The Electronic Secure Title and Registration Transformation (eSTART) Coalition says it has accepted its 100th member — up from the 18 founding organizations that supported the group just about six months ago.
As the group put it in a press release, that growth underscores “the broad support and need for DMV modernization and eSTART’s success in connecting industry stakeholders to foster information exchange and collaboration in service of this goal.”
With that milestone achieved, the group also is creating what it calls the eSTART Advisory Board, with members from car and insurance companies and other parts of the automotive ecosystem helping the larger organization with “strategic guidance” and other tasks.
“For consumers, the depth of industry support on this set of initiatives is an indicator of what’s to come,” Tony Hall, chair of the Advisory Board and head of policy, title and registration modernization at online car seller Carvana, told Government Technology via email. “The changes we are advocating would mean better, faster access to government services.”
In general, eSTART wants to replace DMV paper-based systems with digital tools, reflecting the larger trend in government technology. The hope is that doing so will not only reduce costs for those involved in automotive sales but spark more business because of processes that have become more efficient.
“The advisory board will ensure eSTART’s objectives — for example electronic signature adoption — are amplified and consistently addressed by the coalition,” Hall wrote. “Electronic signature technology has existed for decades, but the adoption of this technology by government agencies sometimes requires policy or statutory changes that are easier when a voice like eSTART exists to educate and advocate for them.”
Such goals are driving investment in the gov tech space.
For instance, Champ Titles, an Ohio-based digital title, registration and lien company, earlier this year raised $18 million, with the capital earmarked for expansion into new U.S. markets.
Members of the new advisory board are:
- Chair: Tony Hall, head of policy, title and registration modernization at Carvana
- Vice chair: Kevin Park, senior manager of government affairs and industry relations at Insurance Auto Auctions
- Secretary: Quinn Cheney, director of business development and government relations at Champ
- Member: Dale Brown, senior director of government affairs at ACERTUS
- Member: Dustin Cruz, vice president of operations at OPENLANE
- Member: Gilberto Soria Mendoza, manager of government relations at Upstart
- Member: Todd Phillips, director of program development at the South Carolina Automobile Dealers Association
