What does it mean to be a “connector,” someone who can link people and things, and create innovation from ideas? In his acclaimed book, The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell talks about ideas and products and messages and behaviors spreading through connectors, the social equivalent of a computer network hub. The Indy Autonomous Challenge wants to be the connector that links the brilliance and innovation of the university community to accelerate the safety, performance and commercialization of autonomous mobility.

We often hear the phrase “the need for speed,” made popular by Tom Cruise’s character “Maverick” in the 1986 film, Top Gun. However, the phrase doesn’t just apply to fighter jets, but also is instrumental in testing vehicle technology for safety and performance, in motorsports, personal transportation, or ferrying commercial products on our highways. As we progress technologically, we advance toward the realization of autonomous mobility. To be on the upward curve of progress, you need to test at the edge of speed.

Cade Metz and Erin Griffith, seasoned writers for The New York Times, published a story in May, entitled “This was supposed to be the year driverless cars went mainstream,” and then explained why we are still years off. Multiple other publications have followed suit, saying that there aren’t enough roads permitted for testing, that the tech companies working in autonomy are running through investment funding without revenue coming in, and that there are a limited number of experts who can develop the algorithms and software to program a Level 4 self-driving car, let alone a Level 5 fully autonomous vehicle.

A friend of mine likes to say that the world’s biggest challenges are an entrepreneur’s biggest opportunities. And, I’m sure we can all agree that with COVID-19, we are living through one of humanity’s greatest challenges.

At the Indy Autonomous Challenge, we have 500+ student entrepreneurs from 38 universities in 11 countries who have formed 30 teams trying to achieve something difficult and unprecedented: Build a Level 4 automated driving system that can maneuver a Dallara race car at speeds approaching 200 mph in a head-to-head race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the biggest racing stage in the world.