(Image source: Driveway Software.) 

Driveway Software, Inc. (San Mateo, Calif.), a mobile telematics solutions provider, has named Mike Simmons Chief Executive Officer. Driveway markets a smartphone-deployed, cloud-based technology directed at helping drivers improve their driving skills and thus help insurers reduce risk with better pricing data. Simmons succeeds company founder and CTO, Igor Katsman.

“Mike is a product-focused leader with a track record of innovation in the IoT space,” comments Gigi Levy-Weiss, Chairman of Driveway. “He has a strong history of building partnerships with leading insurance companies. Equally important, he understands what’s important to consumers and where the business is headed.”

Simmons was previously with Automatic Labs, where he architected partnerships with five of the top ten insurers in the U.S., in addition to partnerships with OEMs and other leaders in the automotive industry, according to a Driveway statement. Prior to Automatic, he was president of Directed Electronics, where he developed the first iPhone app that could remotely start and unlock an owner’s car, and was a co-founder of Octo Telematics North America, where he helped launch the usage-based insurance (UBI) market in the U.S. He also held a finance position at Ford Motor Company and was a co-founder of TechSpace. He earned his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

“I’m honored to join Igor and the team to lead Driveway to the next level of innovation at this exciting time in the industry,” said Simmons. “Driveway invented the technology that makes smartphone-based UBI possible years ago, and only recently has the industry recognized its promise and potential. I’m excited to help bring Driveway’s innovations to customers at scale. With great user experience design and Driveway’s best-in-class technology, we can make a significant positive impact on road safety.”

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