Most people don’t think about what happens behind the scenes at a car dealership’s service department. But if you’ve ever waited hours for an oil change, you’ve felt the problem firsthand.

For Dave Anderson, founder and CEO of EvenFlow AI, this frustration turned into an opportunity.

Why does it take three hours to get an oil change? It made no sense to me.

With a PhD in math and years of experience optimizing capacity at United Airlines, Dave realized that auto dealerships were struggling with the same problem airlines had solved years ago, matching supply with demand.

That insight led him to build EvenFlow AI, a platform that helps dealerships schedule service appointments more efficiently. The result? Less wasted technician time, shorter wait times for customers, and a 10-25% increase in service revenue.

And now, with $1.5M in funding and major dealership groups signing on, EvenFlow AI is scaling fast.

From Frustration to Startup Idea

Dave’s background was in capacity management, figuring out how to make the most of limited resources. Airlines do this with seats on a plane. Hotels do it with room bookings. But auto dealerships? They were still running service departments with outdated scheduling systems that led to wasted labor and lost revenue.

Dave saw a clear opportunity.

If a technician is standing around with no car to work on, that’s lost money. In the airline industry, an empty seat on a flight that could’ve been sold is called spoiled inventory. The same problem exists in dealerships.

He knew the solution: bring advanced scheduling optimization to the auto service industry.

So, in 2021, he built a prototype. And soon after, he landed his first paying customer.

The Risk That Paid Off

Most auto startups get their first customers through personal connections, family members who own dealerships. Dave didn’t have that advantage.

“I didn’t know anyone in the industry. So I had to get creative.”

One of his boldest moves? Betting a dealership that EvenFlow AI would generate $3,000 in value for them or he’d personally pay them $3,000.

At the time, he barely had that much in the bank.

“But I was confident it would work. And luckily, it did.”

That dealership became his first customer.

But the real turning point came when some of his early customers weren’t just using the product, they wanted to invest in the company.

When customers invest in your company, it’s the ultimate validation. They weren’t just buying the product, they believed in the business itself.

That credibility helped EvenFlow AI raise its $1.5M funding round, backed by FM Capital and Automotive Ventures.

Breaking Into the Big Leagues

Landing one dealership was one thing. Scaling to 25+ stores? That was the real challenge. Dave quickly realized that instead of selling to dealerships one by one, the real opportunity was getting full dealership groups on board.

Today, EvenFlow AI is in the final stages of closing a contract with a dealership group that owns 25 stores, a deal that will significantly accelerate their growth.

“Once you get into a dealership group, it’s a domino effect. If one location sees results, the others follow.”

And the industry is starting to take notice.

There are maybe 15-20 big companies in our space that could be potential partners, competitors, or even acquirers. Five of them are actively engaging with us right now. That tells us we’re on the right track.

Lessons for Founders: What Dave Wants You to Know

For Dave, building EvenFlow AI has been a lesson in resilience.

“We’re probably on our sixth life as a company. There have been so many moments where things could have fallen apart.”

But through it all, one thing kept him going, solving a real problem.

“The best advice I can give to other founders? Focus on solving the customer’s problem. If you do that, everything else follows.”

His second lesson? Don’t wait.

“If you have something valuable, go all in. I see too many founders waiting for the ‘perfect moment’ to start. There’s never a perfect moment. Just start.”

What’s Next for EvenFlow AI?

EvenFlow AI is just getting started.

  • $1.5M in funding raised
  • Growing traction with major dealership groups
  • Customers reporting 10-25% revenue increases
  • Strong interest from major industry players

And they’re not slowing down.

With auto dealership service revenue estimated to be a $100 B+ market, Dave and his team are focused on scaling EvenFlow AI to help more dealerships operate at full efficiency.

This is just the beginning. There’s so much opportunity here. And we’re going after it.

For founders looking for inspiration or a playbook on turning a frustrating experience into a thriving business, EvenFlow AI’s journey proves that persistence, problem-solving, and bold moves can lead to big wins.