Local entrepreneur interrupts distracted driving

Long-time Niwot resident Scott Tibbitts is laser focused on eradicating distracted driving and saving lives. As mobile phone technology has sped forward, so has the temptation to tune in to every flash and ding coming our way. With the growing wave of unnecessary tragedies from those interferences, Tibbits, CEO of Katasi, developed a solution that easily quiets the lure of social media, texting and talking while on the road.

Tibbitts’ engineering expertise, creativity, and ability to bring together a strong team of equally well-intended professionals, has taken him on an eight-year journey to bring his product, dubbed Groove, to consumers. The beauty of Groove, setting it apart from other solutions, is its fail-safe technology, unlike a phone app.

The essence of Groove is a device that plugs in under steering wheels, where automobile diagnostics can be attached. This unit is the liaison between the cloud and a smart phone. Once the device is installed, in the first 15 seconds of being in gear, drivers’ phones are automatically hushed from receiving and disabled from sending communications that would pull their attention away from the road, while leaving navigation and music capabilities enabled.

The challenge for Katasi has been in partnering with major mobile carriers who would offer Groove to their customers. They have come close to cinching many deals only to have arrangements dashed. But years of relationship building and proven results may be rerouting the company toward wider success.

Ready Mobile, a nationwide wireless phone service with over 250 million users, launched Groove this year. Sprint Wireless is on the verge of bringing Groove to its customers early next year. “What we think will happen is that other carriers will come online as their competitors do….It’s like a stack of dominoes,” Tibbitts said.

Groove is also garnering international attention, with Tibbitts spending a great deal of time in Australia working with Australian national cell phone providers. Interest has been expressed in Canada, Qatar, Kenya, Ireland, Great Britain and other countries. Insurance companies and legislators are also working with Katasi to see how they can best provide technology that assures fewer distractions for drivers.

Tibbitts’ skills and determination have taken him from his early days of crafting a water heater motor in a garage to his highly successful career in creating and supporting devices used on NASA space missions. These days, the objects of his attention are grounded vehicles, and he’s busy building relationships with potential partners and working closely with Groove product developers.

One definition of the word “groove” is “an established routine or habit.” Tibbits and his colleagues at Katasi believe that their solution will quell human nature’s inclination to reach for the devices that sidetrack drivers, and it will ultimately prevent serious life-altering accidents. “I think about this business all the time,” Tibbitts said. “It’s a mission to save thousands of lives.”