Time to Jump on the Bandwagon
As the world becomes increasingly urbanized and crowded, finding solutions to increase traffic efficiency are becoming more vital. In an effort to spur innovation, Ford Motor Company recently launched its Urban Commuter Challenge, which called upon app developers to find ways to improve mobility choices and overcome traffic congestion in major cities like Shanghai.
Bandwagon, a tenant company at NYU’s clean-tech incubator called the New York City Accelerator for a Clean and Resilient Economy (NYC ACRE), answered that call, winning second place and a generous monetary prize from the automotive company for its ridesharing app, which connects and alerts passengers in congested areas to matches and works across devices without the need for consumer download.
The prize was just the latest in a long list of laurels garnered by the soon-to-graduate startup, which currently operates in select U.S. metropolitan regions and in Canada. Since its founding, Bandwagon has won well over $1 million in capital, including multiple grants from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and $700,000 in the Verizon Powerful Answers Competition.
Bandwagon was also the exclusive ridesharing contractor and provider for the 2014 and 2015 International Consumer Electronic Show (CES), as well as with 20 participating regional hotels. The CES, a global consumer electronics and consumer technology tradeshow that takes place every January in Las Vegas, brings together more than 150,000 attendees from 140 countries, who gather to view some 20,000 new products. Ride-sharing doubled during this year’s CES, Bandwagon reports.
"It’s been a banner year for Bandwagon,” company founder David Mahfouda says. “From placing in Ford’s Shanghai competition to partnering with United’s Eco Skies program to unparalleled exposure with an extremely sophisticated audience at this year’s CES, to attracting the attention of some of New York’s leading investors, we feel very grateful that all our hard work is paying off.”
