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Veteran Automotive Executive to Provide Industry Expertise for Next-Gen Radar
PLEASANTON, Calif. – April 4, 2023 – Neural Propulsion Systems (NPS), a pioneer in hyper-resolution digital imaging radar technology, today announced that Rick Wagoner, the former Chairman and CEO of General Motors, has joined the NPS team as an investor and board observer. In this capacity, Wagoner will provide strategic guidance as the company ushers in the future of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving with its breakthrough NPS AtomicSense™ platform.
“Rick is a true visionary who brings decades of automotive industry experience with a passion for continued innovation and improvement, using cutting-edge technology,” said Dr. Behrooz Rezvani, Founder and CEO at NPS. “We are thrilled he is joining NPS as an investor and board observer. His counsel is highly valued as we continue to advance the development of our AtomicSense platform in the pursuit of achieving zero roadway deaths.”
“I am very impressed with the NPS founding team and technology,” said Rick Wagoner. “NPS has developed an extremely innovative approach based on new mathematics to redefine and dramatically improve radar, which is a critical technology for future improvements in the auto and defense industry, among others. I’m delighted to work with the NPS management team, board and advisors to support the company’s future success and growth.”
Wagoner joins fellow board observers Marwan Fawaz (former Nest) and Kevin Reid (Blue Lagoon Capital). He will work closely with the board of directors: Behrooz Rezvani (former Quantenna, Ikanos), Bobby Yazdani (Cota Capital), Elizabeth Cross (Ariat) and John Marren (Temasek, AMD and former TPG Capital).
“We are excited to work closely with Rick in NPS’ next phase of growth,” said Bobby Yazdani, Founder and Partner of Cota Capital. “His extensive experience and deep understanding of the automotive industry will be a tremendous benefit for NPS as it works toward delivering leading radar technology that sets the industry standard for both safety and reliability.”
“NPS radar has huge potential,” said John Marren, Senior Managing Director at Temasek, Director of AMD, and Member of NPS Board of Directors. “We welcome Rick and look forward to leveraging his knowledge, track record and broad international business perspectives as we continue to focus on the opportunities ahead.”
Wagoner built a 32-year career at General Motors, where he served as Chairman and CEO for several years, before which he was President and COO. He held many other senior leadership positions at GM, including President of North American Operations, Chief Financial Officer and head of worldwide purchasing, President of General Motors do Brasil and CFO of GM Europe.
Since his retirement from GM in 2009, Wagoner has been very active as a board member and advisor to many businesses and educational institutions. Among current business activities, he serves as Chair of the Board of Invesco and Excelitas Technologies, and as a board member of ChargePoint Holdings, Inc. and Graham Holdings Company. He advises several financial firms, and invests in and advises a number of smaller auto/technology start-up businesses. He continues to maintain close relationships around the globe.
About Atomic Sense Technology
NPS AtomicSense technology uses new patented radar algorithms to achieve disruptively higher resolution, greater precision and superior reliability. Advances in radar technology enable vehicle operators to sense the most challenging and complex road environments, outperforming human vision. NPS radar performance is based on a new mathematical framework, the atomic norm, that transforms how sensor data is processed and understood. AtomicSense technology achieves revolutionary, never-before-seen radar performance that solves industry-level challenges and opens the door for the future of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), autonomous driving, and next-generation aerospace and defense systems.
About Neural Propulsion Systems (NPS)
Founded in 2018 by Silicon Valley luminaries, NPS develops digital imaging radar technology. Based on a radar algorithm system running on graphical processor units (GPUs), the NPS AtomicSense platform achieves radar performance that reaches the information-theoretic limits of what is mathematically possible, enabling groundbreaking applications in the mobility and defense industries. Find NPS on the Web, Twitter and LinkedIn.
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