SXSW Pitch Finalist: Intvo
The Forrest Four-Cast: January 27, 2020
Meet Intvo, a startup with the target audience of everyone on the road.
Assam Alzookery, Intvo founder and CEO, explains, “Our product solves the lack of communication between drivers and pedestrians. In a continuously distracted world, there needs to be an intermediate between pedestrians and drivers to ensure safety for everyone.”
Intvo is one of 50 finalists for SXSW Pitch 2020, and will pitch in the Artificial Intelligence, Robotics & Voice Technology category (11 am to noon Sunday, March 15), aiming to impress a panel of expert judges and a live audience with their skills, creativity and innovation in emerging technology.
Alzookery is a University of Michigan graduate, but found inspiration in watching pedestrians and traffic interact in New York City. He built Intvo to leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning to understand and predict pedestrian behavior in the context of autonomous cars and fleet-vehicles to they can modify vehicle operation or alert drivers to ensure safety.
Founded in May 2018 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Intvo received a $60,000 grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s (MEDC) PlanetM last August and is collaborating with the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute to deploy their technology on Ann Arbor streets.
Winners in each of the 10 categories will be announced at the Pitch Awards Ceremony, at 6:30 pm Sunday, March 15. SXSW attendees are also invited to Meet the Finalists from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm Monday, March 16. All SXSW Pitch events take place at the Hilton Austin Downtown.
In advance of his SXSW Pitch experience, Alzookery shared some thoughts about his life as a founder.
What’s your super power?
I don’t get tired. I work nonstop all day, every day for my goal in life. There is nothing else I would rather do.
What has the startup experience taught you about life?
There will be bad moments, but also good ones. The key is to keep moving forward while doing the best I can.
What’s your favorite thing about being in Ann Arbor?
It’s a college city that is full of energy, spirit, and educated individuals. There is always something going on, and it’s just so vibrant I enjoy spending every day there.
What do you think is the most overrated virtue?
Intelligence. Is it a person who’s good in math or coding? The word intelligence is usually a parameter for how good someone’s mind is, and I think that’s not right. Everyone’s mind is good in different things.
Which living person do you most admire and why?
I admire Elon Musk and strive to be like him because he is a risk taker and a great entrepreneur. He represents everything a young motivated individual wants to become and is truly an inspiration in every way.
What motto or quote do you live by?
If you fail you have to get up and try again. Life is full of challenges but how we overcome them is what counts.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten — or given?
Never give up.
Tell us about something you love.
I love innovative technology so Tesla vehicles fall into that category. I admire their design and capabilities while being an electric vehicle.
What do you do when you are low on energy?
I like to drink tea because it’s healthy and enjoyable but I also like to eat fruit like pomegranates and cherries. I tend to stay away from too much caffeine and energy drinks because they are bad for the body.
If you were offered the opportunity to colonize Mars (but with no guarantee that you would ever return to earth), would you go?
I would go because I believe in trying new things. I already know what life is like on Earth and maybe the life on Mars will be better. If you don’t try you won’t know!
Look for more interviews with other finalists in this space between now and the start of SXSW Pitch on Saturday, March 14.
If you are an entrepreneur, check out the SXSW 2020 Startups Track, which runs March 13–17. This track brings together founders and funders and showcases exciting new companies, products, services, and business models across different verticals and industries.
Hugh Forrest serves as Chief Programming Officer at SXSW, the world’s most unique gathering of creative professionals. He also tries to write at least four paragraphs per day on Medium. These posts often cover tech-related trends; other times they focus on books, pop culture, sports and other current events.
