Five founders from across the U.S. and around the world have arrived in Chattanooga to participate in the latest cohort of the Sustainable Mobility Accelerator, a 12-week program organized by The Company Lab (CO.LAB) in collaboration with national startup accelerator gener8tor.
The startups are tackling issues ranging from improving the efficiency of a group of vehicles to reducing carbon emissions. Each will receive $20,000 in initial funding, with the potential to earn up to $100,000 by the conclusion of the program.
Over the next 12 weeks, the founders will collaborate with more than 100 mentors, investors and Chattanooga-based corporate leaders, building relationships that could lead to pilot programs, customer partnerships and long-term integration into the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Among the cohort is Sacramento, California-based Tenvos AI, which is pioneering voice analysis technology that can detect alcohol and cannabis impairment, as well as sleep deprivation, in six seconds. Founder Rima Seiilova-Olson developed the technology to help prevent workplace accidents in industries where safety is paramount, including oil and gas, railroads, mining and petrochemicals.
“We’re leveraging a very sensitive and underappreciated voice signal to ensure safer workplaces,” says Seiilova-Olson. “Our first customer is a petrochemical company where an impaired worker could cause a catastrophic environmental disaster.”
Seiilova-Olson says the opportunity to connect with Chattanooga’s diverse industries offers a unique advantage to her startup.
“Chattanooga is the perfect place to meet companies we otherwise wouldn’t encounter.”
From France, EX9 is introducing automation to logistics yards with autonomous tractors, reducing costs by 30% and slashing carbon emissions by 94%.
Founder Ksenia Duarte says the technology replaces the manual labor of moving trailers, a task traditionally done by diesel-powered tractors. EX9’s technology has already been piloted in Europe with DHL, and the company is now exploring connections in the U.S. as a result of their involvement with CO.LAB.
“We’re excited to be in Chattanooga, a key logistics hub in the U.S., where we can make valuable industry connections,” says Duarte.
Reducing waste and emissions
LogShare, led by Pedro Prado of São Paulo, Brazil, is another standout startup. This software-as-a-service platform fills unused cargo space on return trips, addressing the inefficiencies of empty miles traveled by trucks. Prado says connecting routes – like a delivery from Tennessee to Florida – can reduce costs by 30% and emissions by 40%.
Since its founding three years ago, LogShare has partnered with global companies like Coca-Cola, L’Oreal and FedEx. “By matching cargo shipments and optimizing routes, we’re cutting waste in both costs and emissions,” Prado says.
As it enters the cohort, LogShare has a team of 40, has already raised $3.5 million in seed funding and has plans for a round of Series A funding.
Fleet management
Accelevate, founded by Jim Maury of Henderson, Nevada, uses AI-driven performance analytics to help companies optimize fuel usage and operational costs across different types of fuel – including electric. Maury says the Tennessee Valley is the perfect location to develop solutions for energy, mobility and logistics, given the region’s strategic position and industry strengths.
EV Bots, a startup based in Pennsylvania, is working to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles with autonomous charging technology. The company’s robots charge delivery vans and trucks at customer depots, offering companies an efficient alternative to traditional charging infrastructure, says founder Virind Gujral.
Building the future
The Sustainable Mobility Accelerator is one part of CO.LAB’s broader mission to support innovation in the Tennessee Valley. The program has earned national recognition for its approach to connecting startups with corporate partners, mentors and investors in a bid to help them scale their businesses.
CO.LAB CEO Tasia Malakasis says Chattanooga’s healthy entrepreneurial ecosystem makes the city an ideal location for startups looking to grow. In addition, the region’s established mobility, logistics and transportation industries offer opportunities for collaboration and innovation.
“We’re not just a place-based organization,” says Malakasis. “We connect innovators with the corporate partners who need their solutions, which helps to drive economic growth and advance our industries.”
CO.LAB’s accelerator program has already succeeded in attracting and retaining talent. Examples of startups that have relocated to Chattanooga after participating in a CO.LAB cohort include Motoring Labs, which offers ?AI-driven inspection and triage for heavy vehicles, RueData, which uses a proprietary algorithm to reduce tire costs, and Xtelligent, which develops AI-enabled traffic management systems.
The spring 2025 cohort is another example of how Chattanooga is becoming a “hot spot for sustainable mobility innovation,” Malakasis says.
“With each startup providing solutions to global challenges, our program is helping to shape the future of transportation and logistics.”