2020 Startups to Watch: Draiver pulling out of stealth mode with steady hands on the wheel
January 22, 2020 | Anna Turnbull
Editor’s note: Startland News selected 10 Kansas City firms to spotlight for its annual Startups to Watch list. The following is one of 2020’s companies. Click here to view the full, ranked list of Startups to Watch.
Businesses across the country have a mobility problem and Draiver is set to flip mobility tech on its head in 2020, said Zarif Haque.
Elevator pitch: Draiver is an artificial intelligence-based, self-learning logistics platform that moves vehicles by planning, executing and instructing drivers.
•Founders: Zarif Haque, Kevin Burke
• Founding year: 2013 (launched in 2016)
• Amount raised to date: $2.625 million
• Noteworthy investors: Tim Barton, David Ferdman, Scott Coons, Brian McClendon, Matthew Vettel
• Current employee count: 19
“Our company is focused on vehicle logistics,” explained Haque, CEO and founder of Draiver — an artificial intelligence-based, self-learning logistics platform that moves vehicles by planning, executing and instructing drivers.
Backed with confidence from board members that include Tim Barton, founder of Freight Quote and Brian McClendon, vice president of products at Uber and creator of Google Maps and Google Earth, Draiver isn’t just another tech company — its a transformative operation that stands to deliver innovative technologies in 2020, never before seen by the public, explained Dan Rizzo, vice president of finance.
“We look at all of the possibilities and we give those options to our drivers,” added Haque in anticipation of a year that could also see the startup close in on significant funding as it pushes the boundaries on what’s possible in mobility tech.
“[We are looking forward to] securing additional intellectual property. We have seven issued patents [as of] today and we are expecting a few more, in addition to some international patents. If we get those we will be untouchable,” he said confident in the company’s abilities.
As its popularity mounts, Draiver’s team is expected to expand in 2020, creating jobs across 30 states and further driving revenue, noted Haque.
“[In 2019] we had our largest revenue generating year. We expect to continue our steady three-times revenue growth year-after-year. We are slow but steady and continuously growing.”
Major partnerships with municipalities, which will put the startup’s latest technology to the test are also expected to be announced in the coming months, the company said.
1) United American Hemp
2) Tesseract Ventures
3) ELIAS Animal Health
4) Healium
5) Fishtech
6) Draiver
7) Backstitch
8) Stenovate
9) Boddle Learning
10) Destiny
This story is possible thanks to support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a private, nonpartisan foundation that works together with communities in education and entrepreneurship to create uncommon solutions and empower people to shape their futures and be successful.
For more information, visit www.kauffman.org and connect at www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn
Featured Business
2020 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Why a City Market favorite is jumping the state line — to the food court at Oak Park Mall
Its Brazilian dishes — using recipes the owners grew up eating in São Paulo — have been a City Market draw for more than a decade. Now Taste of Brazil restaurant is expanding to Johnson County, but as a quick-serve kiosk with a limited menu. Taste of Brazil Express plans a late September opening in…
Spiced side hustle gives this Kansas culinary teacher a kick (and a growing market)
Richard Wilks is bringing heat to Kansas’ food scene. A chef and community-builder at heart, Wilks created Burro, a line of chili and garlic crunch oils, sauces, and seasonings designed to fuel real connection around the table. His growing lineup can be spotted at the Overland Park Farmers Market, where loyal customers keep coming back…
Animal health innovators: Building on a new frontier means do-overs, even when you got it right first
Kansas City-based ELIAS Animal Health earned full USDA approval for its bone cancer therapy for dogs earlier this year, but the road to commercialization has been long and anything but straight, Tammie Wahaus shared. The veteran CEO shared her story of pivots — including switching from human health to animal health and adapting to ever-changing…
Development leaders laud HQ expansion for organization that opens workforce to Kansas Citians with autism
A new multimillion-dollar, 80,000-square-foot headquarters along Kansas City’s Brush Creek marks a major milestone for Behavioral Health Allies, strengthening the organization’s workforce training efforts and its belief in the potential for individuals with developmental disabilities and autism spectrum disorders, officials said Wednesday. “This expansion is exactly the kind of investment Kansas City needs,” said Tracey…