At this year’s 10th Annual LA First Look Retreat, Shoaib Makani, CEO and Co-Founder of Motive, sat down with TX Zhuo, General Partner at Fika Ventures, to reflect on a journey that started with electronic logs and grew into one of the most ambitious platforms serving the physical economy. The conversation covered everything from hardware bets and AI, to near-death startup moments, product obsession, and what it takes to scale a company that powers more than a million drivers across North America.
From KeepTruckin to Motive
Shoaib kicked things off with a story about the company’s original name, KeepTruckin. He admitted it might have captured the early energy of the team, but it quickly became clear that the name didn’t match the scope of what they were building. Even in the early days, customers were coming from industries beyond trucking, including oil and gas, field services, and passenger transit.
They eventually rebranded to Motive in 2022, aligning the name with their broader vision. Motive’s mission now spans the full spectrum of the physical economy serving over 100,000 customers. From construction and logistics to energy and public sector work, the company builds tools that help physical operations improve safety and productivity.
“Anybody who moves things or builds things in the real world can benefit from what we’re building.” — Shoaib Makani, co-founder and CEO, Motive
From One Product to a Platform
Motive’s early success came from its fleet management product. That momentum gave the team the confidence to expand into new problem spaces. But scaling into a true platform came with lessons. Shoaib shared that one of his biggest early mistakes was stepping too far away from product. Eventually, he came back in as head of product and pushed for a higher bar across the board.
“The CEO has to be the head of product for whatever is the leading edge of the platform. Otherwise, you will lose to the CEO who is.”
That renewed focus helped Motive go from good to great. The company’s driver safety product now leads the market and sets the bar for what’s possible with AI and camera-based monitoring.
Betting on Hardware
Motive didn’t set out to build hardware. Shoaib admitted they initially tried to integrate with third-party devices. That changed quickly. They realized that in order to deliver a truly differentiated product, they needed to control the full stack.
“If you want to be 10x better, you have to own the entire experience. That meant learning how to build hardware ourselves.”
Today, Motive designs and builds its own dash cams, asset trackers, and sensors. Shoaib sees hardware as a competitive advantage that will only grow more important as software becomes easier to build with AI. The hard-won skills around manufacturing, logistics, and supply chain are now giving Motive an edge in solving problems at the intersection of hardware, software, and AI.
Scaling with Focus
With more than 100,000 customers and over a million drivers using the platform, Shoaib reflected on how the company’s scale has changed how they operate. One of the biggest challenges now is focus. Customers request hundreds of new features, and it would be easy to build reactively. But Shoaib stressed the importance of making room for long-term bets.
“You have to solve today’s problems, but also plant the seeds for tomorrow. If you don’t, your growth will eventually stall.”
That forward-thinking mindset is what has enabled Motive to keep compounding, even at scale. Shoaib shared that he’s already thinking about product lines that could be generating hundreds of millions in a few years — and how to start building them now.
AI Done Right
AI has become a hot topic, but Shoaib made it clear that Motive has been investing in it long before it was trendy. Their AI-powered driver safety product is a standout example. The company trains models to detect unsafe behavior like drowsiness, phone use, and close following. That data translates into real outcomes, like an 80 percent reduction in accidents.
“We’ve been working on this since 2017. It’s not a feature. It’s a core part of what we do.”
He also emphasized that AI is only one piece of the puzzle. Selling into the enterprise still requires great go-to-market execution and thoughtful product marketing. It took years to build the muscle, but now the team is focused on using that foundation to bring new AI-driven products to market.
Leading from the Ground Floor
Shoaib talked openly about his leadership style and how it has evolved. Though he started his career in venture capital, he made a conscious decision to become a deeply hands-on operator. He stays close to the things that matter most and expects the same from his team.
“The best work happens when we shine a light on it together.”
He’s also created a culture where people are encouraged to push back. Motive, he said, is a place where you can tell the CEO he’s wrong — and be heard.
Surviving the Hardest Year
One of the most powerful moments came when Shoaib shared a near-death experience for the company. In early 2017, three years in and still pre-revenue, the team was out of cash and struggling to raise more. A regulatory shift in the trucking industry was about to create a wave of demand, but investors weren’t buying it.
At the last minute, Scale Venture Partners stepped up and funded the round. That year, Motive went from zero to $27 million in ARR.
“It was a real bet. But we knew what was coming. We just needed the runway to get there.”
What’s Next
Motive has since raised more than $560 million and continues to see rapid growth. But Shoaib is still energized by the problems ahead. The team is now working on how to shift from perception to control — moving from just monitoring behavior to taking real-time action in the physical world.
“Our customers want automation. They see us as their on-ramp to AI. That’s the future we’re building toward.”
LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Watch the live keynote video at First Look
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