door2door expands its board with Uber’s former Head of Data Science Kevin Novak and joins the Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution of World Economic Forum as the first European startup
Germany’s leading mobility startup announces two major milestones. First, Kevin Novak, Uber’s former Head of Data Science, joins door2door’s advisory board. Furthermore, the company is the very first European startup to join the World Economic Forum’s Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, based in San Francisco. door2door provides cities and public transport companies with a technology platform that enables them, for the first time, to operate their own on-demand shuttle services embedded into their mass transit network.
Ex-Uber manager joins door2door
Kevin Novak, one of the leading Data Science experts worldwide, joins door2door’s Board as Senior Advisor. Novak will support door2door in the evolution of its platform technology, product development as well as the expansion of the company’s tech team.
“door2door is on its way to become a global mobility player for cities and mass transit, and I am looking forward to supporting the team on this path,” said Kevin Novak: “I will share my knowledge and expertise with the team to contribute to the strategic development and growth of the company. My location in San Francisco is of essence in this process.”
As Uber’s 21th employee, Novak was responsible to set up their Data Science and Analytics Department. Under his leadership, functions such as Uber’s Dynamic Pricing and UberPOOL algorithms were built. Most recently, Novak played a key role in building the intelligent freight and logistics marketplace Uber Freight.
“Today marks a pivotal moment, as a major industry calibre is joining our board,” said Maxim Nohroudi, Co-Founder and Managing Director of door2door. “With Kevin, we significantly strengthen our expertise in the field of Data Science. And our partners – the cities and public transport operators – will strongly benefit from this addition.”
Dr. Tom Kirschbaum, Co-Founder and Managing Director of door2door, added: “We are happy to welcome Kevin to the Advisory Board. He has spent so much of his career developing innovative tools for the mobility sector. We will benefit greatly from his expertise and insights as we seek to accelerate our growth internationally.”
door2door joins forces with the World Economic Forum to improve future mobility
door2door is the very first European startup to join the prestigious Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution of the World Economic Forum. The goal of the San Francisco based Center is to bring together impact-oriented companies and entrepreneurs from all around the globe to advance collaborations and eventually develop policy frameworks that accelerate the benefits of science and technology for society.
“Startups are the fuel of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, driving the pace of innovation and technology. We need them to accelerate the development of policy frameworks and multi-stakeholder collaboration to unfold the benefits of technology for society,” said Olivier Schwab, Head of Business Engagement and Member of the Forum Managing Board: “Therefore, it is essential for the Forum to engage key startups like door2door in our new Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in San Francisco.”
door2door’s mobility platform unfolds major social impact for cities. It helps public transport companies introduce and operate their own on-demand rideshare shuttles as part of their existing public transport network. Public transport’s rigid schedules and fixed bus routes — in most cases running at a loss — will soon be history. Public transport operators are replacing this old system step by step with a highly dynamic, demand-based shuttle system — soon even with autonomous shuttles. It will be financially sustainable and far more efficient for a city and its citizens.
The ‘Lisbon-Study’ conducted by the OECD has shown how a flexible on-demand rideshare shuttle-system, like door2door offers, can significantly reduce car traffic and emissions.
“We are excited to be part of World Economic Forum’s visionary Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and to work together with some of the world’s leading technology experts,” said Tom Kirschbaum, Co-founder and Managing Director of door2door.
“We are in the middle of the digital revolution, many things are in a state of transformation. Therefore, this change needs to be managed carefully, responsibly and cooperatively,” said Maxim Nohroudi, Co-Founder and Managing Director of door2door. “That is exactly what the Center in San Francisco aims for.”
Both the collaboration with World Economic Forum, and Novak’s initiatives based out of San Francisco, will help to strengthen door2door’s mission in the strategically relevant US market.
