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, CTO

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, VP Engineering & 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

VP Programs and 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)

Justin
Spratt

CBO - 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.

Irene
Molins

Director of People

WHAT DRIVES ME

Driven by a passion for fostering vibrant organizational cultures, I am a seasoned leader specializing in People and Culture. Throughout my career journey, I’ve championed initiatives to empower teams, from crafting recruitment strategies aligned with core values to implementing data-driven processes for optimal People Operations.

BACKGROUND

My background spans roles where I’ve spearheaded the establishment of People departments from scratch and led teams through significant growth. I thrive on continuous learning, embracing remote/hybrid cultures and cutting-edge HR technologies. I leadled innovative solutions to optimise processes and initiatives that rewarded InfoJobs a “Best Place to Work”.
Outside of work, my passions for mountains and my dog, reflect my eagerness to explore the wild and love for 4-legs companions.

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.

Claire
Eagan

Director of Legal

WHAT DRIVES ME

I’m passionate about leveraging technology to democratize transportation and revolutionize the mobility landscape.

BACKGROUND

Senior Counsel Product & Strategy at Uber handling catastrophic loss claims and litigation, 13 years of experience in product & safety advising and risk mitigation, J.D. University of Illinois at Chicago.

Bayanat and Vay Announce Partnership to Expand Teledriving Solutions in the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific

The collaboration will combine Bayanat’s AI-powered solutions and expertise in advanced mobility with Vay’s cutting-edge teledriving technology.

Abu Dhabi, UAE, 26th September 2024Bayanat (ADX: BAYANAT), a leading provider of AI-powered geospatial solutions, and Vay, the provider of automotive-grade teledriving (remote driving) technology, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance teledriving technology solutions with geospatial data and AI.

This partnership enables Bayanat to unlock and expand jointly with Vay the teledriving technology into the Middle East, Africa, and select Asia Pacific countries. Additionally, the partnership will see the launch of a joint R&D arm dedicated to the development and expansion of next generation, safe autonomous technology. The partnership will also leverage Bayanat’s operational infrastructure, data and AI capabilities, and Vay’s teledriving expertise to drive advancements in autonomous vehicles globally, and address the growing demand for advanced modes of mobility.

Bayanat’s smart mobility solutions are powered by its AI-enabled platform, GIQ, which integrates data from space and ground assets to assist with decision-making, enhance situational awareness, and improve operational efficiency. Vay’s technology allows professionally trained teledrivers to remotely drive vehicles to the customer’s pick-up location. Once the car arrives, the user takes manual control and drives as in any regular vehicle. After the journey is complete, the user simply ends the rental in the app without worrying about searching for parking space, as a teledriver handles parking or drives the car to the next customer. This system offers a sustainable, door-to-door mobility service at half the cost of traditional ride-hailing. Bayanat’s AI insights, informed by geospatial data, will improve the remote experience for Vay’s trained teledrivers.

Vay is the first and still the only company in Europe to operate on public roads without a safety driver. In January 2024, it launched its commercial teledriving service in Las Vegas, positioning itself as a pioneer in teledriven cars. Committed to creating safer, more sustainable, and livable cities, Vay’s teledriving technology optimizes the use of its electric fleet, potentially leading to fewer cars on the road.

Hasan Al Hosani, Managing Director, Bayanat: “Bayanat, soon to be Space42, remains committed to fostering key partnerships that advance disruptive industries such as teledriving and advanced mobility. Our collaboration with Vay will allow us to tackle teledriving challenges and set the pace of innovation in the industry. By combining our AI-powered smart mobility solutions with Vay’s cutting-edge teledriving technology, we aim to deliver advanced, scalable mobility solutions that enhance transportation efficiency and foster safer, more sustainable urban mobility experiences.”

“We are excited to collaborate with Bayanat to develop what we believe is a crucial element of autonomous vehicles – specifically, ‘remote-operated, assisted autonomy’,” said Thomas von der Ohe, Vay co-founder and CEO. “Teledriving has a profound ability to increase cost-effectiveness for fleet operations. Coupled with Bayanat’s AI-powered platform, we can further advance the implementation of teledriving beyond the current use cases and improve the overall experience for teledrivers, users, and partners”.

This partnership is the latest in several strategic alliances Bayanat has fostered to apply its AI-powered geospatial capabilities and offerings to more use cases. In 2024, Bayanat was Anchor Partner at DRIFTx, an international platform for smart, autonomous and sustainable urban mobility solutions with the aim to advance Abu Dhabi’s journey to become the global hub for smart and autonomous vehicle applications. At the event, Bayanat made several announcements, including its partnership with South Korean firm Autonomous a2z to pioneer cutting-edge autonomous fleet operations and advance sustainable smart mobility and transport systems.

-ENDS-

About Bayanat

Bayanat, an ADX-listed public company with a majority shareholding by G42, provides comprehensive world-class AI-powered geospatial solutions to a growing number of sectors such as Government Services, Environment, Energy & Resources, Smart Cities, and Transportation. Its offering includes topographic, hydrographic, and aeronautical products and charts, as well as spatial data surveying, analysis, management, modeling, visualization, and cartography services. Bayanat’s solutions harness vast amounts of premium and unique data from a range of sources, including Satellites, High Altitude Pseudo Satellites (HAPS), and Earth Observation powered by AI to drive geospatial intelligence (gIQ).

Note

Subject to obtaining regulatory and other relevant approvals, Bayanat AI PLC is in the process of merging with Al Yah Satellite Communications Company PJSC (Yahsat). The proposed merger aims to create an AI-powered space technology champion in the MENA region with global reach. Bayanat and Yahsat will continue to operate independently until regulatory approvals are received and the merger is effective, which is expected to take place in H2 2024. Visit the merger microsite for more information: www.asharedambition.com  

Media Contact: 

Vay – press@vay.io

TrailRunner International Team – bayanat@trailrunnerint.com