{"id":646022,"date":"2013-03-08T18:44:42","date_gmt":"2013-03-08T23:44:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gigaom.com\/?p=618652"},"modified":"2013-03-08T18:44:42","modified_gmt":"2013-03-08T23:44:42","slug":"a-car-that-knows-where-your-kids-are-bmw-invests-in-life360","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/646022","title":{"rendered":"A car that knows where your kids are: BMW invests in Life360"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first wave of connected car<\/a> apps centered on music and audio streaming<\/a>. It looks like the second wave of in-dash services may revolve around location sharing.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve already seen location-sharing app Glympse make it into its first connected platform<\/a>, Ford\u2019s Sync AppLink. Now BMW\u2019s strategic investment arm i Ventures is partnering with family locator service Life360 to develop in-car technologies that would allow family members to locate one another and coordinate their activities. i Ventures is also making an undisclosed investment in the San Francisco startup.<\/p>\n

While an app like Glympse allows you to selectively share your location with anyone for a set period of time, Life360 creates a permanent share between a close-knit group<\/a> such as a nuclear family. That allows Life360 to build services on top of that presence data.<\/p>\n

\u201cImagine you want to meet your wife at your kids\u2019 soccer game,\u201d said Chris Hulls, co-founder and CEO of Life360. \u201cRight now you have to call her, get an address and then program it into your navigation system to get directions. That\u2019s a lot of unnecessary friction.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"connected<\/a>What Life360 proposes is an in-dash app that automatically keeps tabs on your family members\u2019 activities. To find your wife, as in Hulls\u2019 example, you merely have to tap on her portrait in the app, and her location is automatically fed into the car\u2019s vehicle nav system.<\/p>\n

BMW isn\u2019t the only automaker that thinks Life360 shows promise in the connected car. One of the startup\u2019s lead investors is Fontinalis Partners, a transportation technology fund founded by Bill Ford<\/a>, the executive chairman of his namesake company. The company recently closed a Series A round of $3.5 million<\/a> from Bessemer Venture Partners<\/a>, 500 Startups<\/a>, Kapor Capital, Venture51, Bullpen Capital, Social Leverage and EchoVC Partners.<\/p>\n

As you might expect, Life360 as apps in the works for both Ford and BMW\u2019s connected car platforms, but Hulls said its working with other automakers as well, including Mercedes, General Motors and Hyundai. While Hulls wouldn\u2019t reveal which automaker\u2019s platform would be the first to launch Life360\u2019s app, he said the app would go live in a least one connected car system this year.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re already starting to location finding its way into more connected car apps and not just in the form of navigation software. Roximity and BeCouply are using presence data to push location-based deals<\/a> and recommend nearby activities for the amorously inclined<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And while location-sharing isn\u2019t a feature in most in-vehicle nav systems it\u2019s starting to make it into many mobile mapping and navigation apps<\/a>. Telenav recently announced an update to its iOS software<\/a> that can share not only a user\u2019s current location but also your intended destination, allowing friends to coordinate their activities on a map.<\/p>\n

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