Dash Navigation Inc., a Silicon Valley start-up backed by venture capital firms Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Sequoia Capital, plans to launch a consumer product and service at the DEMOfall Conference on Sept. 26.
The offering promises to “give drivers timely and relevant local information on their dashboards,” saving drivers’ time and enabling them “to find and explore new destinations.” In addition to delivering “real-time and relevant information,” the service will “create a network of drivers who help each other avoid traffic and share information about their destinations.
The Dash executive team includes Paul Lego, chief executive officer; Rob Currie, president and chief operating officer; Robert Acker, senior vice president of marketing; Paul Lima, vice president of engineering, and Steve Wollenberg, vice president of business development.
Lego was chief executive officer of Virage, which was acquired by Autonomy, PLC and chief operating officer of Digidesign, which was acquired by Avid Technology. Currie’s resume includes time at TiVo, Marimba and Digidesign. Acker helped launch XM Radio and led RealNetworks consumer music businesses. Lima has experience at firms including Good Technology and Logitech, and Wollenberg worked for DaimlerChrysler, Delphi Automotive, Palm, and various departments of transportation.
"Dash will set a new industry standard for accurate, up-to-date information that helps alleviate the growing problem of traffic congestion in most major cities," promised Matt Murphy, partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Dash currently has 44 employees, and has been developing its product, network and service for more than three years. It has several patents already granted, with more than 20 additional patent applications filed.