# Nick Bartel

> Nick Bartel is a Pittsburgh entrepreneur and operator who co-founded fleet-safety software company Idelic after a career that crossed television, commercial real estate, and finance. As founding COO and later CEO, he helped turn a carrier-built data tool into Safety Suite, an AI-supported driver risk and coaching platform. Idelic raised about $31 million across four disclosed rounds before Descartes Systems Group acquired it in April 2026 for approximately $28 million upfront, plus as much as $12 million in performance-based consideration.

- **Role:** Co-founder and former CEO of Idelic
- **Organizations:** Idelic, Descartes Systems Group, Landmark Properties Group, Transwestern, Doozer Productions, ABC Entertainment Group
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor of Arts in Film/Television, Penn State University, Graduate Certificate of Professional Studies in Real Estate Development, University of Maryland, MBA in Entrepreneurship, Carnegie Mellon University - Tepper School of Business
- **Known for:** Co-founded Idelic and served first as its founding COO, then co-CEO, and later CEO., Helped Idelic raise approximately $31 million in disclosed seed, Series A, and Series B financing before its acquisition., Led Idelic as its fleet-safety platform expanded around predictive models trained on more than 40 billion miles of telemetry and over 400,000 accident records.

## Career timeline

- **2008** — Worked as an assistant to a studio head at ABC Entertainment Group.
- **2009** — Worked as a writer at Doozer Productions, ABC Studios.
- **2012** — Joined Transwestern as a senior financial analyst.
- **2014-2016** — Completed an MBA at Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business; served as a James R. Swartz Entrepreneurial Fellow, Open Field Entrepreneurs Fund associate, and EVP of the Graduate Entrepreneurship Club.
- **2016** — Worked as director of real estate development at Landmark Properties Group.
- **2016-2017** — Co-founded Idelic with Carnegie Mellon classmates Hayden Cardiff and Andrew Russell and became its founding COO.
- **2020** — Moved from founding COO into co-CEO and later CEO leadership, according to a Pittsburgh Technology Council biography.
- **2021** — Idelic raised a $20 million Series B led by Highland Capital Partners; the company had raised roughly $31 million across its disclosed rounds by this point.
- **2023** — Carnegie Mellon’s Swartz Center reported that Bartel received a Leadership in Private Company Governance Award.
- **2026** — Descartes Systems Group acquired Idelic for approximately $28 million upfront, plus potential performance-based consideration of up to $12 million.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Idelic and served first as its founding COO, then co-CEO, and later CEO.
- Helped Idelic raise approximately $31 million in disclosed seed, Series A, and Series B financing before its acquisition.
- Led Idelic as its fleet-safety platform expanded around predictive models trained on more than 40 billion miles of telemetry and over 400,000 accident records.
- Saw Idelic acquired by Descartes Systems Group in April 2026 for approximately $28 million upfront and up to $12 million in performance-based consideration.
- Was recognized in the 2021 Pittsburgh Smart 50 Awards.
- Was named by Carnegie Mellon’s Swartz Center as a 2023 Leadership in Private Company Governance Award recipient.

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — Descartes Systems Group acquired Idelic for approximately $28 million upfront, plus a potential earn-out of up to $12 million.
- **2026-04** — Bartel marked the acquisition in a public LinkedIn post, thanked Idelic’s team, and said his immediate plans were family time, a brief respite, and reflection on his next chapter.

## Links

- Website: https://www.idelic.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickbartel

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/nick-bartel
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-26