GM's Expanding Horizons Beyond Traditional Automotive

While widely recognized for the production and sale of vehicles under brands like Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC, General Motors is also actively cultivating a significant innovation incubator. This dedicated team, comprised of 600 employees, is focused on the development of 20 novel businesses targeting a combined market opportunity estimated at $1.3 trillion.

Emerging Ventures from GM's Innovation Efforts

Several successful ventures have already emerged from this incubator, demonstrating its potential. These include OnStar Guardian, OnStar Insurance, GM Defense, and, most recently, BrightDrop – a commercial electric vehicle delivery solution launched in January. Pam Fletcher, a long-standing GM executive and Vice President of Global Innovation, played a pivotal role in guiding BrightDrop from its initial concept to a fully realized startup.

Driving Growth Through Innovation

As an engineer, Fletcher has been tasked with the ambitious goal of transforming promising innovative concepts into scalable business ventures. This initiative aims to propel growth and fundamentally reshape GM’s business model, extending beyond conventional automotive practices. She will be presenting at TC Sessions: Mobility 2021, a virtual event on June 9th, to discuss their strategic approach and future plans.

Fletcher's Extensive Experience

Fletcher possesses a comprehensive and international background in automotive leadership. She has overseen the development of GM’s portfolio of electric and autonomous vehicle technologies. Before her role within the innovation incubator, she served as Vice President of Global Electric Vehicles at GM.

Her previous leadership involved the development of two generations of the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid and the all-electric Chevrolet Bolt EV. Furthermore, her teams were instrumental in creating Super Cruise, GM’s hands-free highway driving assistance system, and three iterations of Cruise AVs.

Additional Roles and Recognition

Fletcher also holds a position as a corporate director at Coherent Inc., a company listed on the NASDAQ exchange and located in Silicon Valley. She is also a member of the board of directors for GM Defense LLC. She received recognition from Motor Trend, appearing on their Power List of auto industry leaders in both 2018 and 2019. Additionally, Fast Company named her one of its “Most Creative People” in 2017. She contributes to the College of Engineering at the University of North Carolina Charlotte as a board of advisors member.

Notable Speakers at TC Sessions: Mobility 2021

Fletcher is among a distinguished group of transportation leaders who will participate in the virtual event in June. Other confirmed speakers include TechCrunch Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang, Joby Aviation founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt, LinkedIn founder and investor Reid Hoffman – whose SPAC recently merged with Joby – and investors Clara Brenner of Urban Innovation Fund, Quin Garcia of Autotech Ventures, and Rachel Holt of Construct Capital.

• Starship Technologies co-founder and CEO/CTO Ahti Heinla will also be present.
• Zoox co-founder and CTO Jesse Levinson is scheduled to speak.
• Community organizer, transportation consultant, and lawyer Tamika L. Butler will share her insights.
• Remix co-founder and CEO Tiffany Chu will participate.
• Revel co-founder and CEO Frank Reig is also confirmed.

Event Details and Ticket Information

Further speaker announcements will be made in the coming weeks. Early Bird ticket sales conclude on Thursday, May 6th. Secure your tickets promptly to save $100.