Dataspeed, a leading provider of autonomous vehicle solutions, recently hosted a Q&A session with CEO, Paul Fleck. The session provided valuable insights into the company’s vision, products, and services, as well as the challenges and opportunities in the ever-evolving autonomous vehicle industry. Fleck’s responses were informative, interesting, and shed light on the promising future of autonomous vehicles. In this blog, we summarize and highlight some of the key takeaways from the Q&A session.
- What inspired you to start Dataspeed Inc?
While working full-time at another company, I began doing some side projects and discovered my passion for robotics and automotive. Realizing I couldn’t pursue this interest at my current job, I decided to start my own company. Prior to that, I worked at a Tier 2 supplier and a small military startup that ultimately failed, leading me to focus on Dataspeed full time.
- What challenges did you face when starting the company, and how did you overcome them?
Starting a company can be challenging because of limited support. Initially, you may have to take on multiple roles such as front office, back office, head engineer, purchasing, and marketing. This can lead to long work hours and constant energy investment. Overcoming these challenges involves growing the company and adding support staff as the company expands.
- How has Dataspeed evolved since its inception?
Dataspeed initially provided engineering services in a variety of areas where they could add value to the customer. However, as time went on, we narrowed the focus to robotics and more specifically automotive robotics, which involves autonomous vehicles.
- What do you consider to be the company's greatest achievement so far?
Our greatest achievement as a company has been continuously expanding our capabilities. Starting with no core technology or autonomy, we developed a drive-by-wire kit for a specific vehicle in 2015. Since then, we have expanded to multiple vehicles, added full system integration and customized autonomy software, and are now incorporating cloud connectivity to make our vehicles part of the internet-of-things.
- How do you prioritize and make decisions for the company?
To prioritize requests for company resources, we assess them against our established corporate goals. If a request does not align with these goals, it is not considered a priority.
- What do you look for in employees and how do you foster a strong company culture?
We seek employees who embody our corporate culture and internalize our core values of Excellence in Engineering, Customer Service, Growth, Commitment, Teamwork, and a Fun & Productive Environment. We prioritize creative individuals who are team players, customer-focused, and committed to delivering quality work. Our ideal candidates possess innate drive and are a good fit for the company.
- Can you discuss any exciting new projects or technologies that Dataspeed is working on?
We are rapidly advancing our ability to use artificial intelligence and signal processing to solve real-world problems, as well as applying autonomy in our technologies.
- How does Dataspeed contribute to the AV and ADAS industry or community?
Our company provides research and development vehicles to companies in the AV industry, ranging from small startups to Fortune 50 companies. This allows them to test out their innovations and improve their value to the industry. We serve a diverse range of markets, including universities, startups, government and defense, and business model companies, with over 200 customers utilizing our technology and solutions. By enabling our customers to innovate more rapidly in the AV space, we help drive progress in the industry.
- What advice would you give to AV startups?
In the AV industry, some treat it as a sprint rather than a marathon. However, it’s becoming increasingly clear that sustained effort is necessary for success. Companies need to commit for the long term, as the widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles is still far away.
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