– USA, CA – AEye, Inc, the creators of IDAR, a perception system that acts as the eyes and visual cortex of semi-autonomous and autonomous vehicles, today announced the appointment of Blair LaCorte as CEO, in conjunction with the launch of the new 4Sight sensor family of products.
Luis Dussan, AEye founder, will continue to partner with LaCorte in driving growth and will focus on accelerating technology and product development as President and CTO.
Luis Dussan founded the company in 2013 with a unique perspective on how to effectively enable LiDAR-enhanced perception for automated driving systems. Dussan was highly Influenced by his extensive experience with robotic vision, artificial intelligence, and advanced sensing networks as an executive at aerospace and defense organizations, including NASA, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman.
“We started AEye with a blank sheet of paper and a goal to create a simple, cost-effective, modular approach to lean sensing,” said founder, president, and CTO, Luis Dussan. “By focusing on the data needed to make decisions, we created an intelligent software platform that leverages agile LiDAR as part of a system instead of a stand-alone passive sensor. This approach enables Tier 1 automotive suppliers and technology system integrators with existing customer relationships to precisely and efficiently address any use case.”
The company also announced that four industry veterans have been named to the advisory board, and will bring their experience and expertise to the company as it scales for growth in automotive and adjacent high-growth markets:
- Jon Lauckner,
- Dr. Bernd Gottschalk,
- Frank Petznick,
- Keith Dierkx.
Jon Lauckner brings unparalleled experience in integrating and commercializing automotive technology. Mr. Lauckner was formerly Chief Technology Officer of General Motors Company and President of GM Ventures. Before his retirement in July 2020, Mr. Lauckner was responsible for executing strategic investments in innovative companies developing next-generation technology. As GM’s head of research and development, he was also actively involved in the development of the latest and most advanced technologies into GM vehicles. Over his 40+ year career at GM, Mr. Lauckner also held senior positions in Global Product Planning and Global Program Management.
Dr. Bernd Gottschalk brings significant commercial vehicle and trucking experience. He has held several executive leadership positions across his nearly 50 years of experience – including Executive Board Member for Daimler AG, responsible for the Commercial Vehicles Business Unit globally. Dr. Gottschalk was also president of Mercedes Benz Brazil, president of the German Association of the Automotive Industry and serves on the board of directors of Schaeffler Group, Plastic Omnium, and Jost Werke, and previously served on the boards of Delphi and Voith. Dr. Gottschalk is the founder and Managing Partner of automotive consultancy AutoValue, and a senior advisor to venture capital firm Vektor Partners.
Frank Petznick has many years of experience in developing and deploying innovative new technologies in the fields of electronics, infotainment, and sensor technology. Mr. Petznick is currently the Executive Vice President of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems at Continental AG. Before joining Continental, Mr. Petznick was Executive Vice President of Automated Driving at Hella AG and a member of the Hella Electronics Executive Board. During his tenure at Hella, Mr. Petznick held executive roles on both a regional and global basis.
Keith Dierkx was formerly IBM’s Global Industry Leader for Freight, Logistics, and Rail. He also directed IBM’s Global Rail Innovation Center in Beijing, China, formed to guide the hundreds of billions of dollars China earmarked to spend building out high-speed rail lines across the country. Before IBM, Mr. Dierkx was Senior Vice President of Operations for Embarcadero Systems, the Information Technology arm of Marine Terminal Corporation, where he led the transformation of terminal operations through the utilization of digital technologies such as IoT, sensors, vision systems, and geospatial capabilities, to automate and optimize processes. Mr. Dierkx was also the co-founder of Savi Networks.
About Blair LaCorte
Blair LaCorte, previously AEye’s President, is a technology, aerospace, and defense executive who has spent his career driving growth and operational excellence across private and public companies. Before AEye, LaCorte was Global President of PRG, the world’s largest live event technology and services company, CEO of XOJET, one of the fastest-growing aviation companies in history, and operating partner at TPG, a premier private equity firm with more than $90 billion in global investments. He also has significant experience with public equity offerings as an investor and operator. Earlier in his career, LaCorte held executive and general management positions in companies including VerticalNet, Savi Technologies/Networks, Autodesk, and Sun Microsystems. Blair graduated summa cum laude from the University of Maine and holds an MBA from Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business.
“I am excited to be part of a company that is accelerating the deployment of safer and more affordable forms of automated transportation,” said CEO, Blair LaCorte. “We are fortunate to have a passionate and mature executive team that has spent years working together to achieve a common goal. In this sense, the transition to CEO is natural and empowering as we focus on this next chapter of AEye’s growth.”
About AEye
AEye is an artificial perception pioneer and creator of iDAR, a perception system that acts as the eyes and visual cortex of autonomous vehicles. Since the demonstration of its solid-state LiDAR scanner in 2013, AEye has pioneered breakthroughs in intelligent sensing. The company is based in the San Francisco Bay Area and backed by world-renowned investors including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Taiwania Capital, Hella Ventures, LG Electronics, Subaru-SBI, Aisin, Intel Capital, Airbus Ventures, and others.
For more information: https://www.aeye.ai/
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