ROAD SENTINEL
BY SCOTT KROEKER
My name is Scott Kroeker, and I want to make our roads safer.
I founded Road Sentinel after spending years working in the transportation industry.
I saw the horrifying results of leaving faulty guardrail end treatments unrepaired.
Far too often, the structures designed to protect us on the side of the road become accident hazards.
Inspecting guardrails and other safety structures is a very time-consuming and dangerous process.
Workers often risk their own wellbeing to stand on the side of the road and manually inspect the structures.
That’s why I developed a proprietary inspection technology using AI computer vision to make roadside inspections more efficient, more accurate and safer for everyone involved.
With the help of the LaunchLNK grant, I was able to fund the development of my hardware and software prototype. I also was in the NMotion Program powered by gener8tor, a growth accelerator here in Nebraska.
Both programs believed in my vision and connected me with resources and investors who helped accelerate Road Sentinel’s growth.
I’m grateful for each investment into Road Sentinel. As a start-up, I can’t express enough how important their support is; it helps fund and fuel our future.
With the support of Lincoln’s vibrant entrepreneurial spirit and my team at Road Sentinel, I’m determined to protect our drivers by minimizing accidents.
A safe solution for roadside inspections
At Road Sentinel, we combine our transportation experience and data analysis expertise to offer a high-tech solution for roadway inspections.
Let me walk you through our process.
First, we collect high resolution 3D imagery of roadside guardrails, barriers and other safety structures. After processing the footage through our proprietary computer vision model, we upload our findings to provide our clients with alerts and reports.
The faster our technology identifies damage, the faster our clients can repair and protect everyone on the roads.
Road Sentinel will not not only save our clients time and money; our technology has the potential to help save lives.
LaunchLNK
As a start-up founder, one of the biggest challenges I face is transforming an idea into a profitable business.
Is this solution something someone’s willing to pay for?
The LaunchLNK grant gave me the validation I needed.
Receiving the grant and support from other venture capital firms confirmed this idea was worth pursuing because people are worth protecting.
The grant was extremely beneficial because it helped us transform our technological concept into a tangible reality. The money was nearly the exact amount I needed to create the prototype and do the software work on my computer vision models.
I am so appreciative the Lincoln Partnership of Economic Development believed in my mission.
With the help of the LaunchLNK grant, I was able to fund the development of my hardware and software prototype. I also was in the NMotion Program powered by gener8tor, a growth accelerator here in Nebraska. Both programs believed in my vision and connected me with resources and investors who helped accelerate Road Sentinel’s growth.
Building a business in Nebraska
I’ve had the opportunity to start two companies in Nebraska, and I’m a firm believer in continuing to do business here.
I founded my first business, Imagine Technology, in Lincoln in the early 2000s. There wasn’t much financial support for startups at that time, but the strong work ethic of the people of Lincoln allowed us to succeed nonetheless.
We were able to create a product someone wanted, and we were fortunate enough to merge with a larger company and sell to private equity.
Today, the startup atmosphere in Nebraska is light years from where it was when I first started out. There are many more angel investors and resources available to founders.
The environment here is growing more and more conducive to entrepreneurial success.
LaunchLNK is an excellent example of a program leading the charge so companies like Road Sentinel can flourish.
I’ve worked with people from all across the world, and I always tell them there’s no place like Nebraska.
A safer future
Moving forward, I believe Road Sentinel can become a worldwide leader in artificial intelligence innovations.
We want to continue to connect with local and national resources and investors to grow and protect more clients nationwide.
For example, I’m hoping we will be accepted into the Department of Transportation’s Complete Streets Initiative program because that will help us expand our services.
Each time a program like LaunchLNK invests in our mission, we consider it a win because the more support we receive, the safer our roads can be.
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