Veniam

Founded in 2012 as a spin-off from the universities of Porto and Aveiro, Veniam was established by João Barros, Susana Sargento, Roy Friedman, and Robin Chase, who was also a co-founder of Zipcar. The company focuses on developing and deploying intelligent networking software designed to create robust and reliable mesh networks of connected vehicles and other moving things. This technology platform, known as 'Internet of Moving Things,' aims to address the challenge of keeping vehicles and mobile assets continuously connected, especially in environments where traditional single-network connectivity is unreliable or insufficient. By doing so, Veniam facilitates the massive data flows required for autonomous vehicles, smart city applications, and industrial IoT.

Veniam's core business revolves around its software platform which intelligently manages data communication by selecting the best available network at any given moment, seamlessly switching between Wi-Fi, Cellular (4G/5G), and vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications. This dynamic network management ensures high-quality, cost-effective, and secure connectivity. The primary benefit for clients is the ability to offload large volumes of non-critical data over cheaper Wi-Fi networks when available, while reserving more expensive cellular connections for high-priority, real-time data, thus optimizing communication costs and performance. This capability is particularly valuable for fleet operators, automotive OEMs, and smart city managers who need to collect vast amounts of telematics, sensor, and video data from their mobile assets.

The company's business model is centered on licensing its proprietary software to hardware manufacturers and selling its platform as a service to fleet operators and smart cities. Customers include port authorities, who use the technology to connect cranes, straddle carriers, and other equipment to improve operational efficiency, and automotive manufacturers looking to enhance the connectivity of their vehicles for services like over-the-air updates and advanced driver-assistance systems. By ensuring that data can be collected and transmitted reliably from moving assets, Veniam provides the foundational communication layer for a wide range of advanced mobility and IoT services.

Keywords: intelligent networking, vehicle-to-everything, V2X, mesh networks, smart city, connected vehicles, fleet management, IoT connectivity, mobile communications, data offloading