The Automotive Intelligence Summit is scheduled for August, and another eight companies are set to be honored as Cherokee Media Group hosts the Automotive Intelligence Summit, an auto industry event focused on fintech, digital retail, mobility and other elements of the auto tech evolution.
Cherokee Media Group, leveraging guidance from the Auto Intel Council and other industry leaders, released the second collection of honorees in the Emerging 8, an award program designed to honor new companies that aim to improve a specific aspect or aspects of the automotive industry through technology.
This year’s Emerging 8 include:
Cover Genius
ForeverCar
InSearchX
Lightico
MotoRefi
Spiffy
TurboPass
Volta
The honorees include companies that are about 5 years old and in a growth phase.
While they may have had outside investment and multiple rounds of funding, they are pre-IPO and have not been started and/or acquired by a larger entity.
Along with being honored in the Automotive Intelligence Summit, which runs Aug. 17-19 in Raleigh, N.C., the Emerging 8 are profiled in this edition of Auto Fin Journal.
These exciting new companies are on the cusp of innovation in fintech development. They are all “on to something” that could turn the dial on their respective aspects of fintech.
“Each company has a unique offering and story that already resonate throughout the auto fintech and digital retailing worlds,” Cherokee Media Group president Bill Zadeits said.
“The Emerging 8 is set to be a significant part of the upcoming Automotive Intelligent Summit, which is designed to provide a setting for entrepreneurs and experts to gather so even more breakthrough ideas can germinate,” Zadeits added.
This post originally ran in the Auto Fin Journal online.
For the latest information about the Automotive Intelligence Summit, stay tuned to www.autointelsummit and autoremarketing.com.
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As we gear up for the second annual AIS, July 23-25 in Raleigh, N.C., we are also organizing the very first group of fintech startups that make up the inaugural “Emerging 8”.
This new program, implemented by AIS and sister publication the Auto Fin Journal, is designed to honor new companies that aim to improve a specific aspect or aspects of the auto-financing process through technology.
These exciting new companies are on the cusp of innovation in fintech development. They are all “on to something” that could turn the dial on their respective aspects of fintech in the next 5 years.
The collection of honorees for the 2019 Emerging 8 cover many aspects of fintech development, from vehicle remarketing and retail, to auto financing. Almost every aspect of the automotive wholesale and retail process stands to be changed and improved by technology coming out of the intersection of finance and technology.

The honorees are required to be in the early growth phases — 5 years old or younger, and making waves in the fintech solutions industry.
While the companies may have had outside investment and multiple rounds of funding, these innovative new names in the industry are pre-IPO and have not been launched or acquired by a larger entity with a foothold in the market.
Register for AIS 2019 here to ensure you hear the latest on what’s new in fintech.
The July/August issue of the Auto Fin Journal will cover the first-ever class of fintech’s Emerging 8, but readers can expect to see this feature annually going forward into 2020.
Not only will the Emerging 8 be recognized the in the Auto Fin Journal, they will also be invited to participate in Wednesday’s Emerging 8 Award Luncheon at the Auto Intelligence Summit on July 24th.
Each company will be allowed the opportunity to explore their enterprises’ goals, mission, and plans from the AIS podium.
These new and upcoming companies, set to be honored next month at AIS 2019, were chosen by AIS and parent company Cherokee Media Group, in partnership with the members of the Auto Intel Council (AIC).
The AIC includes the leading intelligence companies in the automotive space, along with their respective economists, analysts, researchers, data scientists, communications professionals and executives.
AIC produces quarterly Auto Intel Briefings that features data reports, whitepapers, research, and more, contributed by AIC members. These Auto Intel Briefings provide the industry and its stakeholders unique insights and perspectives on various topics driving the automotive business. The latest installment is available here.
Stay tuned to the AIS blog, as well as the Auto Fin Journal, for the announcement of the inaugural Emerging 8, and more info on what to expect at this year’s Auto Intelligence Summit and Emerging 8 Awards Luncheon.
On top of having some of the most promising startups in fintech on site at AIS, we will also be covering the fintech solutions industry in detail through panels, workshops and keynotes across the span of the event.
See below for a few highlights from our fintech lineup. And make sure to check out the full 2019 AIS agenda here.
- The Next Level of Fintech: What will the Auto Industry Solve Next? This panel will feature Sharen Mancero, Senior Vice President, Wells Fargo Preferred Capital; Dinesh Chopra, Chief Strategy Officer, Ally Financial, and more. Discover the latest in auto fintech — one of the fastest growing areas for venture capitalists.

Marguerite Watanabe, President, Connections Insights
- How Mobile and APIs have disrupted Auto FinTech: In this workshop, Bill Nemecek, VP of Business Development, CarFinance LLC, will explore how the automotive purchase process has been disrupted multiple times by fintech organizations over the past few years. Learn how mobile consumer pressures are forcing the industry to move and why high speed, real-time APIs and new transparent experiences are the way forward for the successful evolution of fintechs.
- As the Auto Fintech Landscape Evolves: Marguerite Watanabe, President, Connections Insights, will highlight how auto fintech market players are striving to differentiate their value propositions to auto finance companies and banks, dealers and/or consumers, as well as the investment community.
Nick Zulovich, Auto Fin Journal Senior Editor, contributed to this post.
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