DeepMap

DeepMap (formally DeepMap Inc.), is a Palo Alto, California-based software company that develops high definition (HD) maps for self-driving vehicles.[1]

This article is about the self-driving vehicle mapping company. For a type of map, see Deep map.
DeepMap
Private
Industrysoftware, computer vision, cartography
Founded2016
FoundersJames Wu, Mark Wheeler
HeadquartersPalo Alto, California, United States
ProductsHigh definition mapping for autonomous vehicles
Websitedeepmap.ai

The company was founded in 2016 by a group of former Google workers as well as Apple veterans.[2][3][4][5] The software uses data from sensors and combines it with "data from all the cars connected to its system."[6]

Former Google Maps colleagues James Wu and Mark Wheeler serve as CEO and Chief Technology Office respectively.[1]

History

DeepMap was founded in Palo Alto, California in 2016 to create 3D mapping software to assist self-driving cars with navigation.[1] Founders James Wu and Mark Wheeler were co-workers on Google Maps, and before that at Apple and Baidu.[7] Wu became the company's CEO, and Wheeler became its Chief Technology Officer.[1] Also in 2016, the company raised $7 million in initial funding.[8]

In May 2017, the company raised $25 million in a Series A led by venture capital firm Accel, formerly Accel Partners, along with venture capital firms Andreessen Horowitz and GSR Ventures.[9]

By February 2018, Bloomberg reported that the company announced it was working with the Ford Motor Company and China’s SAIC Motor Corp.[10] The company was also working with Honda's Xcelerator innovation program, based in Mountain View, California.[11] In November, the company raised $60 million with a Series B, with returning investors along with German industrial firm Bosch's Robert Bosch Venture Capital, and US chipmaker Nvidia's GPU Ventures.[7] The funding valued the company at $450 million.[12] In December, the company announced deals with San Francisco-based mobility platform provider Ridecell and Sweden-based transportation company Einride to integrate DeepMap's HD maps with their autonomous fleets.[13] Einride deployed its first truck using DeepMap's software in 2019.[14]

In February 2019, the NY Times reported that research firm CB Insights included DeepMap on its list of companies on track for a $1 billion 'unicorn' valuation.[15] The company was analyzed in a November 2019 case study by Harvard Business School, in "DeepMap: Charting the Road Ahead For Autonomous Vehicles."[16]

Products

DeepMap develops HD maps with a level of precision that reflects changes in the road in real time. Digital camera images are combined with lidar (laser imaging) to build detailed 3D maps to represent real-time road network data.[8] By identifying the environment, including the locations of lanes and obstructions, robot drivers can localize their own and other vehicles’ positions in real time. The maps are automatically updated as the car's sensors collect data, and the maps help predict the upcoming road.[17] The company describes its maps "as the 'part of the brain' of the autonomous robot that allows it to understand its location."[18]

The company provides hardware tools, software solutions and field data collection functions to allow customers to transfer their own fleet data into their own personalized HD maps.[19] The maps are integrated with other parts of a vehicle's self-driving system, handling large amounts of HD data while communicating between the vehicle and the cloud.

Operations

DeepMap is headquartered in Palo Alto, California. The company's COO is Wei Luo.[20]

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References
  1. "Google Maps veterans found Palo Alto startup to teach cars how to drive". Silicon Valley Business Journal. 2017-05-05. Retrieved 2019-12-13.
  2. "Founded by former Google and Apple engineers, DeepMap is mapping the future for self-driving cars". Venture Beat. 2017-05-04. Retrieved 2020-01-07.
  3. The 17 best new startups that have launched this year, Business Insider, 2017-06-15, retrieved 2020-01-07
  4. Group of Google Veterans Launch Self-Driving Tech Company, South China Morning Post, 2017-05-06, retrieved 2020-01-07
  5. Dozens of rivals in all-out mapping war as they battle for self-driving car payoff, Seattle Times, 2018-02-25, retrieved 2020-01-07
  6. 29 start-ups that prove Silicon Valley innovation isn’t dead, CNBC, 2017-11-14, retrieved 2020-01-07
  7. "DeepMap, a maker of HD maps for self-driving, raised at least $60M at a $450M valuation". TechCrunch. 2018-11-01. Retrieved 2019-12-13.
  8. "Another Group of Google Veterans Starts a Self-Driving Technology Company". Bloomberg. 2017-05-04. Retrieved 2019-12-13.
  9. "Google Maps veterans found Palo Alto startup to teach cars how to drive". VentureBeat. 2017-05-04. Retrieved 2019-12-13.
  10. "Nobody Wants to Let Google Win the War for Maps All Over Again". Bloomberg. 2018-02-21. Retrieved 2019-12-13.
  11. "Honda is looking for your energy or mobility startup". GrenBiz. 2019-01-29. Retrieved 2019-12-13.
  12. "Autonomous vehicle mapping startup DeepMap raises $60M+ on $450M valuation". Silicon Angle. 2018-11-01. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  13. "DeepMap Signs Deal to Provide HD Mapping Technology to Ridecell & Einride". FutureCar. 2018-12-10. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  14. Desmond, Kevin. Electric Trucks: A History of Delivery Vehicles, Semis, Forklifts and Others. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  15. "These 50 Start-Ups May Be the Next 'Unicorns'". NY Times. 2019-02-10. Retrieved 2019-12-13.
  16. DeepMap: Charting the Road Ahead For Autonomous Vehicles, Harvard Business School Case Collection
  17. "These are the tech start-ups to watch out for in 2019". The Gentleman's Journal. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  18. "Driverless cars: mapping the trouble ahead". Financial Times. 2018-02-20. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  19. "The DeepMap Approach: "Your Data, Your HD Map"". Synched. 2018-11-28. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
  20. A woman of influence: Wei Luo looks for the 'geospatial connection', Silicon Valley Business Journal
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