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge and went on to lead the self-driving car team for five years. Levinson also co-created Pro HDR, the first HDR photography app for smartphones, which sold more than a million copies.
Jesse's Sessions
From Concept to Commuter Car — and Beyond
Zoox unveiled the design of its fit-for-purpose autonomous vehicle for the first time, after years of development and much anticipation. Meanwhile, the company was also acquired by Amazon in a high-profile deal that looks to give the company ample runway, while keeping its operations independent. We’ll hear from co-founder and CTO Jesse Levinson about what it’s like building an autonomous car company in the shadows of a commerce giant.
Dr. Jewel Li is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) at AutoX, a frontrunner of Level-4 fully autonomous driving technology company in Asia. AutoX focuses on building and deploying the most experienced and advanced AI Drivers for Asia’s most challenging urban driving scenarios. Currently, AutoX is operating the 1st and only fully driverless RoboTaxi service to the general public in China. Before joining AutoX, Dr Li received her PhD in Computer Science and was a senior engineer at the IBM Thomas J. Watson research center. She was honored as one of Silicon Valley’s 2018 Women of Influence by the Silicon Valley Business Journal.
Jewel's Sessions
The Rise of Robotaxis in China
Silicon Valley has long been viewed as a hub for autonomous vehicle development. But another country is also leading the charge. Executives from three leading Chinese robotaxi companies (that also have operations in Europe or the U.S.) will join us to provide insight into the unique challenges of developing and deploying the technology in China and how it compares to other countries.
Jennifer Li is Vice President of Finance at WeRide, China’s leading L4 autonomous driving company. WeRide is the first self-driving company to obtain strategic investment from top-tier global automakers, which include Alliance Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi and Yutong Group, as well as the first startup in the world holding driverless test permits in both China and the US. Jennifer has over 10 years of experience in investment and fundraising, both areas that she currently oversees at WeRide. Prior to joining WeRide, she was responsible for fundraising and Artificial Intelligence-related investments at SenseTime, and previously held the role of Investment Director at Baidu. She also worked in the Investment Banking Divisions of Deutsche Bank and UBS. Jennifer received a double B.S. in Computer Science and Business from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
Jennifer's Sessions
The Rise of Robotaxis in China
Silicon Valley has long been viewed as a hub for autonomous vehicle development. But another country is also leading the charge. Executives from three leading Chinese robotaxi companies (that also have operations in Europe or the U.S.) will join us to provide insight into the unique challenges of developing and deploying the technology in China and how it compares to other countries.
Trevor Pawl is the Chief Mobility Officer for the State of Michigan, and leads the Michigan’s Office of Future Mobility and Electrification. In this position, Pawl is responsible for working across state government, academia and private industry to grow Michigan’s mobility ecosystem through strategic policy recommendations and new support services for companies focused on the future of transportation. Prior to this position, Pawl served as the Senior Vice President of Business Innovation at the MEDC, where he led the official state programs for mobility (PlanetM), supply chain assistance (Pure Michigan Business Connect), export assistance (Michigan International Trade program) and entrepreneurial assistance (Michigan Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program). Before joining the MEDC, Pawl brought with him experience in supply chain matchmaking, having led the creation of the economic development program, Connection Point, at the Detroit Regional Chamber, which later became Pure Michigan Business Connect. Trevor has been named Crain’s Detroit Business’s “40 Under 40” and “50 Names to Know in Government”. He’s also been named Development Counsellors International’s “40 Under 40 Rising Stars of Economic Development” and the Great Lakes Women’s Business Council’s “Government Advocate of the Year”. Pawl holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Marketing from Grand Valley State University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Detroit Mercy.
Trevor's Sessions
Public-Private Partnerships: Advancing the Future of Mobility and Electrification
The future of mobility starts with the next generation of transportation solutions. Attendees will hear from some of the most innovative names on opportunities that await when public and private entities team up to revolutionize the way we think about technology. Trevor Pawl, Michigan’s Chief Mobility Officer, will be joined by Nina Grooms Lee, Chief Product Officer of May Mobility.
Mark Rawson brings over 25 years of energy and electric transportation technology research, development, and commercialization experience to the CMC and its Clients. He served as Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s (SMUD) manager of new business development focusing on marketing and commercializing SMUD’s intellectual property and technology innovation. He also served as SMUD’s Chief Research Technology Officer leading research strategic planning, portfolio and program management in renewable energy, distributed generation, storage, electric transportation, demand response, and grid management.
Mark's Sessions
Innovating Future Mobility for Global Scale
Learn how the CMC’s model of bringing their Clients’ new technologies to market is new and innovative, going beyond a typical demonstration or pilot program, to the point of product launch and sustaining market viability. Hear from an expert panel about how the CMC’s programming is unique, innovative, and game-changing.
Frank Reig is the Co-founder and CEO of Revel, a transportation company that’s electrifying cities through charging infrastructure and shared electric vehicle fleets. Revel launched in 2018 with a pilot of 68 shared electric mopeds in Brooklyn, and has since expanded to offer its mopeds in Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx, Washington, D.C., Miami, Oakland, Berkeley, and San Francisco. In 2021, Revel announced that it will build fast-charging EV Superhubs across New York City and launched an eBike subscription service in four NYC boroughs.
Frank's Sessions
Equity, Accessibility and Cities
Can mobility be accessible, equitable and remain profitable? We have brought together community organizer, transportation consultant and lawyer Tamika L. Butler; Remix by Via co-founder and CEO Tiffany Chu and Revel co-founder and CEO Frank Reig to discuss how (and if) shared mobility can provide equity in cities, while still remaining a viable and even profitable business. The trio will also dig into the challenges facing cities and how policy may affect startups.
Mate Rimac is the founder of Croatian car and technology company, Rimac Automobili, known for its world-leading innovations in high-performance EV technology for automotive brands like Porsche, Hyundai-Kia, SEAT, Renault, Pininfarina and more. In 2011, Rimac Automobili launched the world’s first true electric hypercar, the Concept_One, and is on track to launch the 1,914hp, all-electric C_Two in 2021. As of today, Rimac Automobili has more than 1,000 employees, and counts Porsche and Hyundai-Kia among its stakeholders. Mate founded the company in 2011 working from a garage on his own, but he had already established himself as a relentless innovator and gifted inventor many years earlier. In 2005, he invented an ‘Electric Glove’ to replace a computer’s keyboard and mouse then, shortly after, won an award at the IENA international trade fair for his blind-spot-free automotive rear-view mirror system. In 2007, at just 19, Mate converted his 1984 BMW E30 track car with an experimental EV powertrain, and it was so successful that the humble, garage-built BMW set five FIA-approved and Guinness World Records as the world’s fastest accelerating electric vehicle. Mate remains the major shareholder of both Rimac Automobili and its subsidiary company Greyp Bikes, who specialise in the production of electrically assisted bicycles.
Mate's Sessions
Building an Electric Powerhouse
Rimac Automobili, today known for its electric hypercars and battery and powertrain development, began like so many storied startups do: in a garage. Mate Rimac has taken his company from tiny upstart to a 1,000-person company that has attracted Porsche as an investor and customer. And more is coming. We’ll talk to Mate about building a startup, his views on the EVs, and what is next for the company.
Mario Santillo received the B.S. degree in Aeronautical and Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2003, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan in 2005 and 2009, respectively. Mario currently leads the robotics research efforts within Ford Motor Company’s Research & Advanced Engineering Organization, where he focuses on the development and application of advanced control methods and artificial intelligence algorithms to next-generation robotic technologies.
Mario's Sessions
Mobility's Robotic Future
More than ever, automotive manufacturers are looking to robotics as the future of mobility, from manufacturing to autonomy and beyond. We’ll be speaking to the heads of robotics initiatives at the world’s largest automakers to find out how the technology is set to transform the industry.
Ben Schippers is the co-founder and co-CEO of HappyFunCorp, a product engineering firm that helps businesses reach the cutting edge of creative software tech and create apps that don’t suck.
Ben's Sessions
EV Founders in Focus
We sit down with the founders poised to take advantage of the rise in electric vehicle sales. We’ll chat with Ben Schippers, co-founder and CEO of TezLab, an app that operates like a Fitbit for Tesla vehicles (and soon other EVs) and allows drivers to go deep into their driving data. The app also breaks down the exact types and percentages of fossil fuels and renewable energy coming from charging locations.
Bret uses more than three decades of knowledge in the automotive industry to bring partnerships between Wejo and OEM’s to life. With technical and commercial experience from GM, VW and FCA, he is equally comfortable discussing trends in the mobility sector as he is in uncovering the mutual benefits of working together on a project. Born and raised in Pontiac Michigan, Bret is the product of several generations of car enthusiasts and can often be found under one of his classic cars. His knowledge of municipal operations has come from his service as City Commissioner in Pleasant Ridge, Michigan, where he now lives. Bret holds a BS degree in Electrical Engineering and an MBA specializing in Globalization from Lawrence Technological University.
Bret's Sessions
Making Mobility Data Accessible to Governmental Agencies to Meet New Transportation Demands
Wejo provides accurate and unbiased unique journey data, curated from millions of connected cars, to help local, state, province and federal government agencies visualize traffic and congestion conditions. Unlock a deeper understanding of mobility trends, to make better decisions, support policy development and solve problems more effectively for your towns and cities.
Shardul joined Index in 2008. He focuses on security, cloud infrastructure, and enterprise software investments. He is a director of Attack IQ, Brightback, Castle Intelligence, Datadog (NASDAQ:DDOG), Expel, Gatsby, and Wiz.io. Shardul was previously a director of Adallom (Microsoft), Sourceclear (CA Technologies), Koality (Docker), Lacoon (Check Point), Base (Zendesk) and an investor in Duo Security (Cisco). After graduating from the University of Chicago, Shardul worked with Summit Partners where he focused on healthcare and internet technologies.
Michael Sherwood is the Chief Innovation Officer for the City of Las Vegas – the first city in North America to deploy an autonomous shuttle service on open roads in the downtown corridor. Sherwood has more than 20 years of management experience, specifically in the field of technology, process improvement and innovation with the majority of that experience being in municipal government operations. Previously he served as the deputy director of public safety, business services and city technology for the City of Irvine, CA. In that capacity he was responsible for budgets of both public safety at $70 million and technology at $8 million. He was responsible for more than 100 professional, technical employees and contractors. In that role he developed and implemented key technology strategies that reduced the annual technology operating costs by more than $1 million. He also provided key leadership in bringing Google Fiber to the city. Prior to that position, Sherwood served as the manager of business services for the City of Irvine, CA from 2012-2013, the Chief Information Officer for City of Oceanside, CA, from 2001-2012 and the information technologies manager for the City of Oceanside, CA from 1997-2000. Before 1997, he served in the private sector. Sherwood earned his Bachelor of Science in Management from Pepperdine University followed by a Master of Science in Executive Management from the University of Southern California.
Michael's Sessions
How Edge Cases and Data Will Enable Autonomous Transportation in Cities Across the U.S.
Data will play a vital role in solving the critical edge cases required to gain city approval and deploy autonomous transportation at scale. Pilot projects are underway across the U.S. and cities such as Las Vegas are leading the way for progressive policies, testing and adoption. But, how do these projects involving a limited number of vehicles gain city approval, expand to larger geographic areas, include more use cases and service more people? Join our expert panel discussion as we examine the progress, challenges and road ahead in harnessing data to enable multiple modes of autonomous transportation in major cities across the U.S.
Huan Sun is General Manager of Momenta Europe. Previously she served as head of marketing and business development. She has led the efforts in commercializing the autonomous driving technology with the mission of Momenta — Better AI, Better Life. Her work experiences started as new media research roles at the New York Times and MIT Media Lab. Then she moved to business side looking at new technologies in a venture capital firm, ESO Fund, in Silicon Valley. Then she returned to China in 2016 to start entrepreneurial endeavors at Momenta. Huan has master’s degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and bachelor’s degree from Tsinghua University. She has unique insights into the impact of new technologies and her passion lies in empowering a better society through technology.
Huan's Sessions
The Rise of Robotaxis in China
Silicon Valley has long been viewed as a hub for autonomous vehicle development. But another country is also leading the charge. Executives from three leading Chinese robotaxi companies (that also have operations in Europe or the U.S.) will join us to provide insight into the unique challenges of developing and deploying the technology in China and how it compares to other countries.
Scott founded EnerTech Capital to provide risk-adjusted returns and insights into emerging opportunities. He spun the unit out into an independent venture in 1996. As a board member and investor, Scott has provided strategic and operational guidance for early-to-mid-stage companies for almost two decades, and routinely offers strategic counsel to EnerTeach’s board and senior executives. Prior to EnerTech, Scott spent 16 years in the power industry as an operating executive with Atlantic Energy culminating in his role as President & COO of the portfolio of the company’s non-regulated enterprises.
Scott's Sessions
Innovating Future Mobility for Global Scale
Learn how the CMC’s model of bringing their Clients’ new technologies to market is new and innovative, going beyond a typical demonstration or pilot program, to the point of product launch and sustaining market viability. Hear from an expert panel about how the CMC’s programming is unique, innovative, and game-changing.
Chris Urmson is the co-founder and CEO of Aurora, the company delivering the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly. Chris has been instrumental in instigating and advancing the development of self-driving vehicles and the industry for the last 15 years. Before founding Aurora, Chris helped start Google’s self-driving car program and served as CTO. Prior, Chris was a faculty member of the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University where he worked with house-sized trucks, drove robots in the desert, and was the technical director of the DARPA Urban and Grand Challenge teams. Chris has authored more than 60 patents and 50 publications.He earned his Ph.D. in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon University and his BSc in computer engineering from the University of Manitoba in 1998.
Chris's Sessions
AVs: Past, Present and Future
TechCrunch Mobility will talk to two pioneers, and competitors, who are leading the charge to commercialize autonomous vehicles. Karl Iagnemma, president of the $4 billion Hyundai-Aptiv joint venture known as Motional, and Chris Urmson, the co-founder and CEO of Aurora, will discuss — and maybe even debate — the best approach to AV development and deployment, swap stories of the earliest days of the industry and provide a few forecasts of what’s to come.
Raquel Urtasun is the Founder and CEO of Waabi, the leader in Physical AI. Raquel is a Full Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Toronto and co-founded the Vector Institute for AI. Over her 25 year career within AI, she has been the recipient of several high profile and prestigious awards including a Longuet-Higgins Prize (test of time award), an Everingham Prize, an NSERC EWR Steacie Award, two NVIDIA Pioneers of AI Awards, three Google Faculty Research Awards, an Amazon Faculty Research Award, two Best Paper Awards at CVPR, the leading conference in computer vision, and more. In 2026, she was named to the Inc. Female Founders List and was named a fellow of The Royal Society. In 2025, she was included on Fast Company’s AI 20 and The Observer’s Power Index. In 2024, she was named a fellow of The Royal Society of Canada. In 2023, she was awarded the Ontario Chamber of Commerce’s Emerging Tech CEO Award, Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in AI (2023) and the Order of Ontario, the highest civilian honor in the province. She has published more than 200 papers in AI, which have been cited more than 100,000 times, giving her an h-index of 132, and she has filed more than 150 patents in AI for self-driving. Prior to founding Waabi, Raquel was the Chief Scientist and Head of R&D at Uber ATG and a Canada Research Chair in Machine Learning and Computer Vision. Raquel received her Ph.D. degree from the Computer Science department at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in 2006 and did her postdoc at MIT and UC Berkeley.
Raquel's Sessions
Coming Out of Stealth to Drive AVs Forward
Raquel Urtasun, the former chief scientist at Uber ATG, is launching a new autonomous vehicle startup that is backed by a long list of heavy hitters, including Khosla Ventures. We’ll discuss her new venture, the industry, and how her approach to AI can be used to speed up the commercialization of AVs.
Alexandr Wang is the founder and CEO of Scale AI, the data platform accelerating the development of artificial intelligence. Alex founded Scale as a student at MIT at the age of 19 to help companies build long-term AI strategies with the right data and infrastructure. Under Alex’s leadership, Scale has grown to a $7 billion valuation serving hundreds of customers across industries from finance to model builders to U.S. government agencies.
Alexandr's Sessions
Supercharging Self-Driving Super Vision
Few startups were as prescient as Scale AI when it came to anticipating the need for massive sets of tagged data for use in AI. Co-founder and CEO Alex Wang also made a great bet on addressing the needs of lidar sensing companies early on, which has made the company instrumental in deploying AV networks. We’ll hear about what it takes to make sense of sensor data in driverless cars and look at where the industry is headed.