Autonomous driving technology is improving rapidly but self-driving cars still struggle in poor weather conditions. SEEVA sees that as a big opportunity. The startup’s patented washer fluid heating system and other products help with visibility on the road.
Today, SEEVA is announcing its first round of funding, a $2 million investment that will help the startup go after the emerging self-driving car industry. SEEVA is also making several strategic hires, including Derrick Redding, a former executive for Toyota Japan and Johnson Controls. Redding is now serving as SEEVA’s chief operating officer.
Investors in SEEVA’s seed round include Trucks VC, Dynamo VC, Expansion VC, Haystack VC and Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund. Angel investor Patrick McInnis also participated. The company raised a previous round from investors including Techstars, Fontinalis Partners and Right Side Capital.
SEEVA’s co-founders are a father-daughter team. After spending more than four decades working as an automotive engineer for Chrysler, Jere Lansinger began developing heated liquid systems for vehicle mobility in his garage. His daughter, Diane Lansinger came on board as a co-founder, bringing experience at Microsoft and starting companies.
Last fall, SEEVA graduated from the Techstars’ Mobility accelerator. The startup is based in Bellevue, Wash., and Detroit.
SEEVA’S technology heats washing solution with a patented process to automatically clean bugs, dirt, sand, dust, and snow off of windshields, LED headlights, cameras, and more. The idea is to help drivers easily clear off debris for safer driving. The product is already in use by New York’s snowplow fleet. With the new funding, SEEVA is concentrating on autonomous vehicles.
“At SEEVA, we’re creating a trustworthy family of innovative, patent-protected products that are going to build driver and rider confidence in self-driving cars by making the hardware and software in these autonomous vehicles see the road more clearly,” Diane Lansinger said in a statement.
Editor’s Note: Post updated to reflect SEEVA’s earlier funding round.
