Ford Partners with Three Mobility Startups

Ford Motor Co. has formed alliances with a trio of startups that are developing advanced mobility services for connected and shared-ride vehicles.

All three companies participated in this year’s Techstars Mobility incubator backed by Ford and other sponsors. Each company received $120,000 in funding and spent three months in Detroit huddling with business experts.

One of the companies, New York City-based Cargo, will offer ride-share drivers an in-vehicle “store” of snacks and other items their passengers might want to buy. A second, HAAS Alert, is a Chicago company that is developing connected-car technology to warn drivers about approaching emergency vehicles.

The third partner, Cincinnati-based Spatial, is developing a system to enhance GPS-delivered in-car maps with “social intelligence” that flags hot spots for eateries, night clubs and other special-interest activities.