
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company announced a new venture capital fund, Goodyear Ventures, with $100 million targeted for new investments in future mobility solutions over the next 10 years. The company also launched AndGo, a vehicle servicing platform that combines predictive software and national service network.
The announcements were made this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Goodyear Ventures will continue and expand Goodyear’s growing relationships in new mobility, with a focus on partnering and investing in startups with a shared vision of sustainable, safe and new mobility experiences, the company says.
“Goodyear is a technology-driven mobility company that seeks out and partners with other mobility thought leaders ranging from small startups to proven business models. Goodyear Ventures will take this effort to the next level to engage and shape how people move in the future,” says Goodyear Chairman, CEO and President Richard J. Kramer.
Goodyear Ventures will focus on eight themes shaping mobility: Electric and autonomous technologies, connected mobility solutions, new tire materials, future maintenance and operations, next-generation public mobility, next-generation aviation mobility, future transportation infrastructure and emerging technologies
In addition to capital, Goodyear Ventures’ portfolio companies will have the opportunity to learn and grow with Goodyear through its technology and innovation resources, vast vehicle service network and global manufacturing and product development footprint, Goodyear says.
Goodyear says AndGo delivers full vehicle readiness, helping consumer fleets boost their performance. Through monitoring of service needs and easy scheduling, AndGo activates Goodyear’s service network for convenient scheduling to reduce downtime.
“AndGo is another Goodyear innovation that will help enable mobility today and in the future. There is no one better positioned than Goodyear with our service network, intelligent tire solutions and predictive software to provide premium fleet readiness,” Kramer says.
Fleets engaging AndGo will benefit from continuous care through routine inspections and tire monitoring leveraging Goodyear’s intelligent tires. AndGo eliminates the guesswork in fleet management allowing fleets to focus on their end-customers, the company says.
AndGo is currently available in select U.S. markets and will expand to additional markets in mid-2020.