Assembly Intelligence, an affiliate of Detroit-based Assembly Ventures, the first transatlantic mobility fund in the world, today announced a new partnership with Cintra, a leading private transportation infrastructure development company in Austin, Texas.
Together the organizations will jointly focus on accelerating the development and deployment of technology-enabled transportation infrastructure. Assembly Intelligence was created by the founding partners of Assembly Ventures to engage with global mobility industry leaders.
Through the agreement, Cintra, one of the largest private global developers and operators of transport-related infrastructure, will work with Assembly Intelligence to engage key sector leaders in critical dialogue around the future of technology transformation in vehicle connectivity, safety, and sustainability.
“Continuing to build transportation infrastructure the way we have for decades is a lost cause,” says Chris Thomas, co-founder of Assembly Intelligence. “The future of mobility will emerge around the next generation of infrastructure, systems, and applications. We are incredibly excited to kick off this partnership with Cintra both for their focus on the future of technology-enabled infrastructure as well as for the opportunity to work together alongside a firm with a truly global reach.”
Ricardo Sanchez, global head of technical services and innovation at Cintra, says the collaboration will build with an eye toward future innovation.
“Collaborating with industry leaders is key to developing innovative mobility solutions that create a more connected, safer, and sustainable mobility for all,” Sanchez says. “Industry partnerships are critical for sharing and exchanging knowledge, experiences, and ideas. Cintra is proud to announce our partnership with a visionary company like Assembly Intelligence and we look forward to working toward the common goal of improved mobility.”
He added, “Imagine improving fluidity, connectivity, and safety through smart highways, AVs, and other forms of transport, without the constant need for new roadway capacity. In that case, there are positive implications for wellbeing, the environment, taxes, and investment — and who doesn’t want that?”
In conjunction with the Cintra partnership announcement, Assembly also released “Mobility 4.0: Making Sense of a Sector in Transformation.” The white paper explores how transformation driven by connectivity and digitalization will enable transportation systems to evolve and integrate a greater variety of modes that optimize individual needs.
Through a three-layered framework called “ISA” the paper examines how new connections between infrastructure, systems, and customer facing applications can bridge current physical and digital connections in transportation systems. A downloadable version of “Mobility 4.0” can be accessed here.
The partnership announcement was made as part of SXSW’s Global Smart Cities Round Table hosted at the Midwest House, which runs through Sunday in Austin. Invited guests included corporate, startup, investment, and public sector representatives.
Participants met to share current projects and collaboration best practices on the development of city technology platforms, innovative financing, the role and importance of data, and a growing access and inclusion in communities.
Cintra manages nearly $11 billion of infrastructure assets in the United States across five managed lanes projects.
For more information about Assembly Ventures, visit here.
