With a resolute mission to reshape the landscape of road safety, Consenz International is harnessing technology to transform individual and collective driving behavior on a global scale. The vision is clear to drastically reduce the occurrence of fatal road accidents. But what sets Consenz apart is its conviction that modern, intelligent safety features should not be the privilege of the privileged few who can afford luxury vehicles. Safety, the company believes, is a universal right that transcends financial boundaries.
In the heart of Consenz’s mission lies the fervent belief that road safety is a collective responsibility that spans across all demographics. It recognizes that the true challenge of global road safety can only be met by reaching the entirety of vehicles on the road, irrespective of its age or model. And the company coined a term for this noble endeavor – they’re “democratizing road safety.”
Consenz starts by embedding their compelling solution into every car, ensuring that access to cutting-edge safety technology is not confined to a select few. But its aspirations don’t halt there. The ultimate goal is to unite a vast fleet of vehicles and drivers within a connected ecosystem, primed to capitalize on the potential of technologies like 5G and C-V2X. This expansive network becomes a realm where real-time collaboration flourishes, and individual behaviors are influenced positively.
The magic of Consenz’s approach lies in its adept blend of behavioral design and gamification elements. It’s not just about fitting cars with technology, it’s about nudging drivers towards safer habits through intuitive design and even a dash of playfulness. This holistic approach ensures that safety transcends mere functionality and becomes an integral part of the driving experience.
About the Leader
Anders Dewoon, the Founder and CEO of Consenz International, brings over 20 years of experience from leadership roles in the global vehicle industry. With extensive travel to more than 60 countries across the world, he has gained a diverse perspective on international business. Originally from Sweden, Anders has lived in various countries including Brazil, Morocco, and France.
During his final 4 years at Scania, Anders played a pivotal role in driving the development of innovative business models for electrified, autonomous, and connected vehicles. Through this experience, he recognized the significant potential of connected vehicles, while also identifying challenges faced by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). Despite their claims of operating in open ecosystems, OEMs found themselves constrained by legacy systems and stringent security measures tied to third-party applications, especially concerning advanced Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving features. These features enhance vehicle safety, yet simultaneously give rise to substantial product liability concerns, leading OEMs to navigate slow and restricted ecosystems.
This realization led to two fundamental strategic directions for Consenz. The first centers around supporting the driver’s needs, while the second involves maintaining a fully open ecosystem for third-party suppliers using a tailored platform. Currently, Anders stands as the sole operational founder, though the recruitment of a co-founder is underway. The remaining three co-founders hold positions on the Board of Directors. They collectively boast C-suite experience from prominent players in the vehicle industry, including Volvo Cars, Scania, MAN, as well as other sectors such as Pharmacy and Energy. Their expertise spans diverse domains including Sales and Marketing, Research and Development, Supply Chain, Production, Human Resources, and Product Management. The impressive depth of expertise, active operational participation, and industry relevance that these co-founders bring serve as distinctive strengths for Consenz, providing the startup with a rare advantage in the early stages.
User-Friendly Retrofit Solution
Consenz offers an intelligent connected Head-up Display (HUD) that can be conveniently retrofitted into any car, irrespective of its brand or age. This innovative solution provides customers with a modern and capable driver interface, enhancing their driving experience. The installation process is user-friendly, requiring no visit to a workshop. The HUD unit is equipped with a flexible magnetic base, allowing it to be effortlessly attached to the dashboard using a non-destructive adhesive. This transparent high-quality display presents essential information directly within the driver’s field of vision, eliminating distractions.
The HUD unit is built on a powerful system-on-chip with substantial processing capacity, facilitating both cloud and edge computing. This enables the driver to receive relevant information updates while on the road. The unit integrates two cameras—one for monitoring the road ahead and the other to track driver attention. The projection through the transparent combiner screen, appears approx. 2 meters in front of the driver, showcases an intuitive interface that offers an augmented reality (AR) experience. The solution’s Conversational AI technology ensures a fully hands-free experience, making interactions intuitive and effortless, allowing the driver to maintain focus on the road.
Consenz’s unique approach is centered around supporting the driver’s needs while refraining from sending data into the car’s system. This allows for a completely open platform, enabling third-party (3P) service providers with safe and convenient driving solutions or algorithms to operate within Consenz’s connected HUD. The unit’s interface intelligently presents information from these services when relevant, adhering to behavioral design principles. This groundbreaking openness paves the way for Consenz’s customers to benefit from new services at a pace that traditional vehicle industry approaches cannot match. Any new service can be seamlessly delivered to the unit Over the Air (OTA).
The Consenz HUD unit is connected through its own 4G/5G SIM card for communication related to traffic. For personal communication or audio streaming, it easily links to the driver’s mobile phone via Bluetooth. The driver retains access to all functionalities via voice commands and the well-placed HUD UI, while their mobile phone can remain in their pocket. The Consenz Mobile App serves as the bridge between the HUD unit and the mobile phone. It allows for personalization of settings, pre-planned trip transfers to the HUD, access to help and tutorials, and includes The Consenz Store. Additionally, the app will host a gamification platform in the future.
Primarily, the Consenz unit covers Navigation, Call and Message Management, and Audio Streaming. Upcoming features include camera functionality, passenger Wi-Fi, and initial gamification offerings. Thanks to the open platform approach and OTA capability, new services can be easily introduced. Several 3P collaborations are already in progress to expand the capabilities and offerings of the Consenz connected HUD.
Collaborative and Partnership-Centric Approach
Consenz’s innovative approach is deeply rooted in collaboration and partnership. The core philosophy revolves around creating a capable and open platform that fosters safe and convenient driving, inviting multiple partners to come together and offer innovative services to customers. The company’s sensors and technical capabilities can enhance third-party (3P) services by providing real-time camera access alongside hands-free messaging functionality. Therefore, Consenz’s primary focus is on cultivating curiosity, embracing innovation, and nurturing partnerships as fundamental elements of its organizational culture.
This approach allows Consenz to harness proven and modern technology for the greater benefit of humanity, specifically by reducing road casualties. This goal is achieved through the development of both in-house innovative services and collaborations with forward-thinking partners. The company’s commitment to this mission is evident through its application of lean and agile principles in daily operations. By adhering to these principles, Consenz ensures a short time-to-market while maintaining a high level of flexibility, enabling them to swiftly adapt to changes and deliver value to their customers and partners.
Mission to Improve Road Safety in Developing Countries
The team at Consenz is deeply motivated by the mission to make modern driving support technology accessible to those who need it most, particularly in regions and countries with high rates of traffic-related fatalities. The United Nations’ target to halve the number of traffic-related deaths by 2030, as outlined in Sustainable Development Goal 3.6, underscores the urgency of providing effective technology to regions with limited access to modern driver support systems. A staggering 95% of the nearly 1.4 million annual traffic-related deaths occur in developing countries with limited access to advanced driving technology. While the automotive industry invests heavily in new cars and upscale segments, there is a significant market of both recent and older vehicles that require access to modern connected technology to achieve substantial impact. Consenz aims to address this 1.2 billion car market by offering an affordable and unique solution that can help reduce casualties and serious injuries resulting from road accidents.
Building complex technical products presents numerous challenges. While Consenz is fundamentally a software company, the development of purpose-built intelligent hardware has been crucial, as no comparable solution was readily available in the market. Hardware development, particularly in the context of venture capital funding, has its challenges, with the traditional focus on growth and scalability. However, recent shifts in the VC landscape toward profitability have created new opportunities. Consenz’s readiness for industrialization and a realistic long-term profitability forecast position the company to attract the right investor partners to propel its growth and impact.
The journey hasn’t been without difficulties. The company has faced financial pressures and internal challenges, including management restructuring. Yet, challenges have brought the team closer together, reinforcing shared values and commitment to the company’s mission. Consenz has emerged as a tightly-knit and capital-efficient team, united by a common purpose. To fully realize its potential, the company aims to achieve significant growth and is actively seeking investor partners who share their vision and are willing to join them in making a positive impact on road safety through advanced technology.
Strategic Partnerships and Collaborations
Consenz has strategically partnered with prominent industrial players, including HERE Technologies, Google, Trety, and Ericsson, to establish a robust foundation for its comprehensive solution. The company has also secured grants from the Swedish Innovation Agency, particularly in the realm of groundbreaking conversational AI, as part of the Strategic Vehicle Innovation initiative. Consenz’s involvement in influential networks such as SAFER, a leading road safety research network, and regional collaborations like Telematics Valley in the Nordics, underscores its commitment to advancing road safety and innovative solutions. The company has also received recognition for 5G Sustainability Innovation.
As Consenz prepares to enter the market, it aims to serve both B2C and B2B segments. Initially, the focus is on the B2C market, targeting tech-savvy and gadget-interested consumers in the Nordic region. This approach allows Consenz to validate its solution in a region with a strong commitment to road safety through strategies like Vision Zero. The plan is to then swiftly expand into larger customer segments and more European markets. Importantly, Consenz is looking to extend its reach to developing countries where high rates of road fatalities demand effective solutions. In these regions, the impact of innovative technology can be particularly significant.
Within the B2B realm, Consenz has garnered considerable interest from sectors such as last-mile delivery and taxi services, which rely heavily on navigation and real-time messaging. By enabling drivers to engage in these activities without diverting their attention from the road, Consenz contributes to safer driving for drivers and reduced risks for other road users. Additionally, car rental companies, used car sales outlets, and insurance companies have expressed interest in leveraging Consenz’s solution.
Keys to Successful Entrepreneurship
Anders emphasizes the importance of being passionate about and enjoying the work you do. He believes that this is the fundamental starting point for any entrepreneurial journey. Choosing the right co-founding partner is also critical, and he underscores the significance of aligning on core values and principles. While complementary profiles and personalities can be beneficial, shared values are non-negotiable.
Being clear about the overall vision, mission, and key targets of the company is essential for guiding the team. Anders believes in granting his team members as much freedom as possible, provided they are committed to the vision and goals. This approach allows them to determine the best path to success while offering support, guidance, and assistance with prioritization when needed.
Diversity within the team is highly valued at Consenz, and Anders recognizes the positive impact it brings to the company’s dynamics and creativity.
For individuals embarking on their entrepreneurial journey later in life, Anders suggests being prepared for challenges. He acknowledges that entrepreneurship often requires a considerable amount of perseverance, a willingness to work in isolation, and making significant financial sacrifices. It’s crucial to have open and transparent communication with family and close friends, who can provide essential support and understanding during the journey.
Anders expresses his gratitude for having a supportive and understanding family, which has been a vital source of strength throughout his entrepreneurial endeavors.
Shaping Leadership Through Values and Empowerment
Anders acknowledges the significant influence that his over 20-year career at Scania, a renowned Swedish industrial company, has had on shaping his leadership style. He attributes the development of his value-driven leadership approach to his time at Scania, which is considered one of Sweden’s industrial gems. The core values of an organization are crucial and must be well-defined, understood by all team members, and align with their personal values. From there, these values are translated into guiding principles that assist in making strategic decisions. These principles then serve as the foundation for developing methodologies and processes that are continuously refined.
In Anders’s leadership philosophy, every team member holds a dual responsibility at work. Firstly, they are accountable for fulfilling their job descriptions, and secondly, they are actively engaged in improving the processes they work within. This participatory approach creates a culture of trust and involvement where control is replaced by empowerment. Trust takes time to establish, particularly when transitioning from a more direct and hierarchical leadership style. However, the outcome of fostering such a culture of trust and involvement is undoubtedly valuable.
In a smaller organization like Consenz, it might not be feasible to provide the same level of traditional fringe benefits or high salaries that larger organizations offer. Instead, Anders believes in offering incentives such as challenging and broad responsibilities that allow for a high degree of independence. Learning is driven by hands-on experiences rather than formal training alone. As a leader, Anders understands the importance of creating an environment where mistakes are accepted and embraced as part of the learning process. Encouraging a culture where it’s better to attempt and learn from failures rather than remain stagnant is fundamental to Consenz’s progress.
Navigating the Road Ahead
Anders reflects on the journey that Consenz has undertaken, acknowledging that it has been a lengthy and at times challenging process to reach the current stage. He recognizes that there were anticipated challenges, particularly in the development of outsourced hardware. Despite these challenges, the platform is now operational and ready, and with each passing day, new opportunities and potentials for reshaping the connected vehicle landscape are becoming apparent.
The initial advantage of Consenz’s solution lies in its potential to enhance safety and convenience for individual drivers. By providing navigation information and communication capabilities through an AR-like transparent screen within the driver’s natural field of vision, the risks associated with using mobile phones while driving can be significantly reduced. This is crucial considering that interacting with a mobile phone while driving increases the risk of accidents substantially.
However, Anders sees even greater potential in building a driver community and fostering interconnectivity between all vehicles. He envisions gamification as a powerful tool for improving driver behavior both individually and within a community. The possibilities are vast, such as, ranging from challenges among parents to keep speeds low in school areas to encouraging drivers to respond to green navigation recommendations from local transport authorities.
The open platform concept is a key element of Consenz’s approach. Many services for safe and convenient driving already exist, but they often face limitations when embedded in cars or rely on mobile phones as delivery platforms. Consenz’s intelligent Head-up Display offers a purpose-built platform for delivering multiple services simultaneously, without compromising safety.
Consenz sees potential in cities with smart and environmentally conscious goals. By offering an accessible and retrofit-friendly solution, the company can contribute to smarter mobility and real-time instructions for drivers. The combination of gamification elements with new business models could lead to innovative concepts such as dynamic ecological geo-zones and adaptive speed regulation.
Anders’s conviction about the potential impact of Consenz’s solution on global road safety and the environment grows stronger each day. He recognizes that fully leveraging this potential will require significant effort, resources, and collaboration from talented individuals. Anders hopes that by sharing Consenz’s vision, the right people will be inspired to join forces and work together towards democratizing safe and smart mobility.
