Hella Ventures

Established in 2015, Hella Ventures is the venture capital arm of Hella, headquartered in San Francisco. It invests in early-stage companies focused on automated driving, lighting technologies, digitization, electrification, and software.

Marco Marinucci

Partner, Head of HELLA Ventures

Martin Rudigier

Managing Partner

17 past transactions

actnano

Series B in 2021
actnano Inc. is a nanotechnology company that specializes in developing, manufacturing, and supplying advanced coating solutions for the automotive and consumer electronics sectors. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with additional offices in Shenzhen, Germany, and South Korea, actnano focuses on creating wet ANG coatings designed to protect electronic devices and manufacturing environments from water damage and harsh environmental conditions. Their technology includes a range of transparent nano guard coatings that can be applied post-manufacturing, enhancing devices' water resistance to IPx7 levels. This approach allows clients to effectively integrate the protective coatings into existing production lines, ensuring durability and longevity in their electronic products.

ZaiNar

Series A in 2021
ZaiNar, Inc. is a technology company founded in 2016 and based in Menlo Park, California, specializing in automatic location tracking solutions. The company has developed a platform that utilizes radio signals to accurately track the real-time locations of various items, including cellphones, vehicles, drones, and IoT devices. ZaiNar’s innovative approach allows for positioning with a range exceeding 200 meters and sub-meter accuracy, making it a scalable and cost-effective alternative to traditional tracking methods. Its technology is particularly advantageous in dynamic industrial environments, where it enables clients to monitor assets without requiring a direct line of sight.

AEye

Post in 2021
AEye, Inc. is a technology company focused on developing advanced vision hardware, software, and algorithms for autonomous vehicles and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). The company’s proprietary 4Sight Intelligent Sensing Platform integrates solid-state active LiDAR with artificial intelligence and a low-light HD camera, enabling precise and reliable perception of surroundings. AEye's products, including the 4Sight A and 4Sight M sensors, along with its iDAR platform, are designed to improve safety and performance in dynamic applications by providing faster, more accurate information. The AE100 Robotic Perception System and the modular AE200 sensor further exemplify AEye’s commitment to high-performance sensing solutions. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Dublin, California, AEye also has a global presence with offices in Germany and Korea, serving a diverse customer base primarily in the United States, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region.

RideCell

Venture Round in 2021
RideCell provides fleet automation and management software for ride sharing and car sharing. Its platform automates onboarding, driver-rider matching, scheduling, routing, payment processing, dynamic pricing, and demand-supply balancing, and includes analytics and configurable settings. The Demand-Response product automates requests and dispatch, while Fixed Route offers real time tracking, delay alerts, and proactive notifications for buses and shuttles via phone, text, web, or mobile apps. The platform supports end-to-end operation of mobility services, including rider onboarding, ID checks, referrals, promotions, and online management of fleets. RideCell serves public and private transportation, universities and campuses, and maintenance and delivery fleets, helping operators launch and scale mobility services efficiently. By integrating fleet IoT data with digital vehicle control, it turns manual processes into automated workflows and improves efficiency and monetization. Headquartered in San Francisco with offices in Europe and Asia.

Oculii

Series B in 2021
Oculii Corp., based in Beavercreek, Ohio, specializes in developing advanced radar sensors and AI software for various applications, including intelligent transportation, automotive, aerial, and consumer sectors. The company's key products are radar sensors that provide real-time 4D tracking information, enabling accurate 3D positioning and speed detection. These sensors are used in automotive safety systems, traffic management, airborne and medical applications, as well as automated speed enforcement systems. Oculii's innovative Virtual Aperture Imaging radar technology enhances radar resolution without increasing the physical size of the sensor, making it more affordable and scalable. The company collaborates with industry leaders to deliver high-performance, all-weather, and low-cost perception technology for autonomous systems.

Wejo

Venture Round in 2021
Wejo Group Ltd specializes in the aggregation and analysis of connected vehicle data, partnering with automotive manufacturers to harness authentic data streams from vehicles equipped with numerous sensors. The company processes billions of data points globally, offering insights that cater to a diverse range of sectors, including public and private organizations, traffic analysts, smart city planners, and automotive suppliers. Utilizing its proprietary cloud software and analytics platform, Wejo Neural Edge, the company transforms high-volume datasets into actionable insights. These insights aim to enhance driver safety, improve urban livability, and optimize the overall driving experience. Wejo's commitment to ethical data usage ensures that its solutions deliver significant customer and economic value, facilitating advancements in mobility and urban planning across North America and Europe.

AMP

Seed Round in 2021
AMP operates as an energy management solutions provider for e-mobility. Its technology underpins offerings from e-mobility pioneers and those on the verge of disrupting the market.

Drishti

Series B in 2020
Drishti Technologies, Inc. specializes in artificial intelligence-based computer vision solutions aimed at enhancing visual inspections within manufacturing processes. Established in 2016 and headquartered in Mountain View, California, with an additional office in Bengaluru, India, the company offers a software-as-a-service product that delivers video analytics and traceability for manual assembly lines. This technology allows for non-intrusive, real-time observation of human actions, thereby improving productivity, quality, and employee training. Drishti's solutions are particularly beneficial for the electronics and automotive sectors, as they help identify flaws and enhance operational efficiency. The company also emphasizes training through AI and video, enabling the development of skilled workers and the identification of high-performing employees who contribute innovative solutions to standardized processes.

Apex.AI

Venture Round in 2019
Apex.AI develops software for autonomous mobility, offering a framework and tools that simplify the development of safe and secure autonomous driving applications. Its platform includes Apex.OS, which abstracts hardware, middleware, kernels, interfaces, and drivers into usable APIs, and Apex.Autonomy for safety-critical applications. It also offers MARV.Automotive, a data management platform that transfers vehicle data to the cloud, enables dynamic search-based analytics, analyzes partial logs, runs algorithms on real data, and provides graphical data introspection and team collaboration. Founded in 2017 and based in Palo Alto, California, Apex.AI builds on open-source software such as ROS and Eclipse iceoryx to provide building blocks for developers creating AI and safety-critical software for autonomous vehicles.

Light Field Lab

Series A in 2019
Light Field Lab, Inc. is a technology company specializing in the development of holographic display systems that create immersive visuals by projecting three-dimensional holograms into physical space. Founded in 2017 and based in San Jose, California, the company leverages advanced light field technology to generate multiple viewing angles that mimic real-world perceptions, allowing objects to appear to float in space without the need for head-mounted displays. Light Field Lab's innovations enable new opportunities in both consumer and enterprise markets, facilitating the integration of existing content into their holographic formats through a universal application programming interface. The company's mission is to pioneer a holographic future, advancing how visual media is experienced across various applications.

Excelfore

Series B in 2018
Excelfore Corporation is a developer of cloud-based connectivity solutions tailored for the transportation industry, particularly in the automotive sector. Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Fremont, California, with additional offices in China, Germany, Japan, and India, the company offers a comprehensive eSync System that includes servers for updates, diagnostics, and telematics, alongside various applications for in-vehicle network management. Excelfore's technology facilitates over-the-air updates, vehicle management, and data analytics, allowing original equipment manufacturers and suppliers to create secure, scalable networks essential for the advancement of connected and autonomous vehicles. The company holds a strong intellectual property portfolio, including patents related to machine-to-machine communications and data compression, which further enhances its capabilities in the Internet of Things revolution within the automotive sector.

BreezoMeter

Series B in 2018
BreezoMeter provides real-time, street-level air quality data and health-related context through APIs for consumers and businesses. It aggregates data from governmental sensors, satellites, weather, traffic, and other sources, applying advanced modeling and AI to deliver hourly air quality information with a high spatial resolution (as fine as 5 meters) in 90+ countries. The service supports air pollution, pollen, and active fire data, enabling customers to embed location-aware air quality insights into products and workflows. The company emphasizes an accuracy validation process and has worked with brands such as Siemens, Tata Motors, and ALK to enhance health-related applications. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Haifa, with a U.S. office, BreezoMeter aims to provide precise, real-time air quality context to improve decision making for individuals and organizations.

CarForce

Seed Round in 2018
CarForce is an enterprise cloud-based telematics platform designed to enhance customer satisfaction and retention for franchise dealerships. The company addresses the challenges faced by the 162 million used vehicles on the road, many of which lack integrated telematics or diagnostic connectivity. CarForce provides real-time updates on vehicle health, allowing service centers to identify maintenance opportunities proactively. This capability enables dealerships to offer a variety of services, such as remote diagnostics, emergency maintenance, refueling, and car washes, thereby improving customer service and operational efficiency. Founded by Jessika Lora, who has extensive experience in the automotive and e-commerce sectors, CarForce aims to bridge the information gap between consumers and service providers, fostering greater trust and loyalty in the automotive maintenance landscape.

Ario

Seed Round in 2018
Ario, Inc. is a technology company based in Seattle, Washington, that specializes in manufacturing intelligent lighting systems for both residential and commercial use. Founded in 2015, Ario focuses on creating products that enhance well-being by aligning with the body's natural rhythms. Its flagship product, the Ario lamp, automatically adjusts its light direction, color, and intensity throughout the day, promoting healthy hormone production and supporting circadian rhythms. The company's mission is to improve people's health through innovative smart lighting solutions.

CarForce

Seed Round in 2017
CarForce is an enterprise cloud-based telematics platform designed to enhance customer satisfaction and retention for franchise dealerships. The company addresses the challenges faced by the 162 million used vehicles on the road, many of which lack integrated telematics or diagnostic connectivity. CarForce provides real-time updates on vehicle health, allowing service centers to identify maintenance opportunities proactively. This capability enables dealerships to offer a variety of services, such as remote diagnostics, emergency maintenance, refueling, and car washes, thereby improving customer service and operational efficiency. Founded by Jessika Lora, who has extensive experience in the automotive and e-commerce sectors, CarForce aims to bridge the information gap between consumers and service providers, fostering greater trust and loyalty in the automotive maintenance landscape.

Brighter AI

Convertible Note in 2017
Brighter AI Technologies GmbH, founded in 2017 and headquartered in Berlin, Germany, specializes in developing artificial intelligence-enabled software solutions. The company's primary focus is on video anonymization, which protects individual identities in compliance with privacy regulations such as GDPR. Their technology anonymizes camera data, including personally identifiable information like faces, allowing companies to use publicly recorded footage for analytics and AI applications while ensuring data privacy. Brighter AI's solutions are used across various sectors, initially starting within the automotive industry. The company has been recognized for its innovative work, being named “Europe’s Hottest AI Startup” by Nvidia and winning "The Spark - The German Digital Award" by Handelsblatt & McKinsey.

Halion Displays

Convertible Note in 2017
Halion Displays Inc. is a Canadian company founded in 2015 and headquartered in Waterloo. The company specializes in developing low-color full displays designed for portable devices, including smartwatches and e-readers. Halion's innovative display technology is daylight-visible and operates with low power consumption, positioning it as a potential global standard in display solutions. Their unique approach mimics the concept of ink on paper, utilizing advanced cyan, magenta, and yellow materials that can rapidly change colors, thus providing an exceptional refresh rate. This technology aims to enhance the user experience in various portable electronic devices.
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