Thomas
von der Ohe

Co-Founder, CEO

WHAT DRIVES ME

You come across an opportunity to positively impact societies around the globe maybe once in your lifetime. An opportunity to truly make a difference. Our unique approach to autonomous driving gives us this chance: redefining how people move in a better way. Building and shipping a product with this great team is what drives me day and night.

BACKGROUND

Launched Zoox’ first self-driving vehicle on public streets as leading Technical Program Manager in Silicon Valley, launched Amazon’s first Echo as leading Technical Program Manager on Device Software, Founded two (funded) mobility companies. M. Sc. Management Science and Engineering, Stanford University.

Fabrizio
Scelsi

Co-Founder, VP Engineering

WHAT DRIVES ME

Building products together with an amazing team based on cutting-edge technology to serve a greater purpose and solve problems – for the people, for our planet.

BACKGROUND

Manager of an engineering team in Silicon Valley to build autonomous shuttles, built teams and various mobility products: electric race cars, e-motorcycles, light electric vehicles, electric passenger vehicles, including one of the most successful electric delivery vehicles in Germany. RWTH Aachen, Imperial College London.

Bogdan
Djukic

Co-founder, Director Teledrive Experience

WHAT DRIVES ME

Vay is aiming to launch the first vehicle without a safety driver on public roads in Europe. This involves exciting engineering challenges, many of which have never been worked on before, ranging from autonomous vehicle technology, cybersecurity, backend, machine learning and safety-critical SW. Coming up with engineering solutions to these topics is something that I’m super excited to work on at Vay.

BACKGROUND

Team Lead at Microsoft, Senior Software Engineer at Skype. M. Sc. in Computer Science from Belgrade University.

Mariona
Bosch

Director of Engineering Operations

WHAT DRIVES ME

Working closely with people from different cultures and professional backgrounds (hardware, software, operations, etc.) gives me the chance to learn new ways of approaching projects, structuring teams, and setting up processes every day. The results of this incredible teamwork are hugely rewarding, and visible in each step of our product.

BACKGROUND

Part of the management circle at AUDI AG, responsible for the implementation of prototypes at early development stages of new products (innovation vehicles, concept and pre-series vehicles, show cars, design models, testing single parts, PoCs, 3D-printing)

Hans-Leo
Ross

Safety Advisor

WHAT DRIVES ME

All my professional life I have been working for the protection and safety of people and the environment. I want to further provide safe and user-friendly automation systems for our future mobility needs.

BACKGROUND

25+ years experience in system safety at Conti., Mando, Bosch. Led the VDA working group in Germany to create ISO 26262 and influenced worldwide safety standardization. Author of several text books on functional safety.

Justin
Spratt

VP - Business & Corporate Development

WHAT DRIVES ME

What drives me is to work on goals that have a big impact on society. Additionally, I wanted to work with the smartest and most innovative people in the tech world. That’s better at Vay than any other company I’ve spoken to recently.

BACKGROUND

Responsible for global strategic partnerships at Uber, where he focused on deals with automotive OEMs, vehicle fleet operators, vehicle battery technology companies and electrification infrastructure providers. Was CEO and chief growth officer at Quirk. Began his professional life at Morgan Stanley as a fixed income trader after studying economics and finance. Built the first startup incubator in Africa in 2002 and has been mentoring founders of technology startups for over ten years. He is an angel investor in software technology and holds board positions in some of these companies.

Anja
Rechsteiner

Director of Communications

WHAT DRIVES ME

What drives me is to start something from scratch and use all my experience to find the best way to communicate our exciting story. I believe my work can have an impact on how people feel about more sustainable transportation options.

BACKGROUND

Worked for 15 years in leading communication agencies such as fischerAppelt and Ketchum in Germany and the UK for various brands and companies from FMCG to travel to mobility. Holds an MBA in Communication & Leadership from Quadriga University as well as a Master degree in History, Sociology and Media & Art Studies from University of Constance.

Caleb
Varner

US General Manager

WHAT DRIVES ME

We’re close to letting users experience the Vay Magic for the first time in Las Vegas and I know that they are going to find it a compelling mix of great value powered by a super slick in-app experience. It’s awesome to have the opportunity to take this piece of underlying tech (remote driving) and build an experience around it that users will use, love and tell their friends about.

BACKGROUND

Co-founded and served as the Global General Manager of Uber Rent & Valet, a new mobility investment by Uber. Lead the Global Vehicles team at Uber, overseeing critical planning and P&L responsibilities. Built Uber’s vehicles business in Latin America from the ground and managed the customer-facing financial services business across Sub-Saharan Africa. Lead international financial services strategy engagements with the Boston Consulting Group for John Deere, focusing on regions like Brazil, Africa, and India. Owns a Masters of Business Administration of Duke University.

Christian
Hertlein

VP - Product Design and Brand

WHAT DRIVES ME

Building the future of mobility, which is sustainable and truly serving the needs of people, by creating a holistic experience, a relatable brand and shaping services that are going to make a difference to how we move within and between cities.

BACKGROUND

Head of Global Design at N26, Senior Lead Designer at IDEO, in-car interactions for Volkswagen.

David
Gossow

Senior Principal Software Engineer

WHAT DRIVES ME

After having worked in autonomous robotics research for a long time in the Silicon Valley, I am thrilled to be working at a company that is finally bringing this technology into people’s everyday lives.

BACKGROUND

Tech Lead at Google Tango in Mountain View, Research Engineer at Willow Garage, yoga instructor since 2018.

Johanna
Loomis

Lead Industrial Designer

WHAT DRIVES ME

What drives me at Vay is the enthusiasm and passion for a vision that is embedded in the company culture, and at the same time the strict discipline in its implementation.

BACKGROUND

Industrial Product Design Lead at TEAMS DESIGN GmbH for over six years, started as a Trainee in Shanghai City. Worked as Industrial and Product Designer at LOTHAR BOHM ASSOCIATES LIMITED, Lutz Herrmann Design, Indeed Innovation and Werksdesign.

Vladimir
Bilonenko

Director of Software Engineering

WHAT DRIVES ME

Helping engineers to do their best and most important work. Elegance in software. Bringing ideas from books to real life and from one domain to another. Going from A to B fast.

BACKGROUND

Software Generalist. Maps and Mobility Geek (Lon, Lat not Lat, Lon). High Load at Yandex, Geo Analytics and Last Mile at HERE Maps, Mobility Platform at Daimler. Conway’s Law Enthusiast.

ALINA
PRESTI

Teledriver

WHAT DRIVES ME

A car enthusiast, driven by cars, driving and technology.

BACKGROUND

Nursery school teacher. Driver at Skoda’s start-up Caredriver.

Stefano
Buzzanca

Head of Operations

WHAT DRIVES ME

What drives me at Vay is the magic. That daily feeling that every small step forward, every single improvement, every small success is a step towards the final goal: to create something unique that will change the lives of many.

BACKGROUND

His 20+ years of experience in various mobility companies make him a great leader and KPI driven operator at Vay. Launched and ran various mobility services in 16+ cities, focused on free-floating car-sharing.

A new approach to driverless mobility

Join the journey

Milestones on our journey


Vay drives the first car ever without anyone in the car on a public road in Europe.

Read more

Co-founder and CEO Thomas von der Ohe was awarded "Founder of the Year" at the German Startup Awards 2023 with Keynote Speaker Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Previous winner of the GSA was Co-Founder and CEO of Flix, Jochen Engert. Read more

Vay raised a $95m Series B round in December 2021. Read more

Remotely driving from MWC (Mobile World Congress) Barcelona to Berlin with Ericsson and Deutsche Telekom. Read more

Teledrivers remotely drive vehicles

Vay’s teledrivers control all vehicle functions including steering, braking and throttle, and make all driving decisions ensuring convenient, safe and reliable journeys. All teledrivers are professionally trained and follow defensive and safe driving styles.

Redundancies in the system

Vay’s use of multiple cellular networks combined with proprietary hardware on both telestation and the vehicle side ensures the safety of our system.

Safety features plus human capabilities

The driver’s visual perception is reproduced via camera sensors and transmitted to the screens of the teledrive station. Road traffic sounds, such as emergency vehicles and other warning signals, are transmitted via microphones to the teledriver’s headphones.
In the event of an emergency, the vehicle automatically puts itself into a safe state within milliseconds by coming to a safe stop in the same lane.

Vay’s Services

Customers order an electric vehicle via the Vay app. A teledriver brings the car directly to a valid pick-up location for the customer - remotely controlled from the teledrive center. Upon arrival of the car, the customer then physically drives themselves to their destination. Once the customer has arrived at their destination, a teledriver takes over the vehicle once again at a valid drop-off point. This eliminates the time-consuming search for a parking space.

Customers get access to a unique service that promises peace of mind: Your fully electric car is delivered within a few minutes. There is no need to search for a vehicle or parking spot and it is an affordable alternative to car sharing and existing door-to-door solutions.

Safety first.

At Vay we strive for high safety in everything we do. The first company rule is “safety first,” the second rule is “safety first.” Vay develops its teledrive technology in order to fulfill applicable safety requirements and to provide customers a reliable mobility service.

Safety is also at the core of the teledrive training process, the Vay Teledrive Academy. All our teledrivers undergo extensive professional training. Safety also plays a key role in day-to-day operations. Teledrivers work in a teledrive center, which is designed to ensure high safety. They work regular hours, take frequent breaks and are free from distractions.

Teledriving as a new path to an autonomous future.

A human-machine collaboration.

Vay is developing an alternative approach to autonomous driving called teledriving.

With its teledrive-first-approach, Vay aims to offer a sustainable and safe service that can be an alternative to existing mobility services. Vay aims to gradually introduce autonomous driving functions in the system as it is safe and permitted to do so.

Human
Machine

IT’S SAFE

Our teledrive system is being designed to be as safe as having someone in the driver’s seat.

CLEANER AIR

Teledriving technology allows Vay's electric fleet to be highly-utilized. This can help to reduce the overall amount of cars in cities, CO2 emissions, and air and noise pollution.

MOBILITY FOR EVERYONE

Our mission is to bring our sustainable, affordable and door-to-door mobility services to your city.

OUR VALUES

What we believe in

We pioneer
change

At Vay, we’re doing work that has never been done before. This comes with challenges, frustrations and failures along the way. We embrace these challenges through perseverance and innovation, delivering creative solutions to overcome them.

We fuel
collaboration

At Vay, we work as a team and strive for a common goal. We celebrate diversity and encourage different opinions. Our teams and partners communicate and collaborate openly. Together we build, improve, and grow.

We drive
action

At Vay, everyone takes pride and commitment in their role for every task and every challenge. We are biased towards action and get behind the steering wheel, even when there is none. We are empowered to take initiative and drive it to completion.

We build
trust

At Vay, we consistently do the right thing, and follow through on our commitments to stakeholders, users and society. We understand their expectations and always respond in a way that feels human and respectful. We always put safety first and safety second.

We create
magic

At Vay, we don’t just make things that work, we build products people love. We create unexpected and delightful moments for our riders. We design end-to-end experiences that leave a lasting expression.

Learn more about Vay

Meet the team

Employee Spotlight

Thomas
von der Ohe

Co-Founder, CEO

Fabrizio
Scelsi

Co-Founder, VP Engineering

Bogdan
Djukic

Co-founder, Director Teledrive Experience

Mariona
Bosch

Director of Engineering Operations

Hans-Leo
Ross

Safety Advisor

Justin
Spratt

VP - Business & Corporate Development

Anja
Rechsteiner

Director of Communications

Caleb
Varner

US General Manager

Christian
Hertlein

VP - Product Design and Brand

David
Gossow

Senior Principal Software Engineer

Johanna
Loomis

Lead Industrial Designer

Vladimir
Bilonenko

Director of Software Engineering

ALINA
PRESTI

Teledriver

Stefano
Buzzanca

Head of Operations

Job Board

We would love to get
you on board

News

Find out what we have been up to lately!

Mar 2, 2023

Best of MWC: Screens that roll, ChatGPT interactive glasses

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The father of the cellphone was there. So was Huawei and a host of other Chinese tech companies. Tens of thousands of visitors also flocked to the MWC tech fair to be dazzled by the latest advances in AI, smartphones, robotics and much more.

Read article

Mar 2, 2023

Car driving in Berlin controlled from Spain

German company Vay remotely drove a car in Berlin while thousands of miles away at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. CEO Thomas von der Ohe says the company aims to "help solve transportation in metropolitan areas".

Read article

Feb 7, 2023

First Fully Remote-Controlled Cars Drive on Roads in Europe

Germany’s Vay has become the first company to deploy a vehicle without a human being inside on a European public road, a milestone the startup says paves the way for a remote-controlled mobility service within months.

Read article

Dec 22, 2022

Berlin-based Vay gets exemption permit to test rides without a safety driver on public roads

Berlin-based Vay, a deeptech startup that claims to create a new path for mobility, announced on Thursday that it is the first company in Europe to receive an exemption permit for test rides without a safety driver on public roads.

Read article

Oct 6, 2022

The Hottest Startups in Berlin

Look out, London—Berlin is fast catching up in all areas, from sheer volume of funding by startups to its rapid transition into a center for deeptech.

Read article
See more

Supporters

Look who already
joined the journey!

Coatue

Gustav Söderström

CPO/CTO (Chief RnD Officer) at Spotify

Kinnevik

Niall Wass

CEO, SVP, COO, CCO at various tech enabled consumer start-ups. Former SVP International, Uber across 50 countries. Investor at Atomico & currently on 5 boards including Vay.

Atomico

Patrick Pichette

Partner at Inovia Capital, former chairman of the board at Twitter, and former global CFO at Google.

Nico Rosberg

F1 World Champion and Greentech Investor / Entrepreneur.

Cristina Stenbeck

Investor and Advisor.

Creandum

Niklas Zennstroem

Founder of Skype, Kazaa and Atomico.

La Famiglia

Jeannette zu Fürstenberg

Founding Partner at La Famiglia, Member of the Digital Supervisory Board of Lufthansa, Investor into Lilium, the leading EVOTL company, Kodiak Robotics, the market leader for autonomous simulation software.

Signals

Qasar Younis

Co-founder and CEO of Applied Intuition, former COO and Partner of Y Combinator.

Eurazeo

Founders of FlixMobility

Mobility/Tech Investors and Entrepreneurs. 

Visionaries Club

Robert Lacher

Founding Partner of Visionaries Club & La Famiglia. 

System One

Project A

Invested

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