Thank you to Madeline Zhu, Head of EV Fleet Partnerships at Presto, who presented Realizing Transportation Innovation: Learning from startups and government to scale mobility technology at the Institute of Transportation Studies Transportation Seminar on Friday, November 21, 2025.
Abstract: Turning great transportation ideas into real-world systems is never simple, and having a good idea - or a working technology - is only the first step. This talk will explore what actually makes mobility tech (or any tech, for that matter) take off—or stall out—based on a decade of hands-on work deploying projects across modes and countries. We will discuss key factors that help projects make the leap from pilot to scale: genuine product–market fit, building the right ecosystem of partners and supporters, and leveraging data standards and interoperability to grow. The talk shares stories from public–private partnerships across three continents, highlighting what went right (and wrong) along the way.
Bio: Madeline Zhu is Head of EV Fleet Partnerships at Presto. Madeline has helped grow software solutions across North America, Australia, and Africa, leading commercial teams solving problems for travelers on many modes of transportation. Prior to joining Presto, she supported the largest government investment in innovative transportation technology through the US Department of Transportation’s SMART Grant Program. She believes electrification is the most important transformation of the sector since the automobile, and looks forward to making seamless, magical charging accessible to fleets and travelers everywhere.