Maryann Keller — who will be among the keynote speakers at the Automotive Intelligence Summit next month in Raleigh, N.C. — has joined the advisory board of transportation-focused venture capital firm Autotech Ventures, according to an announcement distributed on Tuesday.
Autotech Ventures launched its first $120 million fund focusing on investing in ground transportation startups and has made more than a dozen investments out of the first fund. Much attention in the venture capital community has been narrowly focused on autonomous vehicles, but Autotech Ventures says it has a wider lens.
With Keller joining the advisory board, Autotech Ventures contends it will have “additional firepower” to invest in the multi-trillion-dollar vehicle retail, rental, financing, and repair markets.
Keller has been an auto industry stalwart, covering the industry as an analyst from 1972 to 1999 on Wall Street and having been ranked as a top three analyst for 12 consecutive years.
Since leaving Wall Street, Keller presided over priceline.com’s early attempt to facilitate online vehicle sales, was an advisor to Manheim for more than 12 years and served on the boards of six public companies, and currently is a director of AutoCanada and DriveTime Automotive. Keller also led and advised the first IPO of a public auto retailer, Cross Country Auto Retailers, and had IPO advisory roles in Penske, Lithia, and Asbury.
Keller continues to advise the automotive industry through her automotive strategy consulting firm Maryann Keller & Associates.
Maryann Keller, MK&A
“Autotech Ventures has created an impressive and thoughtful portfolio of startups that are already having a measurable impact on the automotive industry,” Keller said. “They have exposure to shared mobility with Lyft and Outdoorsy, advanced driver assistance with DeepScale and Metawave, automotive e-commerce with Rollick and Frontier Car Group, connected cars with SpotHero, and much more. The team clearly has deep expertise and connections in the sector when compared to other venture capitalist portfolios I’ve seen.
“I’m excited to join Autotech’s advisory board and to work closely with the investment team, portfolio companies, and the corporate partners at the fund,” Keller continued, referring to Autotech’s limited partners, which include transportation corporations.
And Keller is coming to North Carolina in July for the first Automotive Intelligence Summit.
In her presentation — titled “Used-Vehicle Residual Values Underpin Multiple Industries” — Keller will take a deep dive into the volatile residual values of electric and hybrid vehicles to explain how used-vehicle price swings are causing ripple effects into other industries.
She will also discuss the growing tide of vehicles being bought and sold via alternative remarketing channels.
Keller’s keynote presentation is at 10:30 am ET on July 25. AIS is being held July 24-26 at the Raleigh Marriott Crabtree Valley.
She joins fellow keynote speakers Scott Painter of Fair, Lonnie Miller of SAS, Mike Wall of IHS Markit, Dennis Ephlin of IBM and Jim Landy of Springboard Auto.
The full agenda includes many more workshops and presentations geared toward the emerging automotive tech and auto finance spaces.
As Keller prepares to come to the Tar Heel State, Autotech Ventures is eager to leverage her expertise.
“Maryann has always offered candid perspectives on the trends that affect the transport sector. The transport sector is currently approaching a critical juncture driven by connected, shared, autonomous, and electric vehicles as well as new business models for retail and repair,” said Autotech Ventures managing director Quin Garcia. “We’re looking forward to Maryann’s candid perspectives on how startups will affect the incumbent auto industry – both as risks and opportunities.”
Keller joins Anthony Foxx, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation under President Obama; Alan Taub, a University of Michigan professor and former GM and Ford executive; and Byron Shaw, founder of both GM Ventures and BMW’s original Silicon Valley office, on Autotech Ventures’ advisory board.
The advisory board helps Autotech Ventures’ portfolio companies navigate the transportation ecosystem to scale quickly and effectively.
Autotech Ventures managing director, Alexei Andreev said, “Maryann’s vast experience in automotive extending from early stage companies to public markets will help support and accelerate our portfolio companies’ growth over their entire lifecycle. She will be especially helpful in helping our portfolio companies navigate corporations in automotive retail, rental, financing, and repair.”
Source : AutoFinanceNews
