In the United States, drunk driving kills about 37 people every day. In 2022, this added up to more than 13,500 deaths over the course of the year.
Four juniors at Enloe High School in Raleigh are developing a way to prevent these tragic deaths. The students decided to get to work after learning about the 2021 passing of Apex Friendly High School student Jonathan Pooley as a result of a drunk driving crash. Though they did not know Pooley personally, the news of a fellow area high school student dying in a drunk driving incident hit close to home.
The resulting startup, called SoberRide, will offer a multi-module breathalyzer that combines facial recognition with an AI-powered sensor to accurately read a driver’s alcohol level. This patent-pending device is designed to attach to a car and prevent it from driving if the driver is under the influence.
“If the device detects alcohol, the vehicle won’t start,” said Swayam Shah, Co-Founder and CEO of SoberRide.
This year, the co-founders—Shah, Krithin Visvesh (CFO), Bhavik Kanumuri (CMO), and Aadi Bharadwaj (CPO)—placed third at TYE Global, which is an annual pitch competition for youth entrepreneurs. They won $750, which they have used to further develop their product, and advanced to a global competition in Silicon Valley.
Setting SoberRide Apart
While current ignition interlock devices exist to prevent drunk driving, SoberRide differentiates itself by including the facial recognition component. This ensures it is the driver of the car, and not a passenger or friend, who is being breathalyzed. The facial recognition also assesses redness, pupil dilation, and other factors that can be signs of drunkenness or impairment.
AI features further enhance the product. Specifically, they assess the driver’s age and take into account the time of day to come to a more accurate conclusion concerning the driver’s sobriety.
“After taking all those inputs, [the device] will best come to a decision: Is this driver drunk or sober? Are they safe to drive, or are they not?” Bharadwaj said. And based on those assessements, SoberRide will determine whether or not the car can be started.
As of now, the price for the device is set at $104.99.
The founders are also developing an app that will connect to the device. With a $10/month subscription to this app, parents will be able to access location tracking, additional features to increase AI accuracy, and ridesharing services that serve as alternatives to driving impaired.
The Road Ahead
To develop their prototype, SoberRide’s founders 3D printed some parts at The Forge Initiative in Apex. They also made use of jumper wires and a camera piece purchased from Amazon, as well as materials from around the their respective households.
Once the product is officially launched, the startup plans to contract manufacturers to streamline the process.
SoberRide launched a customer validation survey and received over 800 responses, many of which came from parents of teenagers. The founders plan to start beta testing with parents by early 2025.
“A lot of parents were delighted with the idea, because obviously this is [an everyday problem],” Visvesh said.
QUICK BITS
Startup: SoberRide
Co-Founders: Swayam Shah (CEO), Krithin Visvesh (CFO), Bhavik Kanumuri (CMO) and Aadi Bharadwaj (CPO)
Founded: 2023
Location: Cary/Apex
Website: sober-ride.com
Funding: Bootstrapped
Size of team: 4
Eventually, the founders said they hope to expand SoberRide to the original equipment manufacturing (OEM) market, which consists of companies that make parts to be sold by other companies. They have already garnered feedback in conversations with car manufacturers Ford and Rivian and insurance companies State Farm and Allstate.
Notably, the emergence of SoberRide’s products also coincides with aspects of the Biden Administration’s federal infrastructure bill, requiring all new cars produced in 2026 and beyond to have drunk driving detection technology.
Kanumuri said SoberRide hopes to initially target 2 million vehicles per year—a figure derived from the number of vehicles that Ford and Rivian produce in the U.S. annually.
The founders invite potential customers and investors to reach out to them via email at sober.ride.co@gmail.com.
