Features
Dean Drako’s automotive vision

When Dean Drako encounters a problem, his natural inclination is to fix it.

He says this has been the guiding philosophy behind the creation of most of his companies.

As one of the founders of online security solutions firm Barracuda Networks 20 years ago, he wanted to address some of the shortcomings of email. He’s best known in the physical security world for his work with Eagle Eye Networks and Brivo — he founded the former and acquired the latter — to develop and market cloud-based solutions to an industry that didn’t have a wealth of options.

“All of the companies are about solving the problem that was in front of me and me saying, ‘I bet other people have a similar problem and would like a solution.’ So let’s make it into a company and get out there,” says Drako.

He applied this same perspective to one of his other passions, the automotive world.

Growing up in Detroit, Drako was surrounded by car culture. “That’s what makes the city go round,” he says.

He briefly worked in the auto industry in the 1980s, and enjoys racing and rally driving. A car lover who has spent a lot of time behind the wheel, he couldn’t help but see what he says is a flaw in modern automotive design — a lackluster approach to software integration.

“I was always disappointed with the electronics architecture and the lack of software architecture,” he says.

Drako saw an opportunity to develop better software for cars that was fully integrated and started an R&D project for an operating system that could run a car more effectively and efficiently.

“How would that work? How would it communicate with all the components?” Drako figured the quickest and best way to find out was to design a prototype vehicle to run the software, and a new company was born.

Co-founded by Drako and business partner Shiv Sikand, Drako Motors was established in California in 2013. In 2019, the company debuted a fully electric supercar, the limited edition Drako GTE. With a quad motor architecture (one for each wheel), the car delivers 1,200 hp with a top speed of 331 kph (206 mph). The vehicle is clearly built for speed, but the design also places a premium on superior handling and road safety, says Drako.

The Drako GTE, introduced in 2019 (image courtesy Drako motors)

“We can apply a different level of power in each of the four wheels with a very complicated software system — a lot of sensors and a lot of math and a lot of algorithms that have been developed over 10 years,” explains Drako.

“The original vision was, we can make a better driving car, because we can have each wheel individually controlled, and we can make amazingly good software for a car by integrating all the systems into one system. And solve the problem of software in the car,” he adds.

Last year, Drako Motors debuted the Drako Dragon, a luxury electric SUV featuring Italian design and gullwing doors. The Dragon is also built for speed with the same four-motor configuration, this time delivering a combined 2,000 hp and a 0-60 mph time of less than two seconds. Track-capable, Drako says it is a comfortable ride and practical enough for commuting and trips to the grocery store. The gullwings also make it incredibly easy to get in and out of.

Drako says he didn’t originally set out to make a car (or two) but the original automotive software conundrum also opened a new opportunity.

Describing cars as one of his passions, Drako says he’s also very passionate about security and is committed to his pursuit of innovation in that industry. Regardless of the end product, the lessons learned from creating software and building an enterprise can be applied to any endeavor, he says. If that endeavor happens to be a very fast car, then that’s OK too.