SMART Tire

The SMART Tire Company is working with NASA to create a space-age tire for use on Earth.

Developed after more than twelve years of research and ten million dollars in government funding, this tire is 100% airless, and made from a shape memory alloy, a super-elastic material that can pop back into shape after intense strain.

SMART Tire recently introduced METL, a tire designed for bicycles. The company is targeting this sector with plans to release tires for cars, trucks, and various aerospace vehicles down the road.

Team Background

Earl Cole - Co-Founder & CEO

Earl has spent more than 15 years designing technology solutions.

He began his career with Honda. He then co-founded Particle 5 Interactive, a tech company focused on mobile advertising. From there, he co-founded Smush Mobile Technologies, a marketing company that partnered with T-Mobile.

More recently, Earl was a consultant with GOOD Worldwide, a “socially conscious online media company,” where he worked with clients including Google, Apple, and Starbucks.

He’s also the co-founder of Fanstreme Sports, which develops apps for sports and entertainment properties.

In addition to his role with SMART, Earl is a consultant with Stanford Seed, a university-based initiative working to end global poverty.

He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Business Administration from the University of Washington and is a Doctoral Candidate at the University of Southern California. He also studied at Harvard Business School and MIT.

Jim Benzing - Principal Engineer

Jim joined SMART Tire after spending 44 years with Goodyear Tire Company.

Jim is a lead innovator for the award-winning spring tire, and a co-inventor of SMART’s “superelastic” tire.

He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.

Brian Yennie - Co-Founder & CTO

Brian has an extensive background as a software engineer, including experience with startups.

He began his career as a software engineer with Curriculum Facilitators, an education company. He was then Chief Technology Officer of QLD Learning.

From there, he was Director of Technology for two entertainment companies: Worldwide Biggies and FunGo Play. He then started his own entertainment business, Sifaka Productions.

More recently, Brian was a senior software engineer with Showroom, a software company focused on interior design. After that, he co-founded Fanstreme, the app development company started with his current co-founder, Earl.

In addition to his role with SMART, Brian is a software engineer with IDEX, a blockchain-related startup. He earned degrees in Mathematics and Computer Science from Dartmouth College and Carleton College.

Co-Investors