Roundtable roundup set for TC Sessions: Mobility 2022 – TechCrunch

TC Sessions: Mobility is quickly approaching. Join us on May 18-19 in San Mateo, California and online on May 20 for a deep dive featuring the best, brightest and most intriguing founders, engineers, investors, regulators and technologists dedicated to transforming the way we move people and packages around the globe. 

Pro Tip: Buy a General Admission pass now and save $200.

We have two days of in-person programming waiting for you — just take a gander at the agenda. But we want to spotlight the topic-focused roundtable discussions. Why? These smaller gatherings will be led by topic experts and main stage speakers. They give attendees the chance to dig into an issue and engage in meaningful conversations that can lead to interesting opportunities.

We’ve got some great ones on tap. Take a look for yourself.

May 18

Building a Sustainable Mobile Ecosystem with Ritu Narayan, CEO and Founder, Zum

• With transportation accounting for the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, there are few business decisions that could make as much of an impact on greenhouse gas emissions as electrifying transportation, particularly mass transit. But for sustainability at this scale, businesses must consider an ecosystem approach to thrive. Drawing from Zum’s expertise in leading the charge to transition school bus fleets to EV, this roundtable will focus on the creative and innovative ways business leaders, investors, professionals and the community at large can work together to achieve a greener future.

Pilotless Flight: How Close Are We to Fully Autonomous Airplanes? with Maxime Gariel, CTO, Xwing

• Many believe self-flying planes will begin transporting passengers in our lifetime. Do you see yourself as an early adopter of autonomous flight? Join Maxime Gariel, CTO of Xwing, the company leading autonomous aviation, in an engaging discussion where we will explore what it would be like to take your first autonomous flight. Maxime can also share insights to the common misconceptions of autonomous flight, how the technology is currently impacting the aviation market and how close we truly are to commercial autonomous flight.

Next Gen Mobility: Why Software Drives the Future of Vehicle Architecture with Joe Speed, VP of Product, Apex.AI

• Vehicles have long been defined by the hardware that powers them, but cutting-edge technologies are carrying mobility into a software-first future. Vehicles with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) have upwards of 100 computers known as electronic control units (ECUs) operating largely independently from one another. But the transition to connected, autonomous, shared, electric vehicles consolidates that into a small number of powerful computers. This means the computer architecture becomes simpler while the software becomes more complex, which requires a more robust level of software integration than ever before. This is creating hurdles that must be overcome for traditional original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in all industries, including automotive, agriculture, mining, industrial automation and more. This roundtable will discuss: What it’s going to take for industries to launch autonomous vehicles at scale; why industries like agriculture and manufacturing are seeking autonomous and software innovations from the automotive industry and robotics; the steps that must be taken to speed the delivery of the required software and algorithms; and the impact reliability has on autonomous vehicles. For example, if software crashes on your computer it is annoying, but on an autonomous car, farming equipment or manufacturing robot, the result can be devastating.

Zero-emission Aviation — A Roadmap for Hydrogen-powered Flight with Dr. Alex Ivanenko, Co-founder and CEO, HyPoint

• Aviation produced 2.4% of global CO₂ emissions in 2018, which as a country would rank it sixth in the world (between Japan and Germany). Non-CO₂ effects, such as warming induced by aircraft contrails and other pollutants, bring aviation’s combined total contribution to global warming to approximately 5%. In this session, we will discuss the factors that have hindered zero-emission flight, as well as the technological roadmap and recent breakthrough innovations that will bring hydrogen-powered airplanes to the skies within the next few years.

Creating Ethical and Inclusive Solutions for Mobility Tech with Lisa Mae Brunson, Founder & Chief Visionary, Wonder Women Tech

• This session will explore the opportunities mobility startups and companies have when building ethical and inclusive solutions into the infrastructure of their product, and/or company culture. We’ll deep-dive into an “AMA” style and thoughtful discussion around innovating a multibillion-dollar industry with social innovation in mind. Sponsored by Wonder Women Tech.

The Future of Critical Medical Cargo Deliveries Is Unmanned Aircraft, and It’s Here Today with Scott Plank, Founder, JSP Ventures

• Healthcare’s complex modes of transportation and chains of custody are in need of innovation. This session will offer a firsthand look at how two companies — MediGO and MissionGO — are currently leveraging autonomous unmanned helicopters to provide safe, efficient, inexpensive, and low carbon footprint transport of critical medical cargo. Participants will learn about and discuss ideas for addressing known and unknown scenarios in which decision-making will take place between autonomous and traditional modes of transportation, as well as ways to provide improved healthcare resource efficiencies (including delivery of blood samples and human transplant organs; healthy, fresh and local foods; and emergency supplies), improve patient outcomes and reduce costs.

From Algorithms to Public Roads: Why a Human-centered Approach to Autonomous Driving Technology Is Needed to Win Hearts and Minds with Amisha Vadalia, Senior Director of Operations, Plus

• The development of autonomous truck technology has progressed to a point where it’s no longer a question of if, but how and when it will become commercially available at scale. Amisha Vadalia, Plus’s Senior Director of Operations, will share the different paths companies are taking to develop Level 4 driverless trucks, Plus’s unique evolutionary path to full autonomy, which starts with a commercial product already being being operated by Amazon and others, and a comparison of human-centered technology with systems that are not based on feedback from drivers, fleets and OEMs.

May 19

Green Mobility in the Digital World with Doug Davenport, Founder, Executive Director, ProspectSV

• Everything about mobility is changing, from traditional public transit to ride sharing to a wave of electric vehicles, bikes, and scooters. New mobility requires more than just vehicles – we need on-site power, charging networks, digital platforms to manage fueling, maintenance, logistics, and more. Let’s talk about the technology and market opportunities coming for a better, green transportation system. Sponsored by ProspectSV.

Sustainable Mobility in Emerging Markets: Optimizing People, Planet and Profit through Technology with Damilola Olokesusi, CEO and Co-founder, Shuttlers Metropolitan Mobility Company Limited

• Emerging economies like Lagos and Abuja, Nigeria, where Shuttlers operates, are famous for exponential population growth. This population growth comes with many challenges, transportation being one of the most prominent. The ever-growing population creates an imbalance where demand for transportation continues to outpace supply by miles. The United Nations (UN) has pointed out that high-technology-driven transportation systems that prioritize sustainability are the solution to common transportation problems in emerging economies. As private transport technology companies like Shuttlers emerge to redefine the way people move by introducing new tech-enabled transport systems and services, it is crucial to focus on long-term transportation sustainability. The conversation around transportation sustainability should focus on how technology can optimize these three key pillars: people, planet and profit.Discussing transportation sustainability at the roundtable (using the highlighted three Ps, also known as the triple-bottom-line model by John Elkington) will help raise awareness and offer solutions to the shortcomings of transportation technology in emerging markets. These shortcomings range from insufficient talent/skill to the issue of carbon emissions, unavailability of modern environmentally friendly transportation infrastructure and maintaining profitability as a startup whilst imbibing the best global practices in transport innovation.

Why You Can’t Build a New EV in Corporate America with Sue Ozdemir, Chief Executive Officer, Exro Technologies

• Gas-powered cars and motorcycles have been around for more than 100 years. During that time, legacy auto brands and major corporations have gained a wealth of capital and experience in designing, manufacturing, selling and improving ICE models. Now with the push for electrification, that experience is a bit of a crutch. Electrification requires more than just adding a battery to existing ICE models, but a rethink of chassis designs and hard-tooled manufacturing facilities. Such a huge shift in mindset and expertise requires what tech startups have in spades — this includes a penchant for constant innovation, failing fast and thinking beyond “how things have been done” for decades. Corporate America is learning from younger companies that are immersed in the world of electrification and working with the latest technology available. A huge reason why Sue went from being the CEO of Small Industrial Motors at GE to the CEO of Exro was because she couldn’t innovate fast enough or take the amount of risk needed to change the industry from the inside. Sue will share how she now balances her corporate experience and profit-driven business savvy with her tech startup eagerness to move fast and break things to ultimately deliver EVs that drive better, faster and longer at a lower cost.

The Race to Code and Monetize the Curb with Regina Clewlow, Co-founder & CEO, Populus

• Everyone — from on-demand delivery to scooters to autonomous ridehailing — needs a piece of the curb to operate. We’ll talk about how smart cities are leveraging technology and platforms to manage and price this precious resource to deliver a safer, more sustainable mobility future.

Head to TC Sessions: Mobility for a deeper dive into the future of transportation and to meet the people who are shaping it! Buy your pass today and save $200. We can’t wait to see you!