Well, we've returned from our virgin voyage to India and what a time it was! After having so many incredible experiences with Indian developers and entrepreneurs, we couldn't be more excited to see the ecosystem for connected car developing around the country. We're certainly looking forward to international opportunities and anticipate amazing apps and partnerships to be but a few of the outcomes of this trip.
Our opportunity to visit India came by way of Infuse Ventures(a partner of The Cleanweb Initiative) for the 3rd edition of their Powerstart program in cooperation with the Asian Development Bank. In Bangalore, we met many an eager entrepreneur with product focus ranging from connected car and urban mobility to energy efficiency and sharing economy.
It was also great to get connected with the team at EMBARQ India focused on urban mobility and public transit. As an NGO with deep understanding of the local/regional challenges, we expect to do great things together to inspire developers to solve some of the biggest challenges facing India's major urban centers.
Blake and I have a long history with cleanweb and resource efficiency, so naturally we were pleasantly surprised to see teams working on these issues. The problems the teams were seeking to solve were no different from those in cities in the US and Europe; like car dealers seeking to enhance customer relationship and service revenue; fuel efficiency and driving behavior for public and private fleets; encouraging public transit; the sharing economy and multimodal transportation; traffic solutions; socializing and gamification of driving scores; and preventative maintenance and diagnostics.
What this means is that the problems we are attempting to solve in the US may require solutions that could be used in markets such as India. And as a result, the Vinli platform should enable a global marketplace that has been sitting dormant for quite some time. I'm speaking of the connected car.
Moving forward, it seems as though the timing is right for global transit and connected car solutions, and as we continue spreading awareness and community around this space. I can't help but imagine the incredible opportunities at hand for aspiring entrepreneurs worldwide and am hopeful that some of the brightest will build, deploy and scale on Vinli.
To our new Indian friends: Thank you so much for your hospitality and inspiration. It was a trip that will be impossible to forget. Our next trip can't come soon enough. Until next time...