Rick Chakra and Alex Palermo
ARMADA IQ – MICRO Fall 2021
Published May 11, 2022
As part of our ‘Meet Our Founders’ series today, we introduce Rick Chakra and Alex Palermo, cofounders of Armada IQ based in Charlotte, NC. Armada IQ is a fleet intelligence platform that uses AI and computer vision to make fleets safer.
Q: What problem are you trying to solve and what influenced you to start your company?
A: Safety is a top priority across the transportation ecosystem, yet most fleets have been traditionally limited to reactive safety metrics which expose them to unpredictable risks. We are passionate about transportation safety and saw an opportunity to use AI and computer vision to allow fleets to go from reactive and manual metrics, to proactive and accelerated insights. Armada IQ makes it easy for fleet managers to use their dashcam footage to get deep and measurable safety insights that enable them to act on operational risks before incidents occur.
Q: What have you enjoyed most about starting your own company?
A: Endless learning – through both success and failure. Every day is a new challenge in navigating the uncertainty of building a company and getting a product into the hands of users.
Q: What other passions do you have besides your business?
A: Alex is a student pilot and plays guitar. Rick spends his spare time restoring cars with his dad. Both are huge Formula 1 fans.
While visiting Charlotte, Rick and Alex recommend:
- We’re both big on sushi. You can’t go wrong with Mr Tokyo or Osaka – best bang for your buck!
Support Rick and Alex and Armada IQ by:
- We’re working on growing our team and expanding our pilot testing. Reach out to us!
