SmartDrive

History[edit] SmartDrive Systems was founded in 2004 in San Diego by James Plante, an automotive entrepreneur.[2] Plante served as the company's first CEO, until April 2008, when Greg Drew took over as CEO.[2] In June 2012, the company announced media executive Steve Mitgang as their new CEO.[3] In October 2013, SmartDrive announced it would begin capturing data from third party safety systems, including systems from Bendix, now part of Knorr-Bremse; Mobileye, now part of Intel; and Meritor WABCO, an alliance formed by automobile component manufacturer Meritor and commercial vehicle system manufacturer WABCO.[4][5] In 2014, the company announced a partnership with Meritor WABCO to roll out a performance management system called Proview.[5] Also in 2014, the company partnered with ProSight Specialty Insurance on a program called SecureFleet, where Prosight helped its customers pay for SmartDrive’s data and video event recording system and driver coaching program.[6] By 2015, the company had grown to 450 employees worldwide, with 150 in the United States.[6] In November 2015, the company announced several single and multi-camera safety systems.[7] In September 2016, development partner Transdev North America announced they were deploying SmartDrive Rail on the Cincinnati Bell Connector streetcar fleet, which is managed by the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority.[8] In October 2016, the company introduced SmartDrive SmartIQ, a data analysis tool that allows fleet operators to study safe driving behavior.[9] By March 2017, the company had grown to 594 people worldwide.[10] In May, the company announced it was integrating its software with transportation management software from Birmingham, Alabama-based McLeod Software. The integration was intended to allow fleet customers of each company to share and manage driver records.[11] Products[edit] SmartDrive provides video analysis, predictive analytics and performance programs to help drivers in commercial fleets improve their driving skills and lower operating costs.[12] The company also collects and stores data from almost 200 million risky-driving events, which is used to improve fleet driving patterns.[13] The company's SmartChoice video systems have external and internal facing cameras, with video offload and review capabilities, with options for synchronizing a driver's performance with events outside the cab.[14] System options include a single road-facing camera, with video offload and review capabilities; a two-camera system, one facing the road and one facing the driver; and a system of up to four cameras, for a 360-degree view of the vehicle, and rear facing options to allow monitoring of unloading. SmartDrive's systems also allow fleet owners to track vehicles and any potential erratic movement that might indicate anything out of the ordinary, such as sudden stops.[10] By combining video and sensors, fleet managers can identify, assess and correct risky driving behaviors before they lead to a collision.[6] The company's Transportation Intelligence services team develops data analysis tools including SmartDrive SmartIQ, which allows fleet operators to analyze driver performance by type.[9] The software also integrates with other fleet management software to allow sharing of records.[11][4] The company also offers a fuel management solution that measures speeding to help to improve fleet performance and fuel efficiency. Its Fuel Economy mobile app shows drivers key metrics and mileage trends, and allows them to see what events might have affected their mileage.[15] SmartDrive Rail is a version of the company's safety system designed for trains. The system captures collisions and other unexpected events on video and by measuring system parameters, allows investigators to identify safety issues that could lead to future accidents. The video and risk parameters can be accessed for training purposes.[8] Funding history[edit] In November 2007, SmartDrive disclosed that it received USD$46 million in venture funding, led by Oak Investment Partners and New Enterprises Associates.[16][3] In December 2009, the company announced a fifth round funding of $25 million.[17] In June 2012, the company announced $47 million in new venture funding led by existing investors Oak Investment Partners and New Enterprises Associates, as well as new investor Stanford University.[3] In March 2015, the company announced its largest funding round to date, a $50 million round led by earlier investors as well as product partner WABCO.[12] Two other earlier funding rounds totaling $12.2 million brought total company funding to $180.2 million.[18] In October 2017, the company announced an additional funding round led by the North American arm of French tire manufacturer Michelin.[19]