nuTonomy, the leading developer of state-of-the art software systems for self-driving cars, today announced that proven senior business development executive Gretchen Effgen has joined the company as Vice President of Partnerships. In this newly-created role, Gretchen will shape and drive nuTonomy’s global partnership strategy as it prepares the world’s first commercial autonomous vehicle (AV) mobility-on-demand system for launch in 2018. She will report directly to nuTonomy CEO and co-founder Karl Iagnemma.
With extensive experience in international business development, Gretchen comes to nuTonomy from CivicSmart, where she was EVP of Mobility Solutions, a position in which she created partnerships to optimize smart parking solutions and mobility in cities. Gretchen previously held a series of senior executive positions with Zipcar, where she executed the company’s strategic partnership initiatives with Ford, Honda, Toyota, Google and other companies.
Karl Iagnemma said, “We are thrilled to welcome Gretchen as an integral part of nuTonomy’s executive leadership team. In addition to her extensive knowledge of the intersection of urbanization and transportation, she has an impressive track record in forging effective relationships among the world’s most-respected automobile, transportation and technology companies. Gretchen will play a key role in accelerating nuTonomy’s development in the U.S. and around the world.”
Gretchen Effgen added, “nuTonomy’s leadership in the AV industry is unmatched, and I am honored to join its talented executive team. I look forward to identifying growth opportunities for nuTonomy through creative partnerships, while further enhancing the company’s strong leadership position in the rapidly-developing global autonomous transportation industry.”
A member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Cities and Urbanization, Gretchen is a frequent panelist and keynote speaker who offers insights on the intersection of transportation and urbanization, the sharing economy and smart cities. She recently convened the Boston Mobility Roundtable, a consortium of Boston-area mobility company leaders, and she contributes to a breadth of publications, including those published by the World Economic Forum, World Bank and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Gretchen holds an MBA from London Business School and a BA from Tulane University.
nuTonomy recently began testing a fleet of its self-driving Renault Zoe electric vehicles in Boston on public roads within the Raymond L. Flynn Marine Park in the Seaport section of the city.
Last fall, nuTonomy forged a partnership with Grab, Southeast Asia’s leading ride-hailing app, to support the expansion of nuTonomy’s on-going public trial of self-driving cars in Singapore, the first such public trial in the world. The trial is giving select Grab users a chance to experience the full end-to-end experience of e-hailing and riding in a nuTonomy self-driving vehicle in and around Singapore’s one-north business district. nuTonomy has also been named an R&D partner by the Singapore Land Transport Authority to support the development of a commercial AV service in Singapore.
In 2016, nuTonomy completed a $16M Series A funding led by Cambridge, MA-based Highland Capital Partners, with participation from Fontinalis Partners, Signal Ventures, Samsung Ventures, and EDBI, the dedicated corporate investment arm of the Singapore Economic Development Board.
About nuTonomy:
nuTonomy is a leading developer of state-of-the-art software systems for self-driving vehicles founded by two world-renowned experts in robotics and intelligent vehicle technology, Drs. Karl Iagnemma and Emilio Frazzoli of MIT. nuTonomy is developing the first-of-its-kind complete solution for providing point-to-point mobility via large fleets of autonomous vehicles; this includes software for autonomous vehicle navigation in urban environments, smartphone-based ride hailing, fleet routing and management, and controlling a vehicle remotely through teleoperation. The company’s software has been tested in the U.S., Singapore, and Europe. For more information about nuTonomy, visit: http://nutonomy.com.
