/ Founder & CEO
Nick Askew
Nick founded Space Auto to end the fragmented dealership stack — websites, digital retailing, CRM, and AI pulled onto one database, working the same lead from click to signature.
/ The short version
A dealership operator's frustration, turned into a platform.
Nick spent years inside automotive retail watching good dealerships fight their own software. Every store ran a website from one vendor, a CRM from another, a retailing tool bolted on top, and a stack of point solutions that never quite talked to each other. The customer felt the seams. So did the sales floor.
Space Auto is his answer to that fragmentation. Instead of stitching systems together after the fact, it puts the website, digital retailing, and CRM on a single database — so a shopper's first click and their final signature are the same record, not four disconnected ones. The technology is ambitious, but the goal is simple: give dealers one honest view of their customer, and give customers a buying experience that actually feels connected.
That conviction — that the whole store should run as one system — is what he builds toward every day, and what he'll happily argue about with anyone in the industry who'll listen.
/ How he builds
Four principles behind the platform
The convictions that decide what Space Auto ships — and what it refuses to.
01
One database or nothing
Integrations are not the same as being connected. The moment customer data lives in two systems, it starts to disagree. The whole store belongs on one record.
02
The tool should do the work
Software earns its seat by removing steps, not adding dashboards. If a rep has to babysit the system, the system failed.
03
AI as a teammate, not a gimmick
AI should respond, follow up, and qualify like your best BDC hire — quietly, accountably, and always handing a warm lead to a human at the right moment.
04
Build for the sales floor
The people using the platform every day are the real customers. If it doesn't help someone sell a car before noon, it's decoration.
/ On AI in automotive
"The dealerships that win won't be the ones with the most AI. They'll be the ones whose AI is actually connected to the deal."
Nick's view is unglamorous on purpose: an AI agent is only as good as the data it can see and the actions it can take. Bolt a chatbot onto a disconnected stack and you get a faster way to lose context. Put that same agent on one database — where it can read the customer's history, the inventory, and the deal in progress — and it becomes the most reliable member of the team.
That's why DAISI, Space Auto's AI, was built into the platform rather than sold beside it. The intelligence and the system of record are the same thing.
/ From Nick
What he's writing about
Field notes on automotive retail, dealership technology, and where AI actually earns its keep.
Sep 4, 2026 · Dealer News
Nobody Wants to Use a CRM: How AI Is Changing the Dealership Sales Floor
Transform your dealership sales floor with AI! Discover how powerful tools can help sales teams connect with the right customers and boost efficiency.
ReadJul 10, 2026 · Release Notes
Space App 3.35.0 - Introducing Customers Showroom and Space Score
See who is expected, who is in the store, how every visit is progressing, and which open deals deserve your team’s attention next.
ReadJul 7, 2026 · Press
Space Auto® Joins the A2A Protocol Partner Ecosystem
Space Auto® joins the A2A Protocol, paving the way for a future of connected automotive AI. Discover how collaboration can transform the industry!
Read/ Keep going
Where to take it from here
The company he's building
Space Auto's story, the team behind it, and the dealers who run on it.
See the platform work
The connected dealership isn't a pitch — it's a live demo. Bring your hardest questions.
// from the founder
Want to see it for yourself?
Book a demo and I'll make sure you see the connected dealership working end to end.