Durham’s Sense Photonics names Google veteran as new CEO

SAN FRANCISCO — Sense Photonics, a Durham startup focused on building the next generation of 3D sensor solutions, has named a Google veteran as its new CEO.

Shauna McIntyre will now be heading up the 3D Perception and LiDAR company, it was announced today. She will be based in San Francisco.

Described as a 25-year automotive veteran, she most recently led Google’s automotive services program and Google Maps’ automotive programs. She also previously was Chief of Staff for Google’s consumer electronics division, and has served on the Board of Directors of Lithia Motors since April 2019.

Sense Photonics co-founder Scott Burroughs, an expert in semiconductor laser component engineering and manufacturing who served as CEO since the company’s inception in 2016, will now assume the roles of president and chief innovation officer.

“I am extremely proud of the success and important milestones that the Sense Photonics team has achieved in less than three years, which has been rewarded by a growing list of notable customers and partners,” said Burroughs, in a statement. “Shauna’s addition gives our leadership team an increase in bandwidth that will greatly expand what we are able to accomplish.”

Added McIntyre: “The world needs autonomous delivery of goods and transportation of people today more than ever. Vehicles, whether they’re robot delivery systems, cars, or trucks, require more effective data imaging systems. Sense’s high-performance perception technology has inherent advantages for vehicle systems: Delivering high-quality data to customers in a cost-effective way. I think we’re onto something big, and I’m thrilled to play a role in it.”

Launched in 2016, the company utilizes radar known as LiDAR (which stands for light detection and ranging) and 3D sensor technology.

Rather than using complex scanning solutions to create an image pixel-by-pixel, this approach captures the entire frame at once, similar to a camera.

Called “Flash LiDAR,” it delivers high performance 3D sensing that is “simple, modular, scalable and reliable,” the firm said in a release.

Already, Sense holds intellectual property protected by some 200 patents and could bring products to market as early as this year.

Some industry experts see Lidar as a big market with a potential value of $200 billion.

Sense Photonics has offices in San Francisco, CA, Research Triangle Park, NC, and Edinburgh, UK. It is backed by leading VC firms and strategic investors and has developed partnerships with leading automotive and robotics customers.