FERNRIDE is a spin-off from the world's leading research laboratory for teleoperation at the Chair of Automotive Engineering at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). TUM began researching and developing teleoperation technology in 2009. Since then, the need for teleoperation in the autonomous vehicle industry has exploded.
Shortly after the founders met at TUM in early 2019, FERNRIDE was spun out by Hendrik Kramer, Dr. Maximilian Fisser and Jean-Michael Georg after ten years of research at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). They quickly attracted venture capital (>EUR 10M in 2021), customers and talent to become a European technology champion based in Munich. In January 2020, the company won the de:hub award for Germany's most promising start-up across all categories and industries, and many more awards and recognitions followed.
In 2023, FERNRIDE received USD 50M Series A funding, and in April 2024, Hendrik Kramer was placed at the top of the prestigious Forbes 30 under 30 list for “Manufacturing & Industry”.
The company pursues the technological approach of “human-assisted autonomy”, which enables the remote takeover of autonomous, electric trucks. It is a hybrid system that combines autonomous driving with teleoperation. This ensures seamless integration and reliable operation of autonomous trucks for logistics companies. FERNRIDE is deploying these for well-known customers - including Volkswagen, HHLA and DB Schenker - to tackle the major challenges facing the industry, such as the shortage of drivers and the logistics sector's negative environmental footprint.
How FERNRIDE Has Benefitted from UnternehmerTUM
Co-founder Hendrik started as a participant of Manage and More where he met his mentor Andreas Kunze. Our Incubator XPRENEURS helped FERNRIDE to refine their business model in an early phase. They received early-stage investment through the Initiative for Industrial Innovators who financed their first prototype. Facilitating growth, the Digital Hub Mobility supported the team with industry contacts.
