A payment platform for vehicles and fleets

At Car IQ our mission is to create a platform that enables vehicles to receive, store and send funds securely. 

We’re hiring! Interested? Check out our open positions here. 

We leverage the complex sensor data present in every car to create a unique digital fingerprint allowing vehicles and machines to connect directly to payment networks, physical infrastructures, and mobility platforms. Our payment platform enables authorization and payment transactions removing the need for credit cards in vehicle service and payment workflows. With the ability to verify service, vehicles are empowered to schedule appointments and pay for services rendered autonomously, eliminating the need for human interaction. 

Car IQ is a cloud-based payment solution that connects to pre-installed or aftermarket connected devices. We designed Car IQ to serve the broad needs of vehicles including fleet managers, automotive OEMs, car sharing services, ride sharing platforms, and commercial fleets.

For press inquiries email [email protected]

Leadership Team

Our team is made up of seasoned professionals with experience in automotive software and hardware technology, payments, SaaS data systems, and big data analytics.

  • Sterling Pratz
    Founder, CEO

    Sterling Pratz, is the Founder and CEO of Car IQ, focused on creating the first payment gateway for cars and machines. Sterling founded Car IQ after recognizing the lack of innovation and consistency within the connected car space, specifically around automotive payment solutions.

    Sterling has more than 25 years of automotive experience in both racing and technology. He currently sits on the Board of Directors for the United States Auto Club and is a strategic advisor focused on automotive for Waylens Corp, and Zuora (NASDAQ: ZUO)

    — Dream car: Porsche GT2 RS…or a non wing Sprint Car.

  • Ryan Tabibian
    Chief Technology Officer

    Ryan Tabibian is the Chief Technology Officer at CarIQ. He leads the company’s long term technology vision and product development initiatives including the CarLab.

    Prior to joining CarIQ, Tabibian was the founder of a software consulting firm where he managed the development of a number of products for a variety of companies. Ryan was also a founder of a startup developing solutions in and for the transportation industry.

    Ryan holds a strong interest in Blockchain development having worked with a number of companies to develop blockchain solutions focused on the management of food supply as well as other fulfillment industries.

    During this career Ryan has also worked for DHL Systems, HP, Raytheon and Cisco among others. Ryan holds a BA in Economics from UC Berkeley.

    — Dream car: Nissan GTR.

  • Robert M. Wilen
    VP Finance & Operations

    Rob brings over 30 years experience in product management, Internet services, software development, general management, finance and investing. Most recently, Rob was COO at BatAndCat. Previously,  at AOL, Rob spearheaded the acquisition of the groundbreaking WebCrawler search engine, subsequently serving as General Manager. After its sale to Excite, Rob served as Director of Product Management for Excite’s Europe, Calendar, and Mobile units. Rob was Product Manager/Developer Advocate at General Magic, Director of Information Technology at Swiss Bank Corporation and VP at O’Connor & Associates. Rob serves on the Board of Directors of the Ragazzi Boys Chorus, and is Board President of the Palo Alto High School Theatre Boosters. Rob holds a B.A. degree in Economics and Computer Science from Yale University.

    — Dream car: Aston Martin DB11!

  • Vlad Malinovsky
    Senior Data Analyst

    With 25 years of IT design, coding, project management, and product support Vlad brings an integrated view to product. He has worked in in areas of finance, transportation, vehicle-emissions, inventory, safety, and plant management.

    — Dream car: Terrafugia TF-X

  • Eric Calso
    Product Manager

    Eric has over 15 years of operational experience including training, customer support, manufacturing, people management, product deployment and installation.

    — Dream Car: BMW Z8

  • Sean Lanahan
    VP Business Development

    Sean Lanahan is the VP of Business Development at Car IQ. He is responsible for developing strategic relationships with key partners in the Car IQ ecosystem. Sean has a background in FinTech & payments and was previously with Financial Technology Partners as an investment banking analyst. Prior to FT Partners, Sean was in GE’s Financial Management Program for the Digital Solutions business as well as other legacy energy businesses. Sean holds a BS from Babson College. Sean enjoys playing baseball competitively and is an avid New England sports fan.

    — Dream car: The new 2020 Ford Bronco

Investors

  • quest venture partners
  • alpana ventures
  • avanta ventures
  • band of angels
  • Citi Ventures
  • plug and play
  • RBC