An emergency brake light that alerts drivers to an extreme braking situation 50% faster than before was the winning product this year in the SEMA Launch Pad competition. Roland Hence, founder and director of FrontLane, Inc., won the eighth annual competition with the Impulse – Emergency Brake Light.
The wireless, battery-powered emergency brake light reduces rear-end collisions by pulsing eight ultra-bright LEDs under extreme braking situations to alert the following driver up to 50% quicker. Impulse can be installed on any passenger vehicle with a standard back windshield in seconds, and has a four-year battery life. The product can be used on all vehicles.
The SEMA Launch Pad helps young entrepreneurs age 18-39 bring their products from concept to fruition in the automotive aftermarket. And while SEMA looks a little different this year, the excitement around this award remains just as tangible.
Hence competed against 80 other applicants for the Launch Pad win, finishing the effort by pitching the Impulse to a panel of industry experts at the Petersen Automotive museum along with the other five finalists. The competition is sponsored by the SEMA Young Executive Network (YEN) to encourage innovation and excellence.
“As an entrepreneur, you dream about this moment. I am incredibly proud of my team and grateful to SEMA for the platform to showcase our hard work and life-saving product,” said Hence. “I hope that with this incredible result we can take a meaningful step toward reducing rear-end crashes.”
In addition to the accolades, Hence will receive $10,000 to be used to benefit the business, exhibit space at the 2021 SEMA Show, access to business tools and resources, and more, all of which are designed to help him launch the product to the aftermarket.
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