Ian King’s MaaS (Mobility as a Service) Stock Pick Revealed

Today I’m looking into Ian King’s MaaS (Mobility as a Service) prediction, which centers around autonomous vehicles and a LiDAR technology company he’s tracking.

The presentation was first released in December 2020, so it’s not exactly new. But this ad has been doing the rounds lately, so I decided to take a closer look.

In this post, I’ll walk you through what Ian King’s MaaS prediction is about and show you what stock I think he’s teasing based on the clues shared in the presentation.

So with that said, let’s get started!

Overview of Ian King’s MaaS Prediction

Ian King’s MaaS presentation begins with him saying that we are “at the tipping point of a massive trend” that could change how our cities are run, reduce the cost of groceries, and boost home values by “as much as 40% or more.”

He also said there’s one company at the “forefront of this mobility revolution” that could “potentially earn you a 10x return by 2030.”

“Investing in this one company today could double your investment in the coming months … and potentially earn you a 10x return by 2030 … Perhaps even sooner.”

Source: https://pro.banyanhill.com/p/WMC-IKAMAAS-001/EIKAY5BU/Full

What is MaaS?

MaaS is an acronym for mobility as a service, which is all about moving away from personally-owned modes of transportation (like cars) and shifting towards using transportation as a service with the help of different technologies.

Ian King refers to MaaS as a “revolution,” and his prediction specifically centers around how self-driving electric vehicles could eventually become a commonly used “service.”

Long story short, he suggests that ordering an autonomous EV through a smartphone app could replace the need for many of us to buy a car. And he believes this technology is “going to change everything,” from the way we travel to the landscape of cities and countries.

“MaaS is an acronym for ‘Mobility-as-a-Service.’

And it’s going to change everything.

It’s going to change how we live and how we move things around the world.

And it will be the biggest change to transportation in the last 135 years.”

[…]

“Most of us won’t even need cars.

And much like how the iPhone completely changed how we communicate, MaaS will completely change how we get around.

You’ll be able to get from Point A to Point B at a fraction of what it currently costs, and be able to do whatever you want instead of drive.

A simple app will turn into your travel agent.

Instead of hailing an Uber or Lyft, your smartphone calendar will sync to the grid and a self-driving electric vehicle will be waiting for you when you need to leave.”

[…]

“It will completely change the landscape of our cities, our states and our entire country.”

Ian King also talked about how MaaS technology could save Americans money each year, boost home values, and slash food prices while also improving productivity:

“Because Mobility-as-a-Service is expected to:

Save every American as much as $10,000 each year.

Boost home values as people migrate from cities.

Make it unnecessary — in many cities — to own a car as soon as the year 2025.

Slash food prices nearly 50% at the grocery store.

Boost American productivity.”

Long story short, he believes MaaS will have a huge impact on the world.

He makes a compelling case, too. I mean, if it’s cheaper, more convenient, and potentially safer to “order” an autonomous electric vehicle (like you’re ordering an Uber) instead of buying a car and driving yourself, it’s easy to see why many would do so.

And as other well-known investment gurus have pointed out in similar presentations I’ve come across, it might even one day be possible to generate revenue by leasing out your own autonomous EV through an app while you’re not using it yourself.

In any case, Ian King explained in the presentation that MaaS is being made possible through the “convergence” of three “breakthrough technologies.” And my understanding is that he (more or less) views these as “catalysts” for MaaS technology.

Here’s a quick overview of each:

• The “first breakthrough technology” he mentioned is the electric vehicle and how EV batteries are getting cheaper and more efficient over time, increasing EV adoption in the process.
• The second “breakthrough convergent tech” Ian King discussed was self-driving vehicle technology and how this will “entirely reinvent the transportation industry.”
• According to Ian King, the “third critical technology for the mobility revolution” is the semiconductor. And he says that “auto manufacturers are rushing to secure the fastest semiconductors” possible to “be ahead of the pack for the MaaS revolution.”

So, that pretty much sums up what Ian King is predicting… that the convergence of electric vehicles, self-driving cars, and semiconductor tech is making the “MaaS revolution” possible and that this “revolution” will have a significant impact on our lives.

And according to Ian King, there’s one company “at the forefront of this MaaS tech revolution” that could “potentially earn you a 10x return by 2030.”

What company is he teasing?

Let’s take a look!

What MaaS Stock Is Ian King Teasing?

Ian King didn’t reveal the name of the company he teased in the presentation, but he did share numerous hints about it and based on that, I think I’ve figured it out.

The first main clue he shared was that his “No. 1 stock for the mobility revolution” is the biggest player in the LiDAR technology space.

“This tech is called ‘LiDAR,’ and it’s a critical component for self-driving.

And my No. 1 stock for the mobility revolution is the biggest player in this space.

This firm already has 55 LiDAR technology patents…”

In short, LiDAR is short for light detection and ranging, and it’s a technology that some self-driving cars utilize to navigate instead of (or in addition to) using cameras.

The general idea is that LiDAR-equipped vehicles use lasers to measure the distance between the vehicle and surrounding objects to map everything out. And this is the technology that Ian King’s top MaaS pick (apparently) specializes in.

Another clue Ian King shared was about the company’s customers:

“And it already has contracts in place to supply this technology to major car companies like Uber, Volkswagen and Toyota, just to name a few.

Waymo uses this company’s LiDAR tech.

And GM relies on it for the self-driving Cruise model.”

And finally, Ian King talked about “contracts” the company has “booked through 2024,” its market cap, and its share price at the time he made the presentation.

“It already has $800 million in contracts booked through 2024 … but the company has a market cap of just $3.8 billion dollars, which is tiny compared to other tech behemoths.”

[…]

“Its stock trades for under $30 a share, but I do not expect it to stay there for long.”

What could it be?

My research suggests that Ian King’s MaaS pick is Velodyne Lidar (VLDR).

Given there are numerous publicly listed LiDAR companies out there, the first thing I did was look for companies with “$800 million in contracts booked through 2024” because that’s a pretty specific clue. And that clue led me to an article on bizjournals.com about Velodyne.

What about the other clues Ian King shared?

Velodyne Lidar appears to match Ian King’s clue about the company’s share price.

As of writing, its stock is currently sitting in the single-digit range. However, Velodyne was trading in the ballpark of $14 to $28 throughout December 2020, which matches Ian King’s “under $30 a share” clue.

As for his other clues… my research, which includes this article on the Velodyne website, suggests that at least some of the companies Ian King mentioned may have (at one point or another) used Velodyne’s LiDAR sensors. However, I haven’t been able to confirm if any of the companies he mentioned are using Velodyne’s products today, in 2022.

In any case, Velodyne looks like the closest match.

If you want to find out for sure, the best idea would be to see his report called “Mobility as a Service: A $1.8 Trillion Revolution.” This report details Ian King’s MaaS pick, his research into the company, and shows you exactly what he’s recommending.

The only catch is that to access the report; you need to join Strategic Fortunes. So let’s take a look at that service now in case you’re considering joining.

Is Ian King’s Strategic Fortunes Service Legit?

Strategic Fortunes (once called Automatic Fortunes) is an investment research service run by Ian King of Banyan Hill Publishing focused on emerging tech trends.

Ian King is a former hedge fund manager with over two decades of experience. And I’ve written about numerous investments he’s teased on this blog, which for the most part, have centered around tech companies and crypto.

For instance, I recently wrote about his “Next Gen Coin” cryptocurrency prediction, and before that, I covered his “Infinergy” (solar power) stock pick.

Long story short, Ian King runs numerous services that focus on different types of investments, but his flagship service is Strategic Fortunes.

This service costs $47 for the first year if you join through the presentation and gives you Ian King’s latest recommendations and market insights each month. Subscribers also get access to weekly updates, a model portfolio, and research reports he’s created.

Is it legit? There’s no guarantee you’ll make money following the recommendations you receive as a subscriber of Strategic Fortunes, but the service isn’t a scam. Ian King is a real investment guru, and he appears to have recommended some great tech stocks over the years before the masses piled in (like Tesla, for example).

In my opinion, the main thing to keep in mind is that there are risks involved if you choose to follow what services like Strategic Fortunes recommend.

Some recommendations might work out, others won’t, which is why I think it’s wise to take the marketing with a grain of salt and never invest more than you can afford to lose.

Bottom Line

Ian King’s MaaS pitch is all about self-driving electric vehicles and how he believes this will be “the biggest change to transportation in the last 135 years.”

In terms of Ian King’s overall “mobility as a service” prediction, I tend to agree that autonomous vehicles will have a significant impact on society in the future. As in, it could lead to significant changes in the way we live, work, and commute.

However, as the stock market has shown us in recent months… trying to predict which stocks will benefit the most from trends like this isn’t exactly easy. Many companies that saw huge gains in 2020 have all but fallen off a cliff over the past 12 months or so.

Of course, some of those stocks may see a comeback, but I think it shows that there are significant risks involved in speculating in the market, especially when it comes to betting on emerging trends that (in reality) could take longer to play out than we think.

Nevertheless, I hope what I shared about Ian King’s MaaS presentation was helpful, and if you have any thoughts you’d like to share, feel free to chime in below.