When it comes to naming a company which makes autonomous vehicles and AI software, one must think carefully. This kind of technology brings together software, hardware, transport, data and systems and it's important that the name leaves enough room for all of these areas.
While a futuristic-sounding name may seem a good fit, it's important to think in terms of a memorable, technically-accurate and flexible name.
Know the Technology Behind the Buzzwords
Before thinking up names for your autonomous-vehicle and AI company, it's important to know exactly what it is you're building.
An autonomous-vehicle platform may involve:
- Cameras and other sensors
- Sensor data processing
- Computer vision
- Machine-learning models
- Localization and mapping
- Vehicle connectivity
- Edge computing
- Telemetry
- Real-time decisioning
- Cloud or backend infrastructure
This is important as a company building the software for autonomous driving is very different to one building the vehicles themselves, or developing software for fleet systems or industrial mobility.
This gives a starting point for what you want to name your company.
Don't Pack Your Stack Into Your Name
When naming your autonomous-vehicle and AI company, it's a good idea to avoid the temptation of packing your technology stack into your name.
You don't need to include the words AI, IoT, autonomous, robotics, cloud, edge and mobility in your company name (it makes it less likely to remember). Instead, think of a central theme or concept for your name:
- Neural + Drive
- Motion + AI
- Vision + Mobility
- Edge + Motion
- Auto + Intelligence
These aren't recommended company names, they're simply a list of possible brainstorming directions. Think about a concept that your autonomous vehicle and AI company could represent without including every relevant buzzword.
Think of the Software Beyond the Vehicle
When it comes to autonomous mobility, it's important to think of the software beyond the vehicle. Beyond the autonomous-vehicle there may be a larger ecosystem of software, telemetry, data, fleet systems, analytics, connectivity and other systems that need to be taken into consideration.
This leads to an important consideration when naming your autonomous-vehicle and AI company: where do you want to be? If you want to be a company which only builds a certain kind of autonomous vehicle, your name could be focused around this. Though if you plan to build fleet systems, industrial mobility or other connected infrastructure then your name may need to allow for more flexibility in the future.
Know the Difference Between Company and Product Names
Another important consideration when naming your autonomous vehicle and AI company is knowing the difference between company and product names.
While a company may build a large ecosystem of products, APIs, platforms, and services, it's important to avoid naming your company after a singular product or technology. This will allow your company more flexibility in the future should the need arise.
For example, a company which builds autonomous-driving technology may in the future also release fleet analytics or connected mobility solutions. This allows your company name to remain the same but individual products to be rebranded where necessary. It's the same way as software design: having good boundaries allows for easier changes in the future.
An Engineering-Friendly Checklist For Naming Your Autonomous-Vehicle and AI Company
Before you settle on a name for your autonomous-vehicle and AI company, consider these questions:
- Is it easy to pronounce?
People (developers, customers, investors, etc.) should be able to discuss the company name without having to first explain how it's pronounced.
- Is it easy to spell?
This goes hand-in-hand with the previous question. The name should be easy to put into writing (URLs, documentation, code, etc.).
- Does it reflect your mission?
The name should have some connection to your autonomous-vehicle and AI company's overall mission.
- Does it have flexibility?
Would the name still work in ten years time if your autonomous-vehicle and AI company moved from building autonomous vehicles to building fleet connectivity software?
- Is it unique?
You should ensure that the name isn't already taken by other companies, trademarks, domain names, package names and so on.
- Does it work outside of a marketing-focused environment?
A good technology name should look good on a business card but should also hold up in documentation, code commits, GitHub repositories, presentations and other day-to-day operations of your autonomous-vehicle and AI company.
Leave Room for Your Engineering
Autonomous-vehicle technology has a long future ahead of it. At the moment the focus may be on computer vision and vehicle autonomy, but in the future the focus may turn to edge computing or fleet analytics. This is why it's important that your autonomous-vehicle and AI company name leaves room for change.
The best names are ones which don't sound the coolest (often limiting future growth) but instead are simple to remember, reflect your brand and have enough flexibility to survive the future changes your autonomous-vehicle and AI company will undoubtedly undergo.
The engineering will define what your autonomous-vehicle and AI company does. The name should define your engineering.
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