Meet David Julian, CTO and Co-Founder at Netradyne: Making Roads Safer With AI

“We’re pushing the boundaries of AI and vision to make roads safer, support drivers—and save more lives every single day.”

Tell us about Netradyne

Netradyne is a global leader in AI-powered driver safety technology, founded with a mission to cut road accidents in half, help drivers make every day safer than the last, and ultimately to save lives on the road. Road accidents remain one of the world’s biggest unsolved public health challenges, with more than 1.3 million fatalities every year, and human error accounting for over 70% of incidents. We believed this was a problem that technology could genuinely solve.

What sets Netradyne apart is our combination of deep expertise in AI, edge computing, and cloud platforms. Instead of just capturing isolated moments, our platform Driver•i analyses 100% of drive time using multiple high-definition cameras and on-device AI. That means it creates a complete picture of driver behaviour, identifying risky actions in real-time while also recognising and rewarding safe driving. It’s not about monitoring or control, it’s about empowering drivers with tools that help them succeed and stay safe.

Today, Netradyne’s technology is deployed across more than 450,000 vehicles worldwide, from e-commerce and logistics companies to school fleets and oil and gas operators. Customers are seeing up to a 50% reduction in accidents within the first 12–18 months of deployment, and in many cases, achieving visible returns in under six months. That blend of social impact and business value is what drives us forward.

How did you come up with the idea for the company?

We’ve always believed that the most impactful companies are born at the intersection of powerful trends. The key is recognising that convergence early and acting with conviction.
Back in 2015, after many years at Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., my co-founder Avneesh Agrawal and I perceived three simultaneous shifts in technology that triggered the idea for Netradyne. First, edge computing was maturing, making it possible to run meaningful compute directly on devices. Second, camera sensors had become affordable enough to embed vision into everyday hardware. And third, deep learning was moving from theory into practical, commercial reality.

Those forces combined into a simple but powerful question: what if we brought vision, AI, and edge computing together to tackle real-world safety challenges? That was the spark that became Netradyne. Even our name reflects that vision – Netra means “eye” or “vision” in Sanskrit, and dyne comes from the Greek for “power” or “force.” Netradyne is literally “the power of vision.”
At first, we were fascinated by autonomous driving. But the more we dug in, the clearer it became that full autonomy was still years away from mass adoption. That’s when we had our second insight: instead of replacing drivers, we could empower them. By analysing road conditions, behaviour, and hazards in real time, and providing instant feedback, we could help drivers become safer today, not in some distant future.

That realisation became our mission: to enhance human performance with the power of vision and intelligence at the edge. Since then, Netradyne has processed more than 25 billion miles of driving data across some of the world’s most complex environments, and we’re only at the beginning of what’s possible.

Tell us about your core product or service

Our flagship product is Driver•i, a vision-based driver recognition and safety platform. Unlike traditional dashcams or telematics tools, it analyses every second of driving with HD cameras and edge AI, processing video data on the device in the vehicle. These built-in AI models are trained to recognise core behaviours such as distraction and drowsiness, tested against real‑world driving data, and continuously updated to improve accuracy.

The road-facing camera spots risks such as stop sign violations, unsafe following distances, or pedestrians, while the driver-facing camera detects distraction, fatigue, or seatbelt misuse. The system delivers real-time alerts, very much like having a coach next to you, to help drivers self-correct instantly. Just as importantly, it highlights and celebrates safe driving behaviours, building a positive feedback loop that encourages continuous improvement and builds trust.

Fleet managers benefit from actionable insights without drowning in raw data. They can see safety trends, track performance, and use our proprietary GreenZone, a scientific Driver Scoring System, to engage drivers through gamification. Some fleets tie driver bonuses to GreenZone performance, turning safety into a motivator rather than a compliance exercise.
The impact is tangible: many fleets have reported a reduction of more than 80% in over-speeding instances, 62% drop in distracted driving, and a significant decrease in overall accidents. That’s real change at scale.

What most excites you about your industry?

Transportation is undergoing a seismic shift. From electrification to autonomy, every part of the ecosystem is being reimagined. There’s a lot of attention on futuristic applications of AI and autonomous driving, but the reality is that those are still years away from widespread adoption. Meanwhile, millions of professional drivers are out on the road every day, facing risks that AI can help mitigate right now. So what excites me most is the role AI can play in saving lives today.

As fleets embrace data-driven safety cultures, we’re proving that AI can be both human-centric and transformative. The stories we hear from drivers and fleet managers – how Netradyne’s Driver•i has prevented accidents, exonerated drivers from false claims, or simply given someone more confidence at the wheel – are the things that keep us inspired.

What has been the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome along the way?

One of the toughest challenges has been earning driver trust. Cameras in the cab can feel intrusive at first, so we had to make it clear that our technology isn’t about surveillance, it’s about support and coaching. By focusing on recognition, positive reinforcement, and transparency around data, we’ve turned initial resistance into genuine advocacy. Drivers now see Driver•i as a tool that protects them from false claims, reduces micromanagement, and celebrates good driving.

What is your number one piece of advice to aspiring entrepreneurs?

Solve a problem that matters, and build around a mission that you truly believe in. Creating and scaling a startup is hard, and there will always be easier paths than pushing forward as a founder. What sustains you through the challenges is conviction in the impact of what you’re doing. If your solution improves lives, you’ll find customers, partners, and investors who want to work with you and back you all the way.

What can we hope to see from Netradyne in the future?

We’re committed to continually pushing the boundaries of fleet safety. Today, our technology is already helping customers cut accidents by as much as 50%. That’s an achievement we’re proud of, but it also highlights the opportunity ahead: there’s still another 50% of incidents we can help prevent. Closing that gap is where our focus lies.
In the near term, we plan to expand the capabilities of Driver•i with features like compound risk detection, where the system recognises combinations of risky behaviours, and weather-aware alerts that adjust feedback based on road conditions.

Beyond advancing our AI algorithms, the next wave of innovation comes from extending intelligence around the entire vehicle with new innovations. Early customer response has been incredibly encouraging, reinforcing our belief that fleets want more comprehensive, proactive safety systems.

In short, you can expect us to keep innovating at the intersection of AI, safety, and human impact. Above all, our focus will remain on enhancing driver trust and recognition, because we believe the safest fleets are those where drivers feel supported, respected and valued. That commitment ties back to our central mission: to save more lives on the road, every single day.