Steve Banfield

What a great example of #airporttech! I like the "...friendly nudge by an officer." Excellent use case of curb management. Thank you Andrew K Kirk and Automotus for your partnership. INRIX #airports #govtech

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#SiliconValley's often overlooked city is making its presence felt. #Fremont is fast becoming a major manufacturing hub for next generation technologies - EVs, Semiconductor, High-tech, as well as services and logistics. “The full leasing of Fremont Technology Center marks a significant milestone for our City and highlights the power of collaboration between the public and private sectors. The rapid lease-up by leading companies in AI hardware and electric vehicle manufacturing affirms Fremont’s role as a premier hub for advanced industries in Silicon Valley. I’m proud to have supported the rezoning of this project alongside my City Council colleagues, whose unanimous vote helped turn a long-vacant retail site into a vibrant center for middle-income manufacturing jobs. This project is a testament to what can be achieved with a clear vision, strong partnerships, and a commitment to economic prosperity,” Fremont Mayor Raj Salwan. https://lnkd.in/gsr5ifVn

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I've led teams through tough decisions. But OpenAI's latest move? It's a game-changer. Their robotics director just resigned. The reason? A controversial Pentagon deal. It's got me thinking about business ethics. How do we draw the line? In my experience, rushed decisions often backfire. They can cost you talent and trust. OpenAI's situation is a stark reminder: Values matter in business strategy. What's your take on this? How do you handle ethical dilemmas in your industry? #BusinessEthics #LeadershipLessons

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𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗜 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽. Cool. Then why are so many stores still running on disconnected tools, broken handoffs, and manager memory? Tesla and SpaceX just announced plans to build advanced chip factories in Austin. Read that again. Not another widget. Not another plug-in. Not another shiny demo. Infrastructure. Control. Scale. That’s the lesson. The next winners are not the people dabbling in AI. They’re the people building systems strong enough to use it without chaos. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘀𝗺𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗱: They buy one AI tool for BDC. Another for phone. Another for service. Another for marketing. Another for “insights.” Now nobody trusts the data. Nobody owns the workflow. Nobody can explain the result. And everybody wonders why execution still feels slow. That’s not innovation. That’s friendly fire. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟯-𝗣𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗔𝗜 𝗪𝗮𝗿 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻: 𝟭. 𝗣𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱. Start with one workflow that actually matters: leads, appointments, unsold follow-up, service retention, or pricing. 𝟮. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱. One standard. One owner. One scoreboard. 𝟯. 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲 + 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿. If AI touches the process, managers must inspect the outcome daily. Is AI helping your people execute faster — or just giving your store more places to hide? 𝗠𝗮𝗽 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿-𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗜 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗶𝗿𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝘀. If you’re committing to this, comment: 𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘. Because the future does not belong to the store with the most tools. It belongs to the store with the cleanest system. Build the war machine. #AutomotiveRetail #DealershipLeadership #DealerOps #ArtificialIntelligence #DealerTechnology #AutomotiveAI #SalesManagement #BDCPerformance #FixedOpsLeadership #DealerAccountability #LeadershipExecution #RetailOperations #AutoIndustryNews #DigitalRetail #WarRoomLeadership

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This is why I do what I do. As a VP, you spend a lot of time looking at spreadsheets, roadmaps, and integration cycles. But every once in a while, a story comes that puts everything into perspective. When we were developing the Cardo Systems Packtalk Pro, we didn't just set out to build the best communicator on the market. We set out to build a lifeline. The video below is a news report of a rider whose life was saved because of the Crash Detection technology we integrated into the device. Seeing our technology perform under the most extreme pressure—and knowing it brought someone home to their family—is one of the proudest moments of my career. Innovation is often measured by "specs" and "features." At Cardo, we measure it by the lives we impact. I’m incredibly humbled to lead the Integrated Solutions team where "Safety" isn't just a buzzword—it’s the mission. Have you ever had a piece of gear that changed everything for you? #CardoSystems #PacktalkPro #Leadership #Innovation #MotorcycleSafety #TechForGood #ProductDevelopment #VisionaryLeadership

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San Mateo has never been a backdrop for silence. It’s where UNION Labs Ventures set roots in 2018, born from Nate Williams and Chris Kim leaving August Home not just with resumes padded by an acquisition, but with perspective. Williams carried scars and wins from Motorola Mobility, August Home, and a tour as EIR at Kleiner Perkins. Kim brought the precision of a physicist who scaled security at eBay and Bank of America before running tech at August. One side commercial, one side technical. Together, they built a fund for the stage where breakthroughs exist but buyers still need convincing. That makes Nate Williams’ latest drop matter. He published Everyone Sells, Everyone! Field-Tested Sales & BD Tactics for DeepTech Founders on LinkedIn Pulse. No whiteboard philosophy. No empty frameworks. This was trench-level guidance from someone who’s carried #quota, run sales orgs, and #negotiatedexits. The community noticed. Alexander Shartsis, CEO of Perfect Price and fractional CRO, engaged. Itamar Novick, GP at Recursive Ventures, joined in. When peers who live in sales strategy lean in, it signals the content is more than commentary, it’s an operating manual for #founders trying to sell physics to industries that run on caution. Union Labs’ credibility comes from execution. The firm manages ~$43M in assets with 29 investments and 4 exits across climate, proptech, and mobility. Recent activity includes Urban Sky’s $30M Series B, Foundation EGI’s $7.6M seed, and SirenOpt’s $6.6M seed. Backing from Kleiner Perkins, GV (Google Ventures), and strategic players in utilities, insurance, and communications expands reach. This is a venture shop built around hard problems that demand more than money. Deeptech requires long build cycles, complex integrations, and cautious customers. Most investors talk about it; few can advise through it. Williams can. His track record at August Home, culminating in its 2017 sale to ASSA ABLOY Group, proves he knows how to turn invention into acquisition. That credibility sets Union Labs apart in a field where SaaS instincts rarely translate to industrial adoption. This article is more than content, it’s positioning. LPs are pressing deeptech investors to show faster traction. #Founders are under pressure to prove revenue early. The investors who can coach #commercialization will win the best deals. If Union Labs’ portfolio shows sharper go-to-market results, Williams’ guidance shifts from thought leadership to proof of an operator-investor edge. What happens next matters: more articles, maybe a structured playbook, maybe even an #accelerator built on these methods. A second fund raise looks likely with exits in hand. The test: whether portfolio companies applying these tactics deliver commercial wins. That’s where Union Labs’ advantage becomes measurable. #Sales #SalesTech #DeepTech #SaaS #Innovation #StartupEcosystem #TechEcosystem #TechNews If software engineering peace of mind is what you crave, Vention is your zen.

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