COTA, REV1 Ventures Partner to Support Emerging Technologies

The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) and REV1 Ventures announced a partnership to find and support emerging technologies through COTA's GO! Mobility Lab.

Through this collaboration, Rev1 Ventures and COTA are working on advancing new technologies in customer experience, mobility planning, and operational excellence by tapping into emerging technologies and startups looking to transform access to public transportation mobility options.

Additionally, the GO! Mobility Lab provides a workspace to bring entrepreneurs and technology together with the COTA innovation team to work side-by-side on smart mobility projects.

"COTA's goal of providing equitable, accessible transit as our region rapidly grows requires new technology and new ways of thinking about and approaching mobility," said Joanna M. Pinkerton, COTA president/CEO. "This partnership with Rev1 will allow COTA to tap into a powerful startup ecosystem and foster the technologies needed to advance smart mobility for our customers and our organization. Our Go! Mobility Lab and Innovation Team have had great success in recent years collaborating with our well-established corporate and non-profit partners, and we are excited to begin working with entrepreneurs, too who are looking to shape and alter how transit operates through innovative mobility solutions."

COTA has also partnered with Rekor to soon launch what will become the largest Artificial Intelligence implementation of its kind in the U.S., according to the agency's news release. It allows participating transit agencies, counties, and public safety organizations to share, view, and react to real-time traffic information across 13 central Ohio counties on a single web-based platform.

The partnership began with Waycare, which Rekor acquired in August 2021. Funded by a $1.725 million U.S. Department of Transportation innovation grant, COTA and Rekor are now testing the system with partners, demonstrating how regions could increase safety, data visibility, cross-agency collaboration, improve operational efficiencies, and deliver equitable mobility.

As an active VC in the U.S., Rev1 said it knows how to identify, assess, and engage with startups.

"Through our partnership, COTA is harnessing the collective power of its transit expertise and the infrastructure they've built, and weaving in Rev1's startup studio approach for rapidly advancing innovative solutions by seeking to find and engage with breakthrough technologies in the industry," said Mike McCann, chief business development officer for Rev1 Ventures.