By Samuel Masters
The Los Angeles Auto Show’s AutoMobility LA™ announced the finalists for the 2016 Top Ten Automotive Startups™ competition. There were more than one hundred applicants and out of those hundred , the top ten diverse and unique startups were selected, who will evolve daily transportation and mobility needs. The Top Ten Startups this year included everything from floatable eco-friendly cars and first-responder safety technology, to women-only ride-sharing and software infrastructure for building autonomous cars.
- Argus Cyber Security, a company that provides a ready-to-embed, cybersecurity solution suite for automobiles and aftermarket connectivity platforms.
- EverCharge Inc., a large scale multi-vehicle EV charging system that makes EV ownership accessible for everyone.
- HAAS Alert, a mobile vehicle-to-vehicle platform that delivers preemptive notifications to motorists and the car itself.
- LISNR, Inc, a company that develops ultrasonic communication technology between phone and car using existing hardware for keyless access, car payments, and vehicle personalization.
- PolySync,, an operating system built for the high-bandwidth, high-compute requirements of fully autonomous driving.
- See Jane Go, a ridesharing app by women for women that ensures safety and trust, which is currently lacking in many existing ride-hail apps.
- Spatial.ai, a geospatial app that provides users with the culture and flavor of urban areas through big data analysis of social media.
- Spira4u Co., an alternative to the automotive market, built for safety, affordability, and eco-friendliness made primarily from high density foam.
- URBAN626, a company that creates lightweight, foldable, personal vehicles for last-mile travel. URB-E travels up to 15 mph, has a 20-mile range and folds to fit conveniently in a bus, train, or car trunk.
- YourMechanic, an on-demand marketplace for finding the best reputable mechanics and bringing them directly to your car.
“We are pleased to once again hold our Top Ten Automotive Startups competition,” said LA Auto Show and AutoMobility LA President and CEO, Lisa Kaz.
“Each year, we look for companies that are continuing to change the face of the automotive industry through technology and mobility in every sense of the word. The new automotive industry is certainly upon us and we’re excited to spotlight these truly innovative businesses that are progressing transportation all over the world.”
The winning Top Ten startups will be able to exhibit at this year’s AutoMobility LA, in the Technology Pavilion, located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center. The startups will receive recognition in front of 4,500 media and more than 20,000 of the industry’s most influential thought-leaders, including automakers, tech titans, designers, developers, investors, dealers, government officials, analysts and more.
The Top Ten will be narrowed down to the final three and each company will receive a mentoring session on stage during AutoMobility LA 2016 with Silicon Valley investor Bill Tai. Following the live mentorship, the winning startup will be announced. The grand prize winner of the Top Ten will be awarded the opportunity to attend the final celebration of the 2017 Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC), an internationally-acclaimed tech competition that takes place on Necker Island. The grand prize winner will have the opportunity to interact with members of the Extreme Tech Challenge team, finalists and sponsors. The XTC judging panel is expected to include special guest judge Sir Richard Branson.
The Top Ten finalists were selected by the AutoMobility LA Advisory Board, which is comprised of senior executives from Aeris Communications, Elektrobit, Ellis and Associates, General Electric, Google, Itron, Local Motors, Lyft, Nokia Growth Partners, NVIDIA, Pandora and Strategy Analytics.
Founded in 1907, the Los Angeles Auto Show (LA Auto Show®) is the first major North American auto show of the season each year. In 2016, the show’s Press & Trade Days merged with the Connected Car Expo (CCE) to become AutoMobility LA™, the industry’s first trade show converging the technology and automotive industries to discuss the most pressing issues surrounding the future of transportation and mobility. AutoMobility LA 2016 will take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Nov. 14-17, with manufacturer vehicle debuts intermixed. LA Auto Show will open to the public from Nov. 18-27. AutoMobility LA is where the new auto industry gets business done, unveils groundbreaking products and makes strategic announcements in front of media from around the globe. LA Auto Show is endorsed by the Greater L.A. New Car Dealer Association and is operated by ANSA Productions. To receive the latest show news and information, follow LA Auto Show on Twitter at twitter.com/LAAutoShow or via Facebook at facebook.com/LAAutoShow and sign up for alerts at http://www.laautoshow.com/. For more information about AutoMobility LA, please visit http://www.automobilityla.com.
AutoMobility LA™, Top Ten Automotive StartupsTM, Connected Car Expo®, LA Auto Show® and Los Angeles Auto Show™ are the exclusive property of ANSA Productions, Inc.