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BlackBerry Launches BlackBerry IVY Advisory Council to Fuel Smart Mobility Innovation

June 22, 2021

Launch partners include HERE Technologies, Cerence, TELUS, GEICO and AWS

WATERLOO, ONTARIO – June 22, 2021 – BlackBerry Limited (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) today announced the BlackBerry IVY Advisory Council, a new invitation-only body comprised of leading companies across the transportation and mobility industries that will help shape and advise the BlackBerry IVY development community and the vertical-specific services and automotive applications that will be brought to market using BlackBerry's Intelligent Vehicle Data Platform, BlackBerry IVY™.

The BlackBerry IVY Advisory Council’s purpose is to accelerate the BlackBerry IVY development community by focusing on the creation of high-impact technology use cases and solutions that leverage in-vehicle data. Council members will help drive the BlackBerry IVY roadmap, focusing on co-value development with a view to addressing key pain points that OEMs are looking to solve for.

BlackBerry IVY Advisory Council launch partners include HERE Technologies, Cerence, TELUS, GEICO and AWS. Advisory Council founding members will get exclusive first access to developer tools and BlackBerry IVY product releases in addition to benefiting from joint marketing activities to promote their product innovations. Additional members are expected to join the Advisory Council in the coming months and interested industry parties are encouraged to contact BlackBerry.

The establishment of the Advisory Council evolved from the industry interest seen following the initial BlackBerry IVY launch announcement and the ability of BlackBerry IVY to help OEMs, smart mobility providers, fleet operators, and developers leverage the rich insights from the next generation of intelligent connected vehicles.

“Developing alongside our colleagues at BlackBerry will help transform the automotive industry, and the engagement with other industry leaders will ensure an accelerated path toward the mobility industry of the future,” said Wendy Bauer, Global head, Automotive Sales at Amazon Web Services. “Collectively, the members of the BlackBerry IVY Advisory Council will bring their individual expertise to the table and collaborate to solve the biggest challenges in connected mobility, inspire the developer community, and leverage these tools for an improved driving experience.” 

“BlackBerry is proud to welcome HERE Technologies, Cerence, TELUS, GEICO and AWS as founding partners of our new BlackBerry IVY Advisory Council,” said Vito Giallorenzo, SVP Corporate Development & Chief Operating Officer, IoT. “Innovation in transportation and mobility is advancing at dizzying speeds across many data-driven solution domains. BlackBerry IVY is a scalable and cost-effective partner to help companies across the entire ecosystem unlock revenue and capture the growth opportunity. We look forward to working with this exceptionally talented, future-focused group of leading organizations to do so in the months and years ahead.”

To inquire about becoming an Advisory Council member, visit https://BlackBerry.QNX.com/en/aws.

Featured Partner Quotes

“We are thrilled to be named a founding member of the IVY Advisory Council and look forward to identifying new use cases and opportunities with BlackBerry IVY by leveraging the power of our location technology,” said Michele Herbst, Vice President of Product Management at HERE Technologies. “With our deep automotive expertise and privacy-by-design approach with real-time vehicle data, we’re excited about the future possibilities with IVY to create intelligent experiences for our customers.”

“Cerence is proud to serve as a founding member of the BlackBerry IVY Advisory Council, and we look forward to collaborating with like-minded companies looking to transform the future of mobility experiences for consumers worldwide,” said Prateek Kathpal, CTO, Cerence Inc. “As the leader in conversational AI for mobility, we are excited by the collective potential of this group to together advance intuitive, intelligent interaction between drivers and their cars, especially as we approach increasing levels of connectivity and autonomy.”

“GEICO is excited to be BlackBerry IVY’s insurance partner. The companies have a shared vision to accelerate the transformation of the transportation industry,” said Yang Yu, Chief Data and Analytics Officer at GEICO. “By working together as part of our founding role on the new IVY Advisory Council, we plan to introduce Geico products to improve customer service and deliver personalized discounts. Our goal is to unlock the vast and untapped potential that exists within the usage-based insurance market. GEICO is actively working to ensure that all drivers are able to realize the many benefits of smart mobility.”

“TELUS strongly believes that the IVY ecosystem will provide valuable insights for the companies that manufacture cars and will create a more personalized driving experience for the people who own them. We are pleased to collaborate with BlackBerry and share our expertise and knowledge in the field to help BlackBerry accelerate innovation, allowing automakers to offer more services, and offering users a better, safer way to drive.” – Ibrahim Gedeon, Chief Technology Officer at TELUS

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About BlackBerry

BlackBerry (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) provides intelligent security software and services to enterprises and governments around the world. The company secures more than 500M endpoints including over 215M cars on the road today. Based in Waterloo, Ontario, the company leverages AI and machine learning to deliver innovative solutions in the areas of cybersecurity, safety and data privacy solutions, and is a leader in the areas of endpoint security, endpoint management, encryption, and embedded systems.  BlackBerry’s vision is clear - to secure a connected future you can trust.

BlackBerry. Intelligent Security. Everywhere. 

For more information, visit BlackBerry.com and follow @BlackBerry.  

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