The Sustainable Mobility Accelerator fuels five new companies in the latest cohort
From establishing new efficiencies in fleet management to ensuring sobriety when operating large machinery, the new cohort touches all sectors of mobility.
The Society of Work in Chattanooga was bustling with energy on Tuesday morning. Five founders traveled to the Gig City to kickstart their journeys in the third cohort of the Sustainable Mobility Accelerator.
Tasia Malakasis, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Company Lab (CO.LAB), welcomed media and community partners for the big reveal of the highly anticipated new cohort, ahead of a celebratory reception Tuesday evening.
“We have been excited about every cohort, but particularly this one,” Malakasis said. “Chattanooga is equipped and excels in the mobility sector. Sustainability is a big piece in that. You can’t move forward without energy and data systems intertwined with our infrastructure.”
The rest of the world sees Chattanooga’s commitment to that vision as well. This year, CO.LAB and gener8tor received 150 applications for the program from across the United States and 30 countries. The 2025 cohort represents companies from Brazil, France, Nevada, California, and Pennsylvania.
So why bring them to Southeast Tennessee? Chattanooga has the largest testbed for autonomous vehicles in the world, Volkswagen on its back doorstep, multiple third-party logistics companies, and EPB (which is building out the biggest quantum network). It’s a community ripe for innovative ideas to take flight.
The five founders will spend the next 12 weeks tapping into all the opportunities available, fueled by the support of CO.LAB and gener8tor.
Meet the Founders
Jim Maury, Accelevate Solutions
Maury is the Co-Founder and President of a company focused on maximizing fleet efficiencies. By examining the utilization rates of gas, diesel, and electric vehicle (EV) assets, Accelevate’s AI model can provide customers with a more accurate picture of where they can cut costs, improve emissions, and reduce fuel output.
“We have a generative AI system called ‘Energy Blend Intelligence (EBI)’ that actually produces really compelling compositional data for what is the best-fit asset for the particular use case,” Maury said at the press conference.
Maury, a multi-time founder, started the business with his son Charles Maury, who serves as the company’s Co-Founder and CEO. The two are hyper-focused on creating partnerships and tapping into all that the Chattanooga and East Tennessee ecosystem has to offer.
Virind Gujral, EV Bots
Gujral introduced himself as the “fun robot guy” and “trouble-maker.” He said he’s entering the Sustainable Mobility Accelerator looking to tackle tough problems in the realm of charging electric vehicles for corporate fleets.
EV Bots has invented robots that charge batteries while trucks or cars sit idle at a depot. These mobile units can charge any EV on the property at any time.
“It’s charging as a service,” Gujral said. “It removes the labor cost and the need to stand there with the charger for three hours.”
The company has been around for about two years and is now moving past prototyping to create an MVP (minimum viable product) for pilot purposes.
Watch the video of the robots in action.
Pedro Prado, LogShare
Prado is the Founder and CEO of LogShare, a seed-stage start-up already serving dozens of businesses, supporting 40 employees, and securing capital investment across the globe. The company is based in Brazil and has grown rapidly over its three years of operations.
“Do you know what is the most transported item on the roads?” Prado asked. “It’s air. 32 percent of the trucks traveling in the U.S. right now are empty.”
LogShare’s SaaS platform allows companies to explore matches with others to combine loads. One company may fill half a truck, and another match may fill the rest. By doing so strategically, LogShare can save customers 30 percent of shipping costs while reducing carbon emissions by 40 percent.
So far, the company has landed major clients like Coca-Cola and FedEx. Prado said they are gearing up for a Series A raise in early 2026.
Ksenia Duarte, Ex 9
Ex 9 is positioned to revolutionize the movement of heavy loads on logistics terminals. Duarte’s company has developed an autonomous add-on for diesel and gas machinery to reposition them throughout the day on manufacturing lots. Ex 9 deploys fleets of “Autonomous Yard Tractors” to move heavy loads like trailers, containers, swap bodies, pallets, and coils.
Currently, this job is done manually, with workers repeatedly getting in and out of heavy machinery.
The company’s goal is to reduce work hardship, on-site accident risks, and GHG emissions, while increasing productivity and operational efficiency.
Rima Seiilova-Olson, Tenvos AI
Tenvos AI brings a truly unique solution to a widespread and under-served issue in manufacturing, transportation, and logistics operations: Impairment management.
“We’ve invented a solution that identifies signs of current substance intoxication and hazard within six seconds of speech,” she said. “Speech production is a process that involves over a hundred muscles that are moving in a rapid and precise manner.”
Seiilova-Olson, the company’s Founder and CEO, shared how they’re leveraging AI to track speech variances over time, providing companies with a better understanding of employee safety before they operate vehicles or heavy machinery.
Tenvos AI is her second startup, and the Sustainable Mobility Accelerator is her fifth accelerator program.
“I would call this program extremely unique, and I am very happy to be here,” she said.
Next Steps
Over the next 12 weeks, the founders will rapidly scale operations, build customer pipelines, and raise capital—all from their Chattanooga base.
The accelerator boasts an impressive success rate: 70 percent of founders secure pilot or first-customer opportunities in Chattanooga within 6–12 months, compared to the national average of 30–50 percent for general early-stage accelerators. That kind of impact speaks to the relational nature of the East Tennessee community.
“This accelerator program doesn’t just help founders outshine their competition – it helps Chattanooga advance as a high-tech mobility hub,” Malakasis said. “By bringing innovative ideas and technology to this city, we’re helping foster a sustainable future for everyone.”
Each founder will receive a $20,000 investment from The Company Lab and may qualify for up to $100,000 more at the conclusion of the program.
The accelerator will also help connect founders with hundreds of investors and mentors, as well as corporate partners like TVA and EPB. They’ll benefit from customized programming and opportunities designed to encourage long-term success—and potentially a long-term presence—in Chattanooga.
Learn more about the program here.
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