Founder, Chairman & President

David Tucker

ESS was founded based on David Tucker’s personal experience of nearly losing his life in a disabled vehicle-related incident while on the side of a highway. Drawing from his broad-based experience in disruptive technology start-ups, David enlisted long-time friend and business colleague, Stephen Powers, and they started ESS together in late 2018. As Chairman and President, David is responsible for developing and executing ESS’ mission of making H.E.L.P. a standard, foundational safety feature in every passenger and commercial vehicle in the world. A proud second generation Mexican-American, David is an entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience starting, building and divesting start-ups. Before he founded ESS, David served as president of Canyon Offshore, a world leader in subsea robotics in the oil and gas subsea construction industry. In 2006, David cofounded UTEC Survey International, a top-tier subsea geotechnical and survey provider in the oil and gas construction industry which was acquired by Acteon in 2014. Prior to UTEC, in 2000, David co-founded Valkyrie Commissioning Services, an innovative deep-water pipeline commissioning provider to the oil and gas subsea construction industry and divested the company to Weatherford International in late 2005. David holds an MBA from Rice University and a BSBA from Chapman University and is the lead inventor of over 65 patents worldwide.
ESS was founded based on David Tucker’s personal experience of nearly losing his life in a disabled vehicle-related incident while on the side of a highway. Drawing from his broad-based experience in disruptive technology start-ups, David enlisted long-time friend and business colleague, Stephen Powers, and they started ESS together in late 2018. As Chairman and President, David is responsible for developing and executing ESS’ mission of making H.E.L.P. a standard, foundational safety feature in every passenger and commercial vehicle in the world. A proud second generation Mexican-American, David is an entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience starting, building and divesting start-ups. Before he founded ESS, David served as president of Canyon Offshore, a world leader in subsea robotics in the oil and gas subsea construction industry. In 2006, David cofounded UTEC Survey International, a top-tier subsea geotechnical and survey provider in the oil and gas construction industry which was acquired by Acteon in 2014. Prior to UTEC, in 2000, David co-founded Valkyrie Commissioning Services, an innovative deep-water pipeline commissioning provider to the oil and gas subsea construction industry and divested the company to Weatherford International in late 2005. David holds an MBA from Rice University and a BSBA from Chapman University and is the lead inventor of over 65 patents worldwide.