$513.8 Billion Lost, 14 Million Crashes, and a New Future Being Built
Imagine a completely new future: people earning from their cars while sitting at home with family, businesses free from crashes, moms and kids staying safe while the vehicle gets medicine, road trips without drowsiness or danger. With a modular platform, Omar Autonomous makes this future possible without rebuilding the world’s cars from scratch.
$513.8 billion — that’s what road accidents cost the U.S. every year, driven by nearly 14 million crashes annually. Globally, more than 100 million people are injured in accidents each year, and one life is lost every 20 seconds. Most of these tragedies stem from human error, creating an urgent need for technological solutions. Omar Mukhtar, founder and CEO of Omar Autonomous, has spent two decades building AI products and believes autonomous vehicles hold the key to solving this crisis. Backed by a team with five IPOs and global scientific leadership, his company is a category-defining force — not just addressing what exists, but shaping what’s next.
Founder Building AI Since 2004 — Before AI Was Cool (or Even Known)
Omar, a polymath, built his first AI product in 2004 — before he even graduated. He subsequently earned his master’s degree and worked at Amazon and Microsoft, building products used by millions. But his soul always wanted to build a company that would improve life for everyone on earth.
“My most important mission today is to save 100 million lives every year from avoidable vehicle accidents,” he says. It’s rare to meet someone who believes they can save 100 million lives. But when you examine the numbers, his vision becomes compelling.
$513.8B in Damage, 100 Million Injuries, 1.3M Deaths: The Human and Economic Cost
Here’s what’s actually happening on roads around the world: “Every year, over 100 million people are injured and over 1.3 million people die in road incidents worldwide. That’s nearly one life lost every 20 seconds and tens of injuries every second,” Omar explains. Those aren’t just statistics. That’s someone’s family member every 20 seconds.
The really frustrating part? Most of these tragedies don’t have to happen. “More than 90% of these incidents are caused by human errors — distraction, fatigued or impaired driving,” he points out. People check their phones, fall asleep at the wheel, or make poor decisions when they’re upset or intoxicated.
The economic drag is enormous too: the global mobility market is measured in the trillions, and the U.S. alone sees over $500 billion in annual crash-related costs. Autonomous systems don’t get tired, don’t text, and don’t make reckless decisions. They simply perform their function consistently.
A Platform for 1.6 Billion Vehicles — Not Just New Ones
Most autonomous vehicle companies are building expensive new cars you can only find in select cities — essentially luxury items. Omar’s company discarded that approach entirely.
“We can take any vehicle of any brand, any year, and make it autonomous in just 30 minutes,” he explains. They’ve tested it on various vehicle types. “We’ve proven this by converting a Mazda, a rental U-Haul, and other vehicles into safe self-driving cars.” Even older vehicles can be upgraded — but this isn’t about the past. It’s about unlocking the future without waiting for new fleets to be built.
That changes who gets access. “This means autonomy isn’t just for the wealthy or big corporations. It can be for everyone, everywhere,” Omar says. Instead of replacing the 1.6 billion vehicles already on the road, Omar Autonomous upgrades them into a platform for the future.
Team of AI Pioneers, 5 IPOs, and MIT-Backed Science
Omar Autonomous is built by operators with IPO-level gravity and speed. Omar is an AI pioneer who has been shipping since 2004 and sharpened his craft at Amazon and Microsoft. Christina Noren brings a rare track record: four IPOs including Splunk, three joined pre-money — the kind of experience that helps scale from prototype to global platform. Prof. Shuguang Zhang (MIT), a renowned scientist and QTY code pioneer with a Tokyo Stock Exchange IPO, adds deep scientific rigor and systems-level thinking. Together, they blend product velocity, enterprise scale, and scientific credibility — exactly what this category demands.
The Laptop, Not the Mainframe: A Modular Platform for Autonomy
Omar Autonomous uses a modular LiDAR + camera platform with sensor fusion and autonomy logic designed to install in under 30 minutes. The approach is vehicle-agnostic and reversible, enabling rapid deployment across fleets and personal vehicles without redesigning the car from scratch. The company has already demonstrated a U-Haul conversion in half an hour. The technology is patent-pending, with Fenwick as counsel.
The Mission Is Deeply Personal
This isn’t just another tech project for Omar. “For 10 years, I had to take three buses to the hospital and three buses back just to bring medicine for my mother’s heart medication,” he remembers. Three buses each way — a three-hour trip — for a decade. That experience shaped his perspective.
“That taught me how much transportation shapes people’s lives. By making autonomy safe, accessible, and affordable, we’re not only saving lives — we’re giving people freedom, dignity, and opportunity.”
Join Us in Making Autonomy Universal — and Saving 100 Million Lives
“We have the technology, and we have the urgency,” Omar says. With over 100 million injured each year, action is needed now. “By bringing autonomous capability to every road in every country, we can save 100 million lives a year. This is more than innovation — it’s a responsibility.”
Connect with Omar Mukhtar on LinkedIn to explore how autonomous technology can save lives — and to partner on deploying autonomy where it matters most.
