Skip to main content

Ford teams up with Techstars Mobility start-ups

The Ford Motor Company is to collaborate with three 2016 Techstars Mobility start-ups, Spatial, HAAS Alert and Cargo, to pursue next-generation mobility solutions, including navigation, connectivity and ride-sharing initiatives. Spatial is a Cincinnati-based company that provides a dynamic, human-driven layer of social intelligence to create mapping and navigation. Chicago-based HAAS Alert is a connected notification platform that warns motorists when emergency vehicles are approaching, while Cargo, a New Y
September 9, 2016 Read time: 2 mins

The 278 Ford Motor Company is to collaborate with three 2016 Techstars Mobility start-ups, Spatial, HAAS Alert and Cargo, to pursue next-generation mobility solutions, including navigation, connectivity and ride-sharing initiatives.

Spatial is a Cincinnati-based company that provides a dynamic, human-driven layer of social intelligence to create mapping and navigation. Chicago-based HAAS Alert is a connected notification platform that warns motorists when emergency vehicles are approaching, while Cargo, a New York-based in-vehicle general store, helps ride-share drivers cater to passengers.

Techstars Mobility, a Ford-sponsored initiative now in its second year, was designed to further the automaker’s mission to enhance next-generation mobility solutions while helping start-up companies get their footing in business.

The three companies will continue working with Ford to advance the automaker’s mission to enhance smart mobility. Spatial blends human-driven data such as social media content with machine-assisted analysis to impact how people use maps.

HAAS Alert aims to create intelligent traffic solutions by providing emergency vehicle data to drivers. The Ford-supported pilot program is launching in metro Detroit.

Cargo endeavours to enhance the ride-share experience for both drivers and passengers. Cargo kits, sent directly to ride-share drivers who purchase them, are stocked with products on-the-go passengers commonly want, such as snacks.

“The possibilities are endless when you combine the experience and influence of a storied company like Ford with the energy and innovation of these inspiring start-ups,” said Bill Coughlin, president and CEO, Ford Global Technologies. “This year’s Techstars Mobility program has truly exemplified that, and we’re thrilled to continue working with Spatial, HAAS Alert and Cargo.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • The future of mobility: designed for life
    August 16, 2019
    The future of mobility…sounds exciting, doesn’t it? But try to define it and you soon find it’s like putting a fence round a cloud. What will it look like? When will we get there? Who decides? And why are we still not wearing jetpacks? Maybe next year. The Royal College of Art in London does not seem like the most obvious place to look for hard-headed thinking on these things. But it has a long heritage in designing beautiful cars – and it is also home to the Intelligent Mobility Design Centre, which is lo
  • Avoiding the call of the wild
    June 29, 2018
    Hitting an animal on a rural road can be fatal for all parties involved – but detecting and avoiding them requires clever technology. Andrew Williams carefully scans the horizon for details. Wildlife-vehicle collisions are an ever-present threat in rural areas around the world, and there is certainly nothing funny about suddenly finding an angry moose in your headlights on a sharp bend. A variety of detection and avoidance systems are currently in use or under development to help prevent your vehicle being
  • Pan-European travel information is a reality – at a price
    November 26, 2013
    Pan-European, multi-modal traffic and travel information is now available, for drivers willing to pay for it. Jon Masters reports. Those able to afford a new car with all the latest options including internet connectivity can now look forward to getting detailed up-to-the-minute traffic information. They can also access multi-modal travel data, such as train times, plus weather forecasts and parking availability. Take the connected car to any Western European country and the system still works with live
  • Lyft boss: ‘There has to be another way of doing things’ 
    February 14, 2020
    Adding roads and vehicles is not enough to improve mobility, according to Raj Kapoor, chief strategy officer and head of business at Lyft.