FREQUENTLY
ASKED
QUESTIONS

The California Mobility Center is a global resource that provides future mobility start-ups (Clients) with a faster path to commercial success for their products, services and business models.

Yes, the CMC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, EIN: 84-3095746.

Prototypes and pilot projects with corporate partners are not the endpoint of the innovation process and do not automatically translate to commercial success. Overlooked market regulations and friction points in innovator/corporate partnerships often delay or derail market entry. By providing market-based resources and expertise, the CMC prepares innovators to overcome these and other market realities to achieve commercial success.

The CMC coordinates commercialization initiatives between early-stage Clients and the industry incumbent Members and service providers within its ever-growing ecosystem. Offerings include planning, access to resources, partnering and programming support. The CMC helps Clients make the right connections within the ecosystem then provides the oversight needed to ensure commercial success.

The CMC ecosystem is a wide cross section of organizations from a variety of industry sectors that have a shared interest in accelerating the pace of future mobility adoption. Ecosystem members including industry representatives (Members) and vendors (Preferred Service Providers) work in commercialization partnerships with early-stage companies (Clients) and with each other on thought leadership efforts and in committees to accelerate future mobility products, services, and business models.

Accelerators and Incubators work with earlier stage companies to develop early prototypes and/or make a favorable impression with potential corporate partners at demo days. The CMC picks up where Accelerators and Incubators leave off. The CMC provides access to market-based expertise and resources needed to successfully work with corporate partners and compete in the open market.

California is the only market in the United States that can single-handedly influence national and international future mobility markets. It has the customer power, resources and policy influence needed to attract and serve Clients and Members from around the globe. It provides Clients with a simplified, single-point of market entry; Members with access to national policy trends, and leading innovators; and Preferred Service Providers (PSPs) with unmatched future mobility deal-flow.

Absolutely, geography is not a limitation for involvement. By providing a single point of entry to California, the CMC offers early-stage future mobility companies and Members from across the globe access to a worldwide future mobility market. If your business would benefit from having a location in California, the CMC may help find or provide it, please contact us here.

Our business office is located at Depot Park: 16 Business Park Way, Building 150, Sacramento, CA 95828. Our ramp-up facility is located at 8351 Luzon Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95828.

Please email us at info@camobilitycenter.org.

Global industry leaders with a vested interest in advanced mobility and California commercialization: OEMs Tier 1 Auto Suppliers Electric Utilities and Infrastructure Fleet Owners/Operators Universities State & Local Government

Please fill out the form on our Members page and a member of our staff will be in touch with you within one week of your inquiry. To learn more about becoming a CMC Member, click here.

Absolutely, geography is not a limitation for involvement. By providing a single point of entry to California, the CMC offers early-stage future mobility companies and Members from across the globe access to a worldwide future mobility market. If your business would benefit from having a location in California, the CMC may help find or provide it, please contact us here.

The current limit is five representatives per member company. If a member wishes to have additional representatives, please ask their Membership representative.

No, not currently. The CMC is designed for companies to be Members, Clients and Preferred Service Providers. However, the CMC is a nonprofit organization and as such, it may have limited opportunities for volunteers during this launch phase of the CMC.

Start-ups that are developing innovative products, services or solutions in the following industry sectors: Smart Infrastructure Autonomy/AI Connected Mobility Electrification Shared or Smart Mobility

Please fill out the form on our Client page and a member of our staff will be in touch with you within one week of your inquiry. To learn more about becoming a CMC Client, click here.

Absolutely! Access to the California market is key to why the mobility center is located in the state’s capital, but geography is not a limitation for involvement. By providing a single point of entry to California, future mobility start-ups and Members from across the globe gain access to a worldwide future mobility market, which arguably is even more beneficial to those companies not located in California. If your business would benefit from having a location in California, the CMC may help find or provide it, please contact us here.

The CMC admits Clients individually, on a rolling basis throughout the year. The real market factors impacting each Client’s journey toward commercialization require a more customized approach than a cohort curriculum would support.

No. The design of the CMC is to scale its internal staff and the number and type of Preferred Service Providers to support the demand of its Client base. Depending on the growth rate of the Client base, the scaling exercise may cause temporary embargos on the acceptance of new Clients until the scaling has occurred.

No, a company may reach Client status without any payment to the CMC. The CMC works with a Client to determine the type, form and scope of support the Client would like to secure. All services are provided by third parties under contract between the Client and the third party; the contract will detail the cost and terms of the services.

A company will remain a Client as long as the Client is receiving services from one or more of the CMC Preferred Services Providers which could be months or years. There is no predetermined time period for a company to remain a Client.

A Preferred Service Provider (PSP) is a company that: Has an established track record in providing services in one or more of the support areas designated by the CMC; and Is known by one or more of the CMC ecosystem participants that is willing to provide an unqualified reference; and Agrees to work with the CMC to establish the following business parameters for work with CMC Clients (which are typically start-up companies): A standardized service contract template, except for scope of work and pricing (which will both be specific to the individual Client project); and A ‘pricing philosophy’ for services that is affordable to the CMC Client base; and An agreement with the CMC on quality metrics appropriate for the services being offered.

Absolutely, geography is not a limitation for involvement. By providing a single point of entry to California, the CMC offers future mobility start-ups and Members from across the globe access to a worldwide future mobility market. If your business would benefit from having a location in California, the CMC may help find or provide it, please contact us here.

The CMC has a current interest in expanding its PSP network in the following areas (mobility-related): digital technology development & support; testing and validation; and market entry services. If you believe your company meets the PSP criteria listed above, please send an email to info@camobilitycenter.org and put “PSP inquiry” in the subject line.

Commercializing future mobility products and services is a resource-intensive proposition. While the CMC provides the ecosystem, partnering and programming needed to reduce friction in the commercialization process it does not underwrite the costs. Recognizing that the lack of financial resources is also a potential source of friction, the CMC provides guidance and support access to a variety of funding options.

For CA grants, we have several PSPs that provide a range of services including grant strategy, grant identification, and grant writing. Learn more by visiting our PSP page.

For equity and debt funding options, we have a PSP that provides guidance on funding strategies and execution, including pitch deck preparation. The range of options include angel investors, venture capital/corporate venture capital, venture debt, project finance and infrastructure funding. To learn more about equity and debt funding, fill out this form.

The CMC team members have expertise in identifying grants, as well as in writing proposals and managing grant awards. The CMC helps direct these activities in an advisory capacity for Clients pursuing grants themselves. The CMC relies on strategic partner companies and PSPs that write grants to principally support Client grant proposal development. Additionally, the CMC has provided letters of support to Clients for their grant proposals.