UP.Labs & Porsche Launch Plaid for Auto Retail
▼ Summary
– Joel Milne identified a costly communication gap in the automotive retail industry due to fragmented software systems across dealerships and shops.
– His new startup, AutoUnify, provides an API to enable real-time communication between dealerships, service shops, manufacturers, and software vendors.
– AutoUnify, backed by a $5 million funding round led by UP.Partners, aims to scale its team and technology in 2024.
– The startup emerged from a partnership between UP.Labs and Porsche, focusing on solving industry-wide challenges beyond just Porsche’s needs.
– UP.Labs collaborates with corporations to create startups addressing critical industry problems, with AutoUnify being its fourth and most complex venture to date.
The automotive retail sector faces a costly communication breakdown, with thousands of dealerships and repair shops struggling to connect across dozens of incompatible software platforms. This fragmentation creates inefficiencies that impact everything from parts procurement to customer service. Joel Milne, a serial entrepreneur who previously founded mobile repair service RepairSmith, recognized this systemic issue firsthand while scaling his business.
During his time at RepairSmith, Milne encountered the same roadblock repeatedly—dealerships and independent shops relied on over 40 different software systems, from inventory management to CRM tools, with no unified way to communicate. “Building custom integrations for each store was time-consuming and expensive,” he explained. The problem reminded him of financial services before fintech solutions like Plaid standardized connections between banks and apps.
Now, as CEO of AutoUnify, Milne is tackling this challenge head-on. The startup has developed an API that enables real-time communication between dealerships, service centers, manufacturers, and software providers. After nine months in stealth mode and successful pilot programs, AutoUnify is opening its platform to the wider industry.
Backed by $5 million in funding led by UP.Partners, the company plans to expand its team from nine to 20 employees by year-end. “Our priority is refining the technology and growing our sales pipeline,” Milne noted.
AutoUnify is the latest venture born from the unique collaboration between UP.Labs and Porsche. Unlike traditional accelerators or VC firms, UP.Labs operates as a venture lab, partnering with corporations to identify industry pain points and build startups capable of solving them at scale. Porsche was its first partner, followed by Alaska Airlines and JB Hunt.
According to UP.Labs CEO John Kuolt, AutoUnify addresses one of the auto sector’s most pressing issues. “This isn’t just about fixing a technical gap—it’s about transforming how the entire ecosystem communicates,” he said. The lab has already launched three other startups, including Pull Systems, which optimizes EV supply chains, and Sensigo, an AI-powered diagnostic tool for modern vehicles.
By streamlining data exchange across the automotive retail landscape, AutoUnify could eliminate millions in wasted operational costs—a solution as disruptive to dealerships as Plaid was to banking.
(Source: TechCrunch)