Alex Roy is co-founder of Johnson & Roy advisors, the Autonocast podcast, The Drive, and the Human Driving Association. Roy is Chairman Emeritus of The Moth, has set 7x Cannonball Run endurance driving records, and spent 4 years at Argo AI. He is also the author of The Driver, producer of APEX: The Secret Race Across America, and often cited as the godfather of Universal Basic Mobility.

Dr. Aty is a Trustee Chair at University of Central Florida (UCF). He is a Pegasus Professor and the Chair of the Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering Department. He is leading the Future City initiative at UCF and introduced in 2019 the first MS degree in Smart Cities. He is well recognized in work and research in real-time safety, Proactive traffic management, and Connected Vehicles. Dr. Abdel-Aty has managed 75 research projects, and published more than 700 papers, 370 in journals, Google Scholar citations more than 22,500 H-Index 80. Dr. Abdel-Aty is the Editor Emeritus of Accident Analysis and Prevention, the premier journal in safety. He is a member of the Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of Florida (ASEMFL). He is a Fellow of both ASCE and ITE. He is the Chair of the ASCE Transportation Safety Committee. Dr. Aty has received the TRB 2020 Roy W. Crum Distinguished Service Award, National Academies, NSC Distinguished Service to Safety Award, Francis C. Turner award from ASCE. He has also received the 2019 ITE Transportation Safety Council Ricker Award and the Lifetime Achievement Safety Award from ARTBA in 2019. He has also received multiple International awards including the Prince Michael International Road Safety Award, London 2019.

Albert Gore is the East Coast Lead for Public Policy and Business Development at Tesla. Previously, he was Deputy Director, Policy and Electricity Markets—Finance at SolarCity, and prior to that was Vice President of Business Development at Strategic Capital Partners, a commercial real estate investment and development firm. He has a bachelor’s degree in government from Harvard College and a master’s degree in business administration from Columbia University.

Hardik Gajjar is a senior port and intermodal planner at WSP and has contributed significantly to various port and intermodal rail projects involving master planning, terminal planning, and cost analysis. With over a decade of technical experience, he brings the capability of capacity analysis, terminal planning, operational analysis, and cargo movement analysis. 

His experience ranges from performing feasibility and strategic analyses; to due diligence; and to master planning for new or existing terminals. With a civil engineering background, Mr. Gajjar is also involved in performing development cost estimate and assisting in terminal design. Mr. Gajjar is the co-developer of Port Rail Intermodal Modeling Environment (PRIME), WSP’s proprietary marine and intermodal terminal/port planning and analysis tool and has led the development of capacity model for various ports. He is also involved in freight movement projects focusing on analysis of various supply chain alternatives, freight resilience, and research practices. Mr. Gajjar’ s work experience includes projects not only at major US ports, but also international ports and intermodal terminals.

Megan Sirjane-Samples is the Director of Government Relations for Lyft, the nation’s leading rideshare and transportation network company. She leads a team of professionals across the Eastern region, developing and executing Lyft’s legislative, regulatory, political and policy strategies. Prior to Lyft, Megan served as an advocate and lobbyist for a variety of interests in roles at KSF & Associates and the Florida League of Cities. She has also held roles in the legal and communications fields. Megan is a graduate of University of South Florida and lives in St. Petersburg, FL.  

Joshua Aviv, Founder & CEO, SparkCharge

Joshua Av​​iv is a certified Data Scientist and the Founder & CEO of SparkCharge. His experience in entrepreneurship and startups spans over 6 years and he is a dynamic figure in the cleantech community. Joshua is also the most recent winner of the world’s largest pitch competition, 43North. Joshua holds a B.A. in Economics and a Masters Degree in Information Management and Data Science from Syracuse University.

John B. Rogers, Jr. is the Founder and Vice Chairman of LM Industries, a technology company that designs, builds and sells vehicles and other high-technology products in partnership with other global manufacturers. This disruptive company is redefining the rapid development of connected hardware by pairing advanced manufacturing with open innovation tools. LM Industries is the first company to utilize Direct Digital Manufacturing (DDM), as evidenced when it debuted the world’s first 3D-printed car, the Strati, in September of 2014. Currently, the Company is producing its latest product, Olli, an urban speed, cognitive, electric, shuttle.

Rogers founded LM after serving for seven years in the United States Marine Corps, where he was an Infantry Company Commander. He has worked as a consultant for McKinsey & Co., as an investment analyst at Ewing & Partners, and at a startup medical device company in the People’s Republic of China. He serves as the Chief Investment Officer and Director of the RBR Foundation, a philanthropic foundation focused on education and healthcare. A graduate of Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Rogers holds a Masters in Business Administration from Harvard Business School (Baker Scholar).

Jason Eichenholz

Jason Eichenholz is a serial entrepreneur and pioneer in laser and photonics product development and commercialization. Over the past twenty-five years, he led the development of hundreds of millions of dollars of new photonics and photonic-enabled products. At Luminar he is responsible for R&D and Engineering of new products and bringing Luminar’s technology to market. Eichenholz is a fellow of SPIE and OSA and holds more than sixty patents on lasers and photonic devices. Eichenholz has an M.S. and Ph.D from CREOL at the University of Central Florida and a B.S. in Physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Rich Steiner is Head of Policy and Communications at Gatik, the market leader in autonomous middle mile logistics. Rich leads Gatik’s government affairs and regulatory strategy across North America. For over a decade, Rich has worked at the intersection of technology and public policy. Prior to Gatik, Rich worked as a Senior Manager for the Government of Ontario and led technical consultations on behalf of energy-from-waste technology companies in the UK. Rich holds a Master of Public Policy degree from King’s College, London and a BA Hons degree from the University of Toronto in English.

Jim is the Chief Administrative and Legal Officer of TuSimple. He has more than 15 years of executive leadership experience in the trucking industry. Jim is also a member of the Board of Directors for the American Trucking Associations, the largest and most comprehensive national trade association for the trucking industry. Prior to joining TuSimple, Jim served as the Acting Administrator and Chief Counsel of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Prior to that, Jim was an executive at Werner Enterprises, Inc., a publicly-traded transportation and logistics company, serving as executive vice president and general counsel.

Education: University of Nebraska, J.D.

Dr. Migliaccio is Professor and Chair of Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ABE) at the University of Florida (UF) and a Professional Engineering in the state of Florida. She has a BS in Agricultural Engineering (1997) from Texas A&M University, MS in Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering (1999) from University of Kentucky, and a Ph.D. in Biological and Agricultural Engineering (2005) from University of Arkansas. As a faculty member, Dr. Migliaccio focused on hydrology and water conservation with a research, teaching, and extension appointment. She published one book, 11 book chapters, and 77 refereed publications.

Dr. Migliaccio currently leads the UF ABE department, which is nationally ranked by USNWR, 3^rd in graduate programs. The department includes over 30 faculty and 20 staff, with academic programs in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering. Dr. Migliaccio also contributes to leadership efforts with ASABE’s Circular Food and Agricultural Systems initiative and the Artificial Intelligence Initiative at UF. She has received awards including a 2019 ASABE President’s Citation for Leadership in forming the Journal Editor and Chief Position and a 2020 ASABE President’s Citation for Leadership in forming the ASABE E-03 IDEA Committee. Other recent recognitions include the 2017 Recognition of Excellence in Extension by Southern Region Extension Directors, 2018 UF Research Foundation Professor, 2020 Outstanding Professional Award from University of Kentucky Biosystems Engineering Department, and the 2021 UF/IFAS Culture of Nominations Award.

Laura Kelley, Central Florida Expressway Authority Executive Director

 Laura Kelley has more than 30 years of experience in executive transportation management, helping shape national, state and local policy. In 2014, she was named the Central Florida Expressway Authority’s (CFX) first executive director, managing the daily operations of the agency’s 125-mile expressway system and $3.2 billion-dollar five-year work plan.

Under her leadership, the agency has adopted a “Customer First” philosophy leading to innovative programs such as the expansion of customer services by opening drive-up Reload Lanes on expressways, piloting the Visitor Toll Pass Program in partnership with the Orlando International Airport, and saving commuters millions of dollars through toll discounts. Numerous cutting-edge safety and technology improvements have been installed on CFX expressways under her guidance, including award-winning wrong-way driver detection systems. Ms. Kelley’s prudent management style has led to a strengthened financial position and upgraded bond ratings.

Previously, Ms. Kelley served as executive director of the Florida Transportation Commission and financial manager for the Florida Department of Transportation’s $36 billion work program. She is a member of the International Bridge Tunnel and Turnpike Association, the American Society of Highway Engineers, WTS International (Advancing Women in Transportation), and the Transportation and Expressway Authority Membership of Florida (TeamFL). She serves on the external advisory board of the University of Florida Transportation Institute, the governing board for TeamFL and the executive advisory board for Advancing Sustainability through Powered Infrastructure for Roadway Electricfication (ASPIRE). She is a graduate of Florida State University’s College of Business.

Cosimo Leipold is Head of Partner Relations at Nuro, responsible for new business development and ongoing partner management. Cosimo manages Nuro’s business strategy and partnerships discussions to bring the first fully unmanned, on-road vehicle for local deliveries to market. Prior to joining Nuro, Cosimo spent 6 years at Capital One, serving as Senior Business Manager for Partnerships Client Development, and previously held a number of leadership positions across industry and consulting. Cosimo earned an MBA from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business and a B.A. in Economics from Northwestern University.

Alain Kornhauser is Professor of Operations Research & Financial Engineering at Princeton University. He studied Aerospace Engineering at Penn State where he obtained a BS and MS and Princeton, earning a PhD. In 1971 he joined the Aerospace Engineering faculty at U of Minnesota where he applied automation, network analysis and optimal control to the design of Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) Systems.  He returned to Princeton in 1972 continuing and extending his pivotal work to more conventional forms of transportation. In 1979 he founded ALK Technologies, Inc. to help the private North American Railroad System emerge from bankruptcy by rationalizing its network structure and transitioning to emerging computer technology.  ALK created the standard digital map database and computerized routing systems that continue to be relied upon by essentially all railroad and trucking companies in North America.  He transitioned this technology to the consumer marketplace where he pioneered the development and market acceptance of turn-by-turn navigation systems. After 33.5 years, he sold ALK to Trimble Navigation in December 2012.

At Princeton, Prof. Kornhauser is in his 50th year on the faculty. He serves as Director of the Transportation Program where he continues his basic research in Transportation focused on the real-time operation of large fleets of driverless vehicles and on the development of Deep-Learning Neural Networks that safely drive road vehicles. He was the Faculty Leader of Princeton’s entries the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge and 2007 Urban Challenge. He is particularly focused on the use of aTaxis to deliver Equitable, Affordable, High-quality Mobility to everyone, especially economically challenged households. He is Faculty Chair of Princeton Autonomous Vehicle Engineering (PAVE), Editor of the Smart Driving Cars Newsletter (www.SmartDrivingCar.com), Co-host of the SmartDrivingCar Podcasts, Organizer of the Annual Princeton SmartDrivingCars Summits, Board Chair of the Advanced Transit Association (ATRA), Board Member of the New Jersey Commission on Science, Information and technology, and a member of New Jersey’s legislated Autonomous Vehicle Task Force.  In addition to his teaching and research duties he serves as the ORFE’s Department’s Director of Undergraduate Studies.  Professor Kornhauser completed 14 NYC Marathons.

Joseph Holmes recently joined Perrone Robotics serving as the Vice President for Global Business Development. Joseph is responsible for finding meaningful projects and increasing the number of partnerships across the globe. He previously worked for EasyMile as the Director of Sales for North America, and prior to that with FirstGroup in the both UK and the US.

A fierce advocate for ‘mobility for all’, Joseph was featured in Mass Transit 40 under 40. He has worked within public transportation since 2005 in numerous customer facing, operators and business development roles across the globe. Joseph holds a BA(Hons) in Politics and International Relations from the University of the West of England and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of New Hampshire. 

Colin Roche is Co-founder and CEO of Swiftmile, a micromobility infrastructure company whose Mobility Hubs charge and organize light electric vehicles (LEVs) like e-scooters and e-bikes. Swiftmile’s in-field charging model helps cities scale up shared micromobility with fewer of the pain points: reduced sidewalk clutter, less operational emissions and congestion, and more fully-charged vehicles to ride. Swiftmile works with every major micromobility company to incentivize riders to end trips at Mobility Hubs, saving operators 75% as compared to nightly vehicle collection.

Colin has over 25 years of experience in product design and clean energy, most recently leading PV manufacturer Jiawei Solar to IPO in 2013. Earlier in his career, he invented the ergonomic writing instrument PenAgain, which has sold over 10 million units in 25 countries. His work has been featured in major outlets like the WSJ, WIRED, Newsweek and on NBC, ABC, and FOX. Colin became fascinated by the potential of LEVs to transform cities after winning an e-bike at a charity auction in 2015, leading him to co-found Swiftmile.

Carter Stern is a Senior Government affairs manager for Cruise, the all-electric, autonomous vehicle company. Based in Texas, Carter handles Cruise’s governmental affairs and regulatory strategy outside of California. Prior to joining Cruise, Carter worked at various mobility tech companies including Lyft and ofo, as well as running the nonprofit operator of Houston’s station based bike-sharing program. Carter’s career has focused on the intersection of technology, public policy, and the built environment to ensure that new mobility solutions address the unique and diverse challenges facing cities. In his spare time, Carter serves as board chair of BikeHouston, Houston’s bike advocacy organization. He resides in Houston with his wife and two young children.

Gautam Narang 

Gautam Narang is the co-founder & CEO of Gatik, a technology company with a mission to deliver goods safely and efficiently using autonomous vehicles. Gatik focuses on B2B short-haul logistics for the retail industry and has established the first autonomous Middle Mile logistics network in North America serving multiple Fortune 500 customers including Walmart and Loblaw. 

Before founding Gatik, Gautam led multiple high-profile teams building diverse robotic systems from moon rovers and self-driving cars to off-road autonomous vehicles and bomb-disposal robots. He has over 12 years of experience in robotics and AI from research at CNRS, NREC, Honda R&D, and Waseda University. He holds a Master’s in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon University.

Ariel Wolf

Ariel Wolf leads Venable’s Autonomous and Connected Mobility group, where he counsels clients facing complex legal and policy issues at the intersection of automation, electrification, connectivity, data privacy, and cybersecurity. Ariel is a recognized thought leader who works closely with vehicle manufacturers, technology companies, advanced equipment suppliers, and software developers to navigate the emerging landscape being transformed by autonomous vehicles (AVs) and mobility technology.

Ariel’s legal work includes serving as general counsel to the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association (AVIA), the nation’s leading coalition of AV developers, to advance federal, state, and international regulatory priorities for the AV industry. He provides sophisticated legal counseling to clients through the application of general transportation law to novel use cases and technologies and is a seasoned advocate who represents clients before agencies that include the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Previously, as a senior official in the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), Ariel launched the Department’s Non-traditional and Emerging Transportation Technology (NETT) Council, oversaw the Department’s efforts on spectrum policy, and developed policies governing automated vehicles, drones, hyperloop, and other innovative technologies.

In addition to his legal work, Ariel leverages nearly two decades of government affairs experience to engage with federal and state policymakers and negotiate regulatory frameworks that govern AVs and related emerging mobility technology. He has testified before the U.S. Congress and across the country on autonomous and connected vehicle legislation and is frequently quoted by national media outlets on transportation developments. Ariel is a member of Venable’s Privacy Group and his work has been recognized by Legal 500.

Clifford Cruz is the CEO and founder of Skyway, an unparalleled air traffic management company with its eye on the future of airborne vehicles and services.

Clifford’s experience in cyber security solution architecture is just the beginning of his extensive expertise. He is similarly passionate in a range of related fields, such as radio and aircraft communication development, infrastructure cloud innovation, military hardware design, and enterprise hardware architecture. When it comes to combining business and ingenuity, Clifford is nothing short of a mastermind. With an equally impressive network of supporters and an eye for future markets, Skyway is sure to be yet another addition to his long list of successful undertakings.

Michael Hughes is the Chief Revenue Officer at  ChargePoint. He is an accomplished sales leader with 25 years of experience in strategic planning, sales, services, marketing, business and organizational development, product leadership, operations and market-making in early-stage and established technology companies. At ChargePoint, Hughes leads global sales, mobility ecosystem relationships and business development functions. Prior to joining ChargePoint, he spent nine years at Barracuda Networks, serving as Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales and Services and scaling the company to $500 million in revenue and an initial public offering. He was previously Vice President of Sales for Asempra Technologies and a sales and business development leader at McDATA Corporation, Invio Software and Marimba. Michael advises technology and venture capital firms. He holds a BS in Marketing from Miami University and an MBA from the University of Michigan.

Robert Poole is Director of Transportation Policy and the Searle Freedom Trust Transportation Fellow at the Reason Foundation. He received his B.S. and M.S. in mechanical engineering at MIT and did graduate work in operations research at NYU.

His 1988 policy paper proposing privately financed express toll lanes invented that concept. The paper inspired California’s landmark public-private partnership pilot projects law (AB 680), which led to the world’s first privately developed express toll lanes project on SR 91 in Orange County, California. Today, more than 60 ETL projects are in operation around the country. In 1993 Bob directed a Reason study that introduced the term HOT Lanes.

He has been an advisor to the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Transit Administration, the White House Office of Policy Development, and the DOTs of California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Utah, Virginia, Texas, and Washington State. He served on the Caltrans Privatization Advisory Steering Committee in 1989-90 and was a member of California’s Commission on Transportation Investment in 1995-96.

He is a member of the board of the Public-Private Partnerships division of ARTBA and a member of the Transportation Research Board’s Managed Lanes Committee. In 2003-05 he was a member of the TRB’s special committee on the long-term viability of fuel taxes for transportation funding. In 2008 he served as a member of the Texas Study Committee on Private Participation in Toll Roads. In 2010 he served as a member of the Expert Review Panel on Managed Lanes, for the Washington State DOT. He also served on the transition team for Florida’s Gov.-Elect Rick Scott. He writes a monthly column on transportation policy issues for Public Works Financing and publishes the monthly e-newsletter, Surface Transportation Innovations.

His book, Rethinking America’s Highways: A 21st Century Vision for Better Infrastructure, was published by the University of Chicago Press in July 2018, with a paperback edition released in January 2021.

bob.poole@reason.org

Dr. Dean Bushey is the Vice President, Hitachi’s Social Innovation Business (GSIB), Americas. He has over 30 years of business, academic, and military leadership experience in energy, EVs, transportation, and mobility as a business leader, computer scientist, educator, commercial pilot, and autonomous and connected systems expert. He leads and directs GSIB America’s team in commercial development and business strategy across multiple verticals, emphasizing advanced digital solutions and data analytics. Within GSIB, we focus on co-creating the next-generation digital solutions, business models, and ecosystems with our customers and partners to drive economic, environmental, and societal value.

He is an internationally recognized expert in autonomous, connected, electric, and shared transportation systems across air, rail, freight, trucking, and shared system modalities. He has leadership experience in autonomous vehicles, served as a senior consultant to several large municipalities on their intelligent and connected transportation systems, and was instrumental in shaping the DoD’s worldwide, autonomous, and connected advanced flight systems.

Before joining Hitachi America, Ltd., he was the General Manager of Voyage, a self-driving car startup with a mission to super-charge communities with self-driving cars. In addition, he helped lead the operational deployment of self-driving vehicle technology in The Villages, FL.

In 2013, he retired from the U.S. Air Force, after 25 years of service, as a full Colonel, where he had extensive unmanned systems, aviation, and leadership experience. During his years of decorated service, he led international collations in autonomous systems and project management. He is also a Command Pilot with over 4500 hours of aircraft command flight experience, including instructor pilot qualifications and experience in seven different aircraft. A 1988 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Dean also holds a Master’s degree and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Clemson University.

Carla Bailo, President & CEO, Center for Automotive Research

Carla Bailo is the President and CEO of the Center for Automotive Research (CAR), and is a leader in engineering and vehicle program management with 42 years of experience in the automotive industry. Under her leadership, CAR continues to be a preeminent resource of objective and unbiased research, analysis, and information regarding the North American automotive industry.

In addition to her role at CAR, Ms. Bailo was the 2016-2018 vice president of automotive for SAE International, a global association of more than 138,000 engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial-vehicle industries.

Prior to joining CAR, she was most recently the assistant vice president for mobility research and business development at The Ohio State University. She also has 25 years of experience at Nissan North America, Inc., where she served as senior vice president of research and development. Ms. Bailo also spent 10 years at General Motors. She has an MS degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan and a BS degree in mechanical engineering from Kettering University.

Marc Scribner, Senior Transportation Policy Analyst, Reason Foundation

Scribner’s work focuses on a variety of public policy issues related to transportation, land use, and urban growth, including infrastructure investment and operations, transportation safety and security, risk and regulation, privatization and public finance, urban redevelopment and property rights, and emerging transportation technologies such as automated road vehicles and unmanned aircraft systems. He frequently advises policymakers on these matters at the federal, state, and local levels. 

Scribner has testified before Congress at the invitation of both Democrats and Republicans on issues including highway revenue collection, traffic congestion management, and airport financing. 

He has appeared on television and radio programs in outlets such as Fox Business Network, National Public Radio, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and has also written for numerous publications, including USA Today, The Washington Post, Wired, CNN.com, MSNBC.com, Forbes, and National Review. And his work has been featured by The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Scientific American, Congressional Quarterly, Washington Monthly, POLITICO, CNN, Bloomberg, BBC, C-SPAN, and other print, television, and radio outlets.

As the Assistant Secretary for Strategic Development, Brad Thoburn leads the statewide transportation planning, modal development, research, and innovation for the Florida Department of Transportation. Brad has experience in both the public and private sectors and has worked in transportation, planning, and policy leadership positions at the local, state, and federal levels. Brad and his team shape the statewide transportation policy framework and guide some of the state’s most impactful transportation investments through the Strategic Intermodal System. His modal group is strengthening the vision for an integrated multimodal transportation system.

Mr. Thoburn previously served as the Southeast Region Practice Lead for Transit and Planning at Michael Baker International, Vice President of Long-Range Planning and System Development at Jacksonville Transportation Authority, Chief Planner at FDOT, and Director of Planning and Development for the City of Jacksonville.

Brad is a long-time resident of Florida with his wife, Dearing, and their two daughters. He is a graduate of Washington and Lee University.

Senator Jeff Brandes is a highly respected and accomplished leader who served in the Florida Legislature from 2010 to 2022. He represented District 24, which covered a majority of Pinellas County, and was known for his innovative and independent policy-making. Throughout his tenure, he consistently advocated for solutions to address Florida’s most challenging issues.

Jeff has been an advocate for improving Florida’s corrections system, insurance regulation, affordable housing and transportation.

Brandes is a strong advocate for free market principles and has worked to reduce regulations and taxes to promote business development in Florida. He is a vocal supporter of cutting-edge technologies and has played a vital role in the state’s advancing self-driving vehicles, rideshare, and other emerging technologies. For over a decade, he has hosted the Florida Automated Vehicle Summit, which assembles industry leaders from around the country to address transportation technologies, operations, and policy issues.

Brandes is a veteran, having served as an Army officer in the 101st Airborne Division in Iraq. This experience gave him a unique perspective on leadership and public service. He has also advocated for prison reform, worked to increase public safety through improvements in the criminal justice system, and was a leader in property insurance reform.

In addition to his legislative duties, Brandes is a business owner and serves on the boards of several community organizations. He is dedicated to making Florida a better place to live, work and raise a family. Since leaving office, he has founded the Florida Policy Project, which researches best practices across different policy areas to inform state policy-making. Senator Brandes lives in St. Petersburg with his wife Natalie and their four children.

Igino Cafiero, CEO of Bear Flag Robotics

Igino Cafiero is the CEO of Bear Flag Robotics, acquired by John Deere in 2021. Bear Flag Robotics develops autonomous technology that can be added to farm tractors as a performance upgrade. Igino is a former founder and has business experience across a broad range of sectors including automotive, telecom and agriculture. Prior to founding Bear Flag, Igino was a product manager at Cisco Systems. He earned a BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon, MS in Electrical Engineering from Stanford, and an MBA from the Wharton School.

OLAF SAKKERS, GENERAL PARTNER AND CO-FOUNDER, REDBLUE CAPITAL

Olaf is led by a sense of curiosity to try to understand the kernel of what makes something unique or interesting. While serving in the Israel Defense Forces, he discovered how the rapidly emerging autonomous vehicle technology could transform transportation and be a unique opportunity for the Israeli tech ecosystem. He met Michael Granoff in 2014 and over the course of six years built Maniv Mobility into a leading global venture capital fund focused on mobility, managing $150 million and backed by leading industry players including Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi, Hyundai, BMW, Shell, Aptiv, LG and Valeo.

Born in South Africa, Olaf attended Princeton University where he majored in Anthropology, writing his thesis about frontier medicine and global health policy. The same interest in culture and understanding complex systems are what give him a deep sense of fulfillment from partnering alongside founders to build great companies which solve critical problems.

Olaf founded RedBlue Capital, an early-stage mobility-focused venture capital firm along with Prescott Watson in 2021. He’s also the author of Mobility Disruption Framework, a book that unpacks the rapid transformation happening in the mobility industry through the lens of microeconomics and colorful comparisons to household pets. He has spoken at numerous conferences such as Web Summit and Tech Crunch and has been quoted in publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times and Bloomberg.

As founder & CEO of The Road to Autonomy, Grayson Brulte is an expert on what happens next. His vision and insight have established him as one of the world’s leading authorities on the emerging universe of autonomous vehicles and trucks.

Grayson has leveraged his understanding of this dynamic and disruptive market to create a powerful and respected integrated data analytics and media platform – The Road to Autonomy®.

The platform includes the main components: The Road to Autonomy Index®, calculated by S&P Dow Jones Indices, which tracks the 40 most influential companies investing in technology research and development of autonomy; The Road to Autonomy® Podcast, an award-winning program with nearly 200 episodes featuring the industry’s most influential voices; and a new The Road to Autonomy® video series featuring in-depth looks at the players behind the trends, whose game-changing technologies will drive autonomy beyond what currently seems possible.

Grayson advises the executive teams of many of the leaders in the autonomy space, and he is in demand as a speaker at industry events and an expert source for the media. His insights and perspectives have been featured In The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, The Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg News, Reuters News, Forbes, CNN, and The Hollywood Reporter.

Grayson has deep experience in autonomy and other disruptive technologies. He is former co-chair of the City of Beverly Hills Mayor’s Autonomous Vehicles Task Force and a member of the city’s Smart City/Technology Committee. In these roles, he helped Beverly Hills become one of the country’s digital capitals as ranked by Google. Grayson started his career at Sony Music Entertainment at a time when technology and platforms such as YouTube were changing the dynamics of the music business and reshaping the relationships between artists and record companies.