Apex.AI Company Profile

Background

Apex.AI is an international software company specializing in the development of safety-certified, developer-friendly, and scalable software for mobility systems. Founded in 2017 by Jan Becker and Dejan Pangercic, the company is headquartered in Palo Alto, California, with additional offices in Munich, Stuttgart, Gothenburg, Tokyo, and Pangyo. Apex.AI's mission is to accelerate the transition to software-defined vehicles and mobility by providing robust software solutions that meet the stringent requirements of commercial and safety-critical applications.

Key Strategic Focus

Apex.AI focuses on enabling software-defined vehicles by building software products that meet the stringent requirements of commercial and safety-critical applications in the mobility sector. Their core offering centers on reworking proven open-source software, such as ROS (Robot Operating System) and Eclipse iceoryx, and enhancing it with features like functional safety, flawless performance, and certification support. Apex.AI has developed a proprietary process to adapt open-source code so it conforms to the highest functional safety standards required for use in autonomous driving and mobility systems.

Financials and Funding

To date, Apex.AI has raised over $75 million USD from world-class venture, financial, and strategic investors, including AGCO, Airbus Ventures, Canaan, Continental AG, Daimler Truck, HELLA Ventures, Jaguar Land Rover’s InMotion Ventures, LG Electronics, Lightspeed, Orillion, Toyota Ventures, Volvo Group Venture Capital, and ZF. In December 2021, the company secured $56.5 million in a Series B funding round led by Orillion, with participation from various automotive suppliers and venture capital firms. This funding is intended to scale the business and serve more customers across different industries.

Pipeline Development

Apex.AI's flagship product, Apex.Grace (formerly known as Apex.OS), was launched in 2020 and certified for commercial use in 2021. This product provides a foundation for automotive and mobility companies to build robust, safety-certified applications for autonomous vehicles and other mobility solutions. The company continues to develop additional products to revolutionize the use of software in the automotive industry.

Technological Platform and Innovation

Apex.AI's software products are based on proven open-source software, such as ROS or Eclipse iceoryx. Through a proprietary process, they add what is necessary to support commercial and safety-critical applications, including functional safety, real-time determinism, and flawless performance. Their flagship product, Apex.Grace, is an automotive-grade, real-time, reliable software development kit. Additionally, Apex.AI offers Apex.Ida, a communication middleware delivering optimal high-performance data transport across various use cases.

Leadership Team

Jan Becker: Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer, President, Managing Director & Board Member. Before founding Apex.AI, he was Senior Director at Faraday Future, responsible for Autonomous Driving, and Director at Robert Bosch LLC, responsible for Automated Driving in North America. Since 2010, Jan has been a Lecturer at Stanford University on autonomous vehicles and driver assistance. He earned a Ph.D. in control engineering from the Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany.

Dejan Pangercic: Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer. Prior to founding Apex.AI, he was the Perception and Framework Lead at Faraday Future and the CTO at Deepfield Robotics. Dejan earned a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Bremen, Germany.

Ned Sizer: Chief Financial Officer. Ned has more than twenty years of senior finance experience with an industry focus on mobility and technology. His success has come in different forms and stages, from post-series B all the way through to IPO and life as a public company.

Paul Balciunas: Chief Strategist. Paul has nearly two decades of experience in finance and investment banking in the automotive industry. Most recently, Paul served as Chief Financial Officer for the electric vehicle company Canoo.

Tavis Szeto: SVP Corporate Development. Before joining Apex.AI, Tavis led an organization supporting global OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers with electric and autonomous mobility technology at Panasonic Industrial.

Competitor Profile

Market Insights and Dynamics

The global autonomous vehicle market is projected to grow significantly, with various companies developing alternative technologies for vehicle automation. Competing technologies like LiDAR, computer vision systems, and advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) offer different functionalities that can substitute for Apex.AI's solutions. Additionally, the shift towards open-source software solutions presents a significant substitution threat, as companies may prefer adaptable open-source solutions over proprietary offerings.

Competitor Analysis

Apex.AI faces competition from several companies in the autonomous vehicle and mobility software sectors:

Zoox: Provides mobility-as-a-service solutions.

Nuro: Develops autonomous vehicle technology focusing on AI robotics.

Aurora Innovation: Offers autonomous vehicle technology solutions.

JIFFY.ai: Provides digital transformation services.

These competitors vary in their focus areas, technologies, and market strategies, contributing to a dynamic competitive landscape.

Strategic Collaborations and Partnerships

Apex.AI has established significant collaborations and partnerships to strengthen its market position and innovation capacity. In December 2021, the company secured $56.5 million in a Series B funding round led by Orillion, with participation from various automotive suppliers and venture capital firms. This funding is intended to scale the business and serve more customers across different industries.

Operational Insights

Apex.AI's strategic considerations include focusing on safety-certified software solutions that are developer-friendly and scalable, enabling a faster transition to software-defined vehicles and mobility. Their products are based on proven open-source software, such as ROS or Eclipse iceoryx, and are enhanced with functional safety, real-time determinism, and flawless performance to support commercial and safety-critical applications.

Strategic Opportunities and Future Directions

Apex.AI plans to expand its footprint into industries adjacent to automotive, including agriculture, mining, industrial automation, and the Internet of Things (IoT). The company is also expanding to a fifth base, moving into Asia led by former Panasonic executive Tavis Szeto, Vice President of Asia-Pacific.