Pittsburgh startups get invaluable help from Innovation Works' program

Maven Machines, an East Liberty startup company, is less than a year old but has developed a working product, attracted investors and landed customers for its headset designed to prevent truck drivers from having accidents.

Avi Geller, Maven's founder and CEO, credits an entrepreneurial program run by Innovation Works that gave the company access to advisers and investors, a space to work and other resources key to get a business off the ground.

“You're instantly connected to a great network of people” through Innovation Works, Geller said. “It gives you a great platform to launch a company.”

Maven Machines was one of 14 companies to graduate Tuesday from the Oakland-based organization's AlphaLab and AlphaLab Gear accelerator programs. That network of people engaged in making Pittsburgh's technology economy a success was on display as about 800 people packed Stage AE on the North Shore for the event dubbed Demo Day.

Only about 100 people attended the first Demo Day in 2008, said Rich Lunak, CEO of Innovation Works, which runs the AlphaLab programs in East Liberty.

“It's been fun to see the momentum building in the community,” Lunak said.

Interest from investors is growing. Western Pennsylvania companies received $338 million in venture capital financing last year, more than double the amount in 2013 and the most since 2001, Lunak said.

“Our investment sector is white-hot,” he said.

Innovation Works is supported by the state Department of Community and Economic Development and is a major funder of early-stage companies such as Maven Machines and the other AlphaLab graduates. Last year, it provided $4.4 million in investments to startups in the region. Its portfolio companies attracted $164 million from venture capitalists, angel investors and others.

Maven Machines has received more than $300,000 so far, including $25,000 from Innovation Works, Geller said.

The money allowed the company to develop its Bluetooth-enabled headsets, which are embedded with sensors that detect and track head movements and can be used to make phone calls just like devices most truckers wear on a daily basis.

Data from the headset are transmitted through a smartphone and automatically analyzed to determine whether a driver is distracted or fatigued, Geller said. It can alert drivers to pull over if they're tired and provide feedback to trucking companies.

“There are 500,000 trucking accidents a year,” Geller said. “We have the technology to solve that problem.”

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety reported last year that 21 percent of fatal crashes and 13 percent of vehicle accidents in which someone was hospitalized involved a drowsy driver. The foundation analyzed data from more than 14,000 vehicle crashes from 2009 to 2013.

With 3.5 million commercial truck drivers on the road in America, there is a large customer base for Maven's Co-Pilot headset. The company has landed contracts to supply headsets to four companies, including PGT Trucking Inc. in Monaca and ARL Network in Moon. Combined, the two companies have more than 4,000 trucks.

“We are the first to use it, but we believe many others in the industry will follow, as this device proves its great value in keeping drivers safe,” said Gregg Troian, president of PGT. “Keeping our drivers and the public safe is our first priority.”

Geller said the eight-employee company will have 500 headsets in use by the end of this year and will produce thousands each month by the end of 2016. The company plans to expand its reach to bus drivers, heavy machinery operators, dock workers and possibly everyday drivers.

“We have a great start and huge, fast road ahead,” he said.

Alex Nixon is a Trib Total Media staff writer. Reach him at 412-320-7928 or anixon@tribweb.com.