“The Joules Accelerator goes out and tries to identify cleantech early-stage companies that can come back to our region between Charlotte and Raleigh and hopefully engage the community,” said Bob Irvin, executive director of the Joules Accelerator.

“A lot of it is happening out in California, Texas and New York, so we kind of have to bring it here,” Irvin said.

So they did. Eight startups from around the country were selected for this year’s program. One is based in Pittsburgh and has figured out a way to use cell phones to find potholes.

“Roadbotics assesses roads using a standard cellphone and AI (artificial intelligence),” said Roadbotics CEO Mark Desantis.

Their customers are usually cities, which can then save taxpayer money by using technology to be proactive in road maintenance.
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