AI-native operating system for car dealerships
TL;DR:
AutoAce is building the AI-native operating system for the $2T automotive industry, starting with voice agents.
Our 24/7 AI agents book service and test-drive appointments, manage status updates, and run outbound campaigns such as recalls and service reminders. It integrates with any DMS/CRM/Scheduler system.
The Problem
The automotive service industry is crippled by operational inefficiency. Our research identified three core causes:
- Antiquated technology: Dealerships rely on legacy systems that are slow, outdated, and poorly integrated. Staff often revert to manual work with pen and paper.
- Data silos and lack of visibility: Parts and service departments operate separately, leading to missed updates, longer repair times, and limited visibility into vehicle status or parts availability.
- Breakdown in customer communication: High call volume and constant task switching cause missed calls, lost appointments, and frustrated customers. Advisors rarely have time to provide proactive updates, creating a cycle of more inbound calls and chaos.
Our Mission
Our mission is to build the AI-native operating system for car dealerships. Dealerships run on fragmented systems and manual workflows that waste time and limit visibility. We believe AI can connect every part of the operation (from service and sales to parts and F&I) into one unified, intelligent platform.
Our immediate focus is reducing the administrative burden on service advisors, who are the front line of dealership operations. By automating repetitive tasks like answering phones, booking appointments, and updating customers, we help them focus on what actually matters: providing great service and driving revenue.
Backstory
It started on a highway between Boston and New York City.
Our 2007 Toyota Sienna broke down on the way to an AI agent hackathon, and when we called towing and dealership service lines, no one picked up. After dozens of unanswered calls, we realized how broken communication in the automotive world really was.
We went back to campus, skipped class, and spent our days and nights inside dealerships. We shadowed advisors, picked up phones, and even did oil changes to understand the problem firsthand.
After visiting more than 300 dealerships, we discovered the biggest bottleneck was human bandwidth. So we did what MIT students do best… we started coding inside the stores to fix it.
Our Ask
1. If you know anyone in the car dealership industry, we would love a warm intro. Email us: hi@autoace.ai.
2. Follow our AutoAce (YC F25) LinkedIn page
How did your company get started? (i.e., How did the founders meet? How did you come up with the idea? How did you decide to be a founder?)
We met as fraternity brothers at MIT (Pledge #6 and #16) and have been building together for years through projects, hackathons, and psets, while also competing as student athletes on the swimming and football teams. During senior year, we attended a hackathon on AI agents. On the drive from Boston to New York for the pitch competition, our 2007 Toyota Sienna broke down on the highway. We tried calling towing services and dealerships, but no one picked up. That moment made us realize how broken dealership operations really were.
We dug deeper and went door to door to more than 150 dealerships across Massachusetts. We found a trillion-dollar industry run on clunky legacy systems that left service teams constantly reacting instead of operating proactively. In our final semester, we started skipping classes to work inside dealerships and build the product we wished had existed that day on the highway.
