(L to R) Damage iD’s Chandrahas Boorela, Paula Vercollone, and Charles Dalsass at their exhibit booth during the International Car Rental Show in Las Vegas on April 17, 2024,
Photo: Ross Stewart / Stewart Digital Photography
Damage iD, a provider of vehicle damage detection technology, recently hit the 10-year milestone in business as it builds on advances in accurately tracking and accounting for damage to rental cars.
The company, based in Pembroke, Massachusetts, started in April 2014, debuting at the International Car Rental Show at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. It was launched by owners and veteran independent rental car operators Jack and Paula Vercollone who have now become fixtures at the annual trade event.
Damage iD partnered with Extension Engine, a software consultancy in Cambridge, Mass., to build its technology which has kept pace with the innovations of the past decade. The company claims to be the first to apply side-by-side photo capture comparisons that are date- and time-stamped, geo-stamped, and more accurate and faster for upload with efficient cloud storage.
In 2018, the company hired Charles Dalsass, owner of iQ Transit and educated at the University of Connecticut and MIT, as a partner and software engineer to lead its technology pursuits. Dalsass brought aboard Chandrahas Boorela as a software engineer, partner, and chief technology officer in 2020 who helped build Damage iD’s contactless customer inspection (CCI) feature that handles fast late-night returns, long-term leases, virtual locations, and contactless pickups.
Among the hundreds of rental car users, leading clients of Damage iD include Avis, Amazon, Budget, Dollar Car Rental, Enterprise, Hertz, Priceless Car Rental, and Thrifty Car Rental.
At the most recent ICRS in April, Damage iD launched its own AI damage detection function after relying on a third party. The system draws on 60 million rental vehicle images accumulated over the years.
“Damage iD is celebrating its 10th anniversary precisely because of the dedication and perseverance of its team,” said Paula Vercollone in a news release. “We look forward to our AI machine making Damage iD a leader with our AI-powered digital inspection solution. Here’s to another 10 years.”