Danielle Walsh’s journey mirrored a narrative of unexpected divergence. Raised in a household where car racing was revered, she astonishingly evolved into the leader of HSBC’s ‘Future Cities’ initiative in her late 20s, a project aimed at aligning the bank’s services with climate change ambitions.
By 2018, she found herself intricately involved with both the bank’s technology mergers & acquisitions and its Chief Data Officer.
“Spending over eighteen months in constant travel and client consultations, it dawned on me that achieving the ‘net zero’ target in just the road transport sector would require trillions of dollars of investment annually,” Walsh reflected. Spotting a unique business opening, she pioneered her startup in 2021.
As of now, as the initiator and CEO of Clearly (Walsh is in the picture center, flanked by two financiers), her company has successfully raised $4.3 million in a Seed funding round. This capital injection is intended to enhance their primary offering: an AI-enhanced ‘climate intelligence’ tool for transport fleet managers. This solution can minutely assess and signal a driver on when to adjust tire pressure for maximum eco-efficiency, according to Walsh.
The investment was spearheaded by Pace Ventures and Nine Realms, with contributions from incumbent mobility investors including Mobilion, Next Gear, and M1720, as well as angels like Lord Nash and Margaux Primat.
Clearly targets a glaring challenge—the massive and costly task of decarbonizing transportation fleets and supply chains, despite the common sight of vehicle emissions. Transportation is responsible for 25% of worldwide CO2 emissions, necessitating a staggering $1.75 trillion for its decarbonization. Emissions from transportation are also projected to surge by 60% come 2050, per the International Energy Agency.
Introduced in 2021, Clearly aims to tackle a segment of this issue with its platform that leverages anonymized customer data—including logistics and supply chain participants—to offer a comprehensive dashboard with emissions insights, vehicle diagnostics, including GPS tracking, IoT data, load capacity, and more. This tool is designed to encourage eco-friendly driving habits through real-time alerts and suggestions.
The underlying goal is to aid operators in reducing costs and adhering to emission standards and targets, now a legal necessity in many nations.
Among its esteemed clientele is Webfleet, a fleet management solution by Bridgestone.
Data obtained by Clearly highlights that up to 30% of fuel consumption can be mitigated by altering driving habits, thereby underscoring the significance of equipping drivers with actionable data to enhance their driving efficiency.
“There’s a swiftly expanding demand for data-led purchasing and AI-powered operational decisions among major corporations and the finance sector,” noted Marius Swart, a partner at Pace Ventures. “The requirement for such solutions is accelerating rapidly.”
However, Walsh acknowledges that existing large telematics providers pose a competitive challenge. These companies have vast data at their disposal but often fall short in developing practical solutions for fleet managers.
“They monitor vehicles, tire pressure, and driver’s habits, yet they struggle to integrate additional vital data,” she shared with TechCrunch. While acknowledging potential competition, she asserts that entering this sphere would necessitate innovating beyond traditional tech stacks.
“Securing even 1% of the market could generate a billion in revenue,” she mentioned. “I’d welcome further entrants. It’s a significantly large market.”
When asked about how her passion transitioned from car racing to climate advocacy, Walsh humorously remarked, “Well, I just secured $4 million in funding… How’s that for a start?”
Compiled by Techarena.au.
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