At Best Startup US we track over 1,000,000 US startups and over 3 million people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top United States based President operating in the Robotics space. If you think a President is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.us.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Pieter Abbeel
Founder, President, Chief Scientist of Covariant
Pieter Abbeel joined covariant.ai as Co-Founder, President, Chief Scientist in 2017. Pieter Abbeel is Professor at UC Berkeley [2008- ], Co-Founder covariant.ai [2017- ], Co-Founder Gradescope [2014- ], Research Scientist at OpenAI [2016-2017], Founding Faculty Partner AI@TheHouse, Advisor to many AI/Robotics start-ups. He works in machine learning and robotics, in particular his research focuses on making robots learn from people (apprenticeship learning), how to make robots learn through their own trial and error (reinforcement learning), and how to speed up skill acquisition through learning-to-learn (meta-learning). His robots have learned advanced helicopter aerobatics, knot-tying, basic assembly, organizing laundry, locomotion, and vision-based robotic manipulation. He has won numerous awards, including best paper awards at ICML, NIPS and ICRA, early career awards from NSF, Darpa, ONR, AFOSR, Sloan, TR35, IEEE, and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). Pieter’s work is frequently featured in the popular press, including New York Times, BBC, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, Wired, Forbes, Tech Review, NPR.
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About Covariant, University of California Berkeley: Covariant is an AI Robotics company developing a universal AI that enables robots to see, reason, and act on the world around them.
Brandon Nott
Vice President of Customer Success of UiPath
Brandon Nott leads the Americas Customer Success Team at UiPath. As a former customer, Brandon has built a successful RPA practice and brings firsthand knowledge of all aspects of the RPA life cycle to our Americas customers. Brandon is an award-winning technologist with a deep focus on sustainable, robust systems design. From automating mortgage operations to testing wireless technologies, Brandon takes a holistic approach to digital transformation that brings humans and technology together, seamlessly. Following a double major in Business and Accounting and a Master’s degree Business Information Systems, Brandon began his career writing communication and scheduling software which led to his architecting many of the core systems for the Bluetooth SIG. He then went on to start a Business Intelligence practice at VML, advising Fortune 100 companies on BI strategy. After his time at VML, Brandon ran operations for J.G. Wentworth Home Lending, automating the processing of home loans. Brandon’s passion for technology and holistic approach to automation makes him an invaluable partner to his customers, and a thought leader in the industry.
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About UiPath, UiPath: UiPath is a software company developing robotic process automation and artificial intelligence software.
Ulf Zetterberg
Co-founder & President of Time is Ltd.
Ulf Zetterberg is the Co-founder & President at Time is Ltd.
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About Time is Ltd.: At Time is Ltd., we provide an advanced analytical SaaS platform that delivers a holistic view of an organization collaboration patterns.
Manish Kothari
President, SRI of SRI International
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About SRI International, SRI International, SRI Ventures: SRI International is a nonprofit, independent research center serving government and industry.
Stephen Ciesinski
President of SRI International
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About Kalele Partners, SRI International, SRI International, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Stanford Graduate School of Business: SRI International is a nonprofit, independent research center serving government and industry.
William Jeffrey
President and CEO of SRI International
William Jeffrey, Ph.D., is president and chief executive officer of SRI International, a leading research and development organization serving government and industry. Jeffrey joined SRI in 2014. From 2008 to 2014, Jeffrey was president and CEO of HRL Laboratories, a corporate R&D organization owned by The Boeing Company and General Motors. Prior to joining HRL, Jeffrey served in the George W. Bush Administration as director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Jeffrey also served in the Executive Office of the President as senior director for homeland and national security and as assistant director for space and aeronautics within the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Earlier in his career, Jeffrey was deputy director for the Advanced Technology Office and chief scientist for the Tactical Technology Office at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and assistant deputy for technology at the Defense Airborne Reconnaissance Office. Jeffrey started his professional career at the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA). Jeffrey is an elected Fellow of the American Physical Society, an elected Honorary Member of the International Society of Automation, a recipient of the 2008 Navigator Award from the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, and a recipient of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service. Jeffrey is a member of the Board of Directors of TE Connectivity Ltd. Jeffrey received his M.A. and Ph.D. in astronomy from Harvard University, and his B.Sc. in physics is from MIT.
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About SRI International: SRI International is a nonprofit, independent research center serving government and industry.
John Prausa
Chief Operating Officer and Vice President, Mission Solutions of SRI International
John Prausa became chief operating officer (COO) of SRI International in 2015, responsible for all activities in support of research and development operations including Contracting and Procurement; Human Resources; Security Operations; and Facilities, Property and Logistics. Prausa is also Vice President of Mission Solutions, which delivers technology and services in support U.S. government deployed systems. The division comprises two programs: Instrumentation and Simulation (I&S) and Intelligence and Information Systems (I2S). The I&S Program provides a full spectrum of support to clients in the military test and training and homeland defense communities, including technology R&D, system prototyping, instrumentation production, training exercise field support, and depot maintenance. I2S supports Army, Joint, and Coalition Operations software for electronic warfare (EW) and target sensing systems (TSS), including infrastructure and personnel for ground and air survivability systems. The program also enhances multi-spectral EW system capabilities through automated development, testing and distribution software tools. Prausa previously led SRI’s Engineering and Systems Group, at the time the largest R&D group at SRI, with staff distributed at fifteen regional offices and numerous operating locations. In that role, he directed 800 staff members conducting R&D, deployment and support of technologies and systems in ionospheric and space research, radar and remote sensing, signal processing and algorithm development, signals and electronic intelligence, test and training systems, wireless communications, robotics and autonomous systems, imaging technology and systems, force protection and situation awareness, and product development. Prausa has a B.A. in mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley, and has done graduate course work in systems analysis at Stanford University.
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About SRI International: SRI International is a nonprofit, independent research center serving government and industry.
William Mark
President, Information and Computing Sciences; Vice President, SRI International of SRI International
William Mark leads SRI International’s Information and Computing Sciences Division, which creates new technology in information security, system design, speech and natural language, vision and perception, planning and reasoning, and formal methods. The group’s leading-edge research is complemented with a strong focus on intellectual property creation and commercialization. Projects include Internet interaction, intrusion detection software, physical and virtual information spaces, and technology for dynamic enterprise management. Prior to joining SRI in 1998, Mark headed the System Technology Group at National Semiconductor. The group focused on system-level design and implementation of the silicon-based systems of the future, including hardware/software co-design, integrated DSP solutions, and reconfigurable computing technology. Mark was formerly director of Information and Computing Sciences for the Lockheed Martin Palo Alto Research Laboratories. Before joining Lockheed, he was a co-founder of Savoir, a company developing software tools for flexible manufacturing. He was a designer of the Flexis product, for which he holds a software patent. Previously, he held positions at the University of Southern California Information Sciences Institute and the General Motors Research Laboratories. Mark has a Ph.D. in computer science from MIT. His personal research interests include system design and smart spaces.
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About SRI International: SRI International is a nonprofit, independent research center serving government and industry.
Luther Lau
Vice President, Treasurer, and Chief Financial Officer of SRI International
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About SRI International: SRI International is a nonprofit, independent research center serving government and industry.
Michael Page
Vice President, Information Technology Services and Chief Information Officer of SRI International
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About SRI International: SRI International is a nonprofit, independent research center serving government and industry.
George Hotz
President of comma.ai
George Hotz is the President at comma.ai.
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About comma.ai: comma is solving self driving cars while delivering shippable intermediaries: openpilot and the comma two.
Allen Gruber
Co-Founder, Executive Vice President, Board Member of Brain Corp
Allen Gruber is a neuroscientist, physician, and founder of several successful technology companies. In 1993, Gruber co-founded INTERVU, Inc, a streaming video provider, which went public and was sold to Akamai Technologies, Inc.(NASDAQ: AKAM) for $2.8 billion. He founded Kintera, Inc., in 1999, and later served as Executive Vice President in charge of Engineering for Kintera, Inc., an online fundraising and marketing platform for nonprofit organizations. Kintera reached a market capitalization of $500 million and was sold to Blackbaud, Inc. (NASDAQ: BLKB). Gruber graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in Biochemistry and also with an MD. He attended Washington University for clinical and research training and was on the faculty of the University of Texas. Gruber was a Senior Fellow in the Institute of Neural Computation at UCSD in 2007. His professional memberships include the American Academy of Neurology, the Society for Neuroscience, and IEEE.
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About Brain Corp, Intheon: Brain Corp develops core technology for the robotics industry.
David Hose
CEO & President of AirMap
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About AirMap, Buzzwire, Soundwall: AirMap operates as an airspace services platform for unmanned aircraft.
Steven Reinharz
President of Robotic Assistance Devices
Steve Reinharz is the President and CEO of Robotic Assistance Devices (RAD), where he oversees the development, sales and marketing, and strategic vision for the company. Reinharz has more than 20 years of experience in various facets of the high-tech industry – as the founder of security integration firm Security Zone, Inc., and a strategic leader at global enterprises. Reinharz has extensive knowledge of a diverse portfolio of technologies, developing practical, effective solutions for end-user customers. As CEO of RAD, Reinharz leverages his extensive knowledge and interest in robotics and artificial intelligence to design and develop robotic solutions that increase business efficiency and deliver cost savings. Reinharz is a native of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and attended the University of Western Ontario, where he earned dual bachelor of science degrees in political science and commercial studies.
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About Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions, Inc(AITX), Robotic Assistance Devices: RAD is an innovator in the delivery of artificial intelligence and robotic solutions for operational, security and monitoring needs.
Kevin Blankespoor
Vice President of Controls & Autonomy of Boston Dynamics
He is the Vice President of Product Engineering at Boston Dynamics.
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About Boston Dynamics: Boston Dynamics is an engineering company that specializes in building dynamic robots and software for human simulation.
Ben Chostner
Vice President of Blue River Technology
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About Blue River Technology: Blue River Technology employs computer vision and robotics technologies to build intelligent solutions for the agricultural industries.
Mac Keely
Vice President Field Operations of Blue River Technology
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About Blue River Technology: Blue River Technology employs computer vision and robotics technologies to build intelligent solutions for the agricultural industries.
Michael Perry
Vice President of Marketing of Dexterity
Michael Perry currently works as Vice President of Marketing at Dexterity. He was the vice president of business development at Boston Dynamics.
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About Dexterity: Dexterity provides robotic systems solutions for logistics, warehouses, and supply chain.
Jonathan Briggs
Vice President of Sales, 3PL and Parcel Verticals of Dexterity
Jonathan Briggs currently works as Vice President of Sales, 3PL, and Parcel Verticals at Dexterity.
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About Dexterity: Dexterity provides robotic systems solutions for logistics, warehouses, and supply chain.
Paul L Hunter
President & Chief Executive Officer & Founder of Sterling Payment Technologies
A Tampa businessman for more than 30 years, Mr. Hunter became involved in the payment industry by investing and serving on the board of a small developer of electronic payment technology. During his 12 years as a merchant, Mr. Hunter helped test and install a PC based point of sale system designed for a specific auto service vertical. That experience, coupled with his experience investing in payment gateway development in the late 1990s, led him to start Sterling Payment Technologies. Mr. Hunter launched Sterling Payment Technologies with a long-term commitment to building a technology focused payment processor from the ground up. Mr. Hunter received a BBA in Finance from the University of Georgia in 1977. Before and during college he worked in the banking and grocery industries. After receiving an MBA from Georgia State University in 1980, he held a position with Smith Barney selling stocks, bonds, and private placements primarily to small financial institutions, large private investors and retirement plans.
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About Sterling Payment Technologies: Sterling Payment Technologies is one of the most innovative, customer-focused payment processors in the industry.
Alison Dean
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Principal Accounting Officer of iRobot
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About iRobot: iRobot is an American technology company that designs and builds behavior-based AI robots.
Tim Saeger
Executive Vice President, Engineering of iRobot
Tim Saeger has served as executive vice president of engineering since March 2017. Mr. Saeger previously served as senior vice president of engineering from August 2015 until March 2017. Prior to iRobot, Mr. Saeger served in multiple roles at Bose Corporation from 2005 – 2015, including Vice President of Home Entertainment, and Vice President of Product Development. Earlier in his career, Mr. Saeger also served at Thomson, Inc., and General Dynamics, in a variety of engineering and engineering management positions. He holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from Auburn University, and an MS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington. Mr. Saeger also has been awarded 24 U.S. patents.
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About iRobot, iRobot: iRobot is an American technology company that designs and builds behavior-based AI robots.
Russell J. Campanello
Senior Vice President of Human Resources of iRobot
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About iRobot: iRobot is an American technology company that designs and builds behavior-based AI robots.
David Fortes
Vice President of Operations of Fetch Robotics
David Fortes is the vice president of operations at Fetch Robotics.
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About Fetch Robotics: Fetch Robotics provides the market’s only cloud-driven Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR) solution for warehousing intralogistics environments.
Ramiro Almeida
Co-Founder, President & Chief Strategy Officer of Optimus Ride
Ramiro Almeida has been appointed Professor and Director of The Innovation Lab at MDC. He recently spent three years conducting research at the intersection of innovation, social transformation, technology and entrepreneurship at the MIT Media Lab. Prior to his appointment at MIT, he was a Fellow at Harvard University. He was awarded the prestigious Loeb Fellowship at the Graduate School of Design. During his tenure he published the book A Line in The Andes, as part of a research studio that aimed at detailing the potential for urban design solutions required to meet the transportation challenges in developing a city’s first subway line. As an entrepreneur, he invested in early stage startups including the publication of the first Spanish version of Wired magazine in 1999, where he was first exposed to disruptive technologies. He later invested in Libri Mundi in 2006, the most prestigious bookstore and publishing company in Ecuador, which was acquired by La Favorita, the largest retail corporation in the country. As part of an alternative creative process, he explores publishing and film production. During his residence at the Harvard Innovation Lab in 2013, Mr. Almeida started the project to produce a feature animation film about technology, life and evolution. With MIT colleagues, he is working on designing self‑driving vehicle systems.
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About Optimus Ride: Optimus Ride is a self-driving vehicle company providing communities with safe, reliable, convenient, and sustainable mobility services.
Matt Verminski
Vice President of Engineering of Desktop Metal
Matt Verminski is Vice President of Engineering at Desktop Metal where he leads the company’s growing engineering team, comprised of more than 80 engineers. Together they are responsible for the development of the Desktop Metal’s metal 3D printing systems, DM Studio and DM Production. Prior to joining the company in 2015, Verminski was an initial team member and VP of Hardware at Kiva Systems (acquired by Amazon for $775M and is now Amazon Robotics). There he shepherded multiple generations of autonomous robotic systems from concept to volume production. Previously, he co-founded and led systems engineering for Mimio and was an early team member at PowerAdvocate. Verminski earned his MS in Electrical Engineering from MIT and BS in Computer Engineering from Tufts. He currently holds 24 U.S. patents primarily in the areas of robotics and virtual transcription, with more pending.
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About Desktop Metal: Desktop Metal is a provider of metal and carbon fiber 3D printing accessible to all engineers, designers, and manufacturers.
Chris Wirth
Vice President, Marketing of AMP Robotics
Chris Wirth is the vice president of marketing at AMP Robotics.
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About AMP Robotics: AMP Robotics is a pioneer in AI, robotics, and infrastructure for the waste and recycling industry.
Michael C. Johnson
President & Chief Operating Officer of Locus Robotics
Mike is a 20-plus-year serial entrepreneur, having formed and grown three previous startups implementing warehouse technologies for Fortune 500 companies.
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About Locus Robotics: Locus Robotics is a warehouse robotics company that manufactures autonomous mobile robots to support e-commerce.
John Barnhill
Vice President of Global Marketing & Business Development of OmniGuide
John M. Barnhill joined OmniGuide Holdings, Inc. in October 2016 as Vice President of Global Marketing & Business Development. Prior to joining OmniGuide, Mr. Barnhill held a similar position with RF Surgical, Inc., an early-stage medical technology company that was recently acquired by Medtronic. Prior to that, Barnhill was with Edwards Lifesciences where in over 10 years he held several positions of increasing responsibility including Product Management, New Product Development, Clinical Marketing, Corporate Strategy and Business Development. Mr. Barnhill also held a marketing leadership position with SenoRx, where he grew the company’s breast cancer therapy portfolio, contributing to the successful exit of the company. Mr. Barnhill holds a B.A. in Business Finance from the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business and an MBA from the University of California Irvine’s Paul Merage School of Business.
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About OmniGuide: OmniGuide is a medical device company developing and commercializing minimally-invasive surgical tools.
Ajay A. Bhave
Vice President of Operations of OmniGuide
Ajay A. Bhave joined OmniGuide Surgical, Inc., in August 2016 as the Vice President of Operations. Mr. Bhave has over 32 years’ experience as an Engineering, Technology and Operations leader mostly in the medical device industry. During his career, Mr. Bhave has been instrumental in releasing over 30 new medical products in the global market, achieved $30M+ savings via value engineering & supplier driven productivity and has been involved with 8 successful acquisitions. Mr. Bhave most recently served as the Corporate Vice President of Global Engineering and a Company Officer at Natus Medical Inc., wherein he was responsible for all aspects of new product development from concept to commercial release to end of life. From 1990 to 2011, Mr. Bhave held various positions of responsibilities, starting as an acoustic design engineer with subsequent senior management positions in engineering & technology, supply chain management and plant operations, both at the local as well as global level at General Electric Healthcare. Mr. Bhave holds a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Lowell, Massachusetts.
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About OmniGuide: OmniGuide is a medical device company developing and commercializing minimally-invasive surgical tools.
Milind Karnik
Executive Vice President of Elementary Robotics
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About Elementary Robotics: Elementary Robotics is a robotics startup that built a platform for applying machine learning to the logistics industries.
Joseph Tou
Vice President / US Investment Manager of Sony Innovation Fund
Joseph Tou is Vice President / US Investment Manager at Sony Innovation Fund.
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About Sony Innovation Fund: Sony Innovation fund is the corporate venture capital arm of Sony that invests and engages in early-stage companies.
Robert Zhang
Co-founder & President of CloudMinds
Robert Zhang is a Co-Founder and President of CloudMinds Technology, where he is responsible for the company’s global business and product strategies, operations and strategic partnerships. Prior to co-founding CloudMinds, Robert was the Head of Service Strategy and Operations for Samsung Telecommunications America (2012-15). Previously (2011-12), he was Vice President of Product Management at Irdeto where he was responsible for global product strategy on broadband video, which included over-the-top, connected, social and Internet TV and next generation broadcasting. From 2009-11, he served as Vice President of Product Development at the Joint Innovation Lab. Prior to these senior executive roles, he was a Senior Program Manager for New Products Introduction, XBox 360 at Microsoft (2008-09) and as IPod Operations Program Manager (2004-08) and as Senior Engineering Scientist for CPU Software (2001-04) at Apple. Robert served as Chairman of the Board and President of the Silicon Valley-China Wireless Technology Association (2002-08) and as President of the Silicon Valley – China Wireless Technology (2004-05). Robert earned a Ph.D. and M.S. in Computational Mechanics and M.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of Illinois, an M.S. in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University, and a B.S. from Tongji University, China.
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About CloudMinds: As the First Cloud Robots services company, CloudMinds is developing an end-to-end ecosystem to support cloud connected smart machines
Eric Hauser
Vice President of Engineering of DroneDeploy
Eric Hauser is the VP of engineering at DroneDeploy.
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About DroneDeploy: DroneDeploy is a cloud-based drone mapping and analytics platform to help businesses get things done.
Raj Bhullar
Vice President of Manufacturing, Quality & Reliability of Quanergy Systems
Raj Bhullar serves as vice president of manufacturing. Bhullar has responsibility for global manufacturing and operations activities, along with overseeing the company’s supply chain efficiencies and logistics strategies. In addition to establishing the supplier management and distribution operations for the company’s LiDAR sensors, he also manages IT. Most recently, Bhullar was the vice president of manufacturing for Ultimate Solutions Corporation where he was responsible for the management of the entire manufacturing process and engineering teams, along with the design and development of new products. He also served as director of manufacturing and operations at Vitesse Semiconductor where he organized the manufacturing process, equipment and labor to meet a 300% growth in sales. Bhullar holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electronics Technology from GND University.
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About Quanergy Systems: Quanergy is a developer of solid state sensors used to offer smart sensing services for self-driving cars.
Colin South
Vice President of Zymergen
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About Zymergen: Zymergen is a biotechnology company that specializes in machine learning, big data, and artificial intelligence.
Colin Guinn
President and Founder of Hangar Technology
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About Guinn Partners, Hangar Technology: Hangar is a software technology company enabling robotics across industry.
Ilan Abehassera
Co-Founder, President & COO of Willo
Ilan Abehassera is the Co-Founder, President & COO at Willo.
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About Diaspora Ventures, Oui Are New York, Willo: Willo develops technology in oral health that automatically empowers everyone to achieve the best at-home clean possible.
Nate Ramanathan
Senior Vice President Operations of AEye
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About AEye: AEye develops AI-powered LiDAR systems for vehicle autonomy, advanced driver assistance systems, and robotic vision applications.
Luis Dussan
Founder, CTO and President of AEye
Luis Dussan is a co-founder and CEO of AEye.
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About AEye: AEye develops AI-powered LiDAR systems for vehicle autonomy, advanced driver assistance systems, and robotic vision applications.
Kimberly Saunders
Vice President, People and Culture of 3D Robotics
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About 3D Robotics, MycoWorks: 3DR makes advanced drone technology easily accessible to the construction, mining, and surveying industries for use in data analysis.
Peter Su
Vice President and Chief IP Officer of Moley Robotics
Peter Su is patent strategy and legal director . He is also a partner at Dentons US LLP. Peter is an IP strategist. He advised numerous Silicon Valley companies.
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About FIBREE, Moley Robotics: Moley Robotics develops robotic kitchen with oven, hob, sink, and two dexterous robotic arms that allow it to cook.
Ashu Rege
Senior Vice President of Software Engineering of Zoox
Ashu Rege is the Vice President of Software Engineering at Zoox responsible for Zoox’s entire software platform, spanning AI & machine learning, motion planning, computer vision & 3D perception, localization, mapping, simulation, server-client and base ops software. Ashu joined Zoox from NVIDIA, where he was VP of Computer Vision & Robotics in charge of NVIDIA’s autonomous vehicle and drone technology projects. Previously he held other executive roles at NVIDIA including VP of the Content & Technology group developing core graphics, physics simulation and GPU computing technologies and associated software. Prior to NVIDIA, he co-founded or worked at various startups related to computer graphics, laser scanning, Internet and network technologies. Ashu brings over 20 years of software development experience to Zoox and holds a Ph.D in Computer Science from U.C. Berkeley where he was a Regents’ Fellow and Pardee Scholar.
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About Zoox: Zoox is an AI robotics company that provides mobility as-a-service and self-driving car services.
JD Claridge
CEO, President & Co Founder of xCraft Enterprises
JD Claridge is the CEO and co-founder of xCraft, a leading drone company developing innovative vehicles for the UAV market. JD was born with a passion for flight. Building and crashing flying toys throughout his youth taught him much about the science and art of flight vehicle design. He once built a (mostly) functional hang glider at the age of 7 and convinced his best friend to test fly it.
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About xCraft Enterprises: xCraft develops small, powerful flying machines that change the world.
Patrick Sobalvarro
President, CEO & Co-Founder of Veo Robotics
Patrick Sobalvarro is the co-founder and CEO of Veo Robotics, a company that brings advanced computer vision, 3D sensing, and AI to industrial robots, allowing them to work side-by-side with humans in manufacturing processes. Patrick has more than twenty-five years of experience in computer vision, robotics, and industrial automation. Prior to founding Veo Robotics, Patrick was the first Entrepreneur in Residence at Siemens Venture Capital, focusing on the creation of the vision behind Veo. He also served as the VP of New Growth Platforms for Avery Dennison, building a new business line in RFID-based IoT products, was President of Rethink Robotics, creators of collaborative manufacturing robots, and founded and led the computer vision startup IntelliVid to its acquisition by Tyco International. Originally trained as a computer scientist, Patrick holds a Ph.D., M.S., and B.S. in Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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About Veo Robotics: Veo Robotics develops smart device solutions to enable high performance collaborative industrial robotics.
Srinivasa Ogireddy
Executive Vice President of Products, Engineering and Operations of Saba Software
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About Saba Software: We want to help transform your talent management processes to help you drive better business results and gain competitive advantage.
John Bares
President & CEO of Carnegie Robotics
John Bares is the President and CEO at Carnegie Robotics LLC.
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About Carnegie Robotics, Rowbot Systems: Carnegie Robotics builds reliable robotics products and smart sensors to improve productivity, reliability and safety.
Melissa Nelson
President of Frobot
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About Frobot: Frobot manufactures robots that produce frozen confections made to order.
Jason Laramie
Title Vice President, Global Head Translational Medicine Data Science of Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research
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About Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research: Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR) is the innovation engine of Novartis
Zachary Levow
Co-Founder, Executive Vice President and CTO of Barracuda Networks
Zachary Levow is a pioneer in mail server development, remote access, and the free Internet space. As Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer at Barracuda Networks, he leads the innovation and development of Barracuda’s security and storage solutions. Prior to Barracuda, Levow was Co-founder and Vice President of Engineering for Affinity Path, a self-service, private label and profitable DSL/dial-up ISP with more than 4,000 partners. Prior to Affinity Path, he was Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Spinway Inc., the fastest growing ISP in history, reaching eight million customers in just eight months (acquired by Kmart Corporation). During his tenure at Spinway, Levow was the lead developer of the Spinway architecture, one of the world’s largest client server applications at that time. Also, he has worked as a software development and architectural software design consultant for clients such as Sun Microsystems, Computer Sciences Corporation, Cadence Design Systems, and Motorola Inc. He received a B.S. in mathematics and computer science from Carnegie Mellon University, and was named a 2007 Ernst & Young “Technology Entrepreneur of the Year for Northern California” award recipient.
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About Barracuda Networks: Barracuda is a provider of powerful, easy-to-use, affordable IT solutions for security and storage.
William Jenkins
President & CEO of Barracuda Networks
BJ joined Palo Alto Networks in August 2021. As president, BJ oversees the company’s go-to-market functions, including sales, support, consulting, business development and operations, and partnerships. Previously, BJ served as president and CEO of Barracuda Networks, leading the company’s IPO on the New York Stock Exchange, as well as the strategic acquisitions of SignNow, Intronis, Sonian and PhishLine. Prior to joining Barracuda, BJ held multiple business unit and sales and marketing leadership roles at EMC, including president of EMC’s Backup Recovery Systems (BRS) Division. BJ earned an engineering degree from the University of Illinois and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
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About Barracuda Networks, Palo Alto Networks: Barracuda is a provider of powerful, easy-to-use, affordable IT solutions for security and storage.
Aleks Bogoeski
Vice President Of Strategic Alliances of CU Direct
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About CU Direct: Technology and solutions for dealers and lenders
Tony Boutelle
President and CEO of CU Direct
Tony Boutelle is the president and chief executive officer of CU Direct. Tony has over 30 years of credit union industry experience, beginning his career at the Colorado Credit Union League in 1985. He continued his career at the California Credit Union League in the beginning of 1987 and moved to CUNA Mutual Group in 1991 where he held executive positions at both companies. He returned to the California Credit Union League in 1994 to start CU Direct Corporation. He has built the network to include 1,000 credit unions that represent 45 million members and over 13,000 auto dealers.
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About CU Direct: Technology and solutions for dealers and lenders
Alberto Lacaze
Co-Founder and President of Robotic Research
Alberto Lacaze is the President and co-founder of Robotic Research. He has extensive research experience developing planning algorithms for on and off-road autonomous vehicles, software for terrain perception using LADAR hardware, and registration algorithms for data from multiple sensors. His research has contributed to DoD programs including the Demo III, PerceptOR, FCS, VTI, SARTI, and ANS programs. Alberto Lacaze holds an MS in Electrical Engineering from Drexel University (1994) and a BS in Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering from Florida Tech (1992). Alberto Lacaze is a winner of the Jacob Rabinow Applied Research Award for “World-leading research and development in robotic perception, planning and control and its application to unmanned ground vehicles.”
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About Robotic Research: Robotic Research develops autonomy and robotic technology to improve the safety, security, and effectiveness of transportation.
Sunny Reddy
CEO and President of VoIP Office
Sunny Reddy is the CEO and President of VoIP Office.
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About VoIP Office: VoIP Office is a leading Provider of a Cloud-based communication system for every business Small or Enterprise in USA and India.
Tabb Firchau
President & co-founder of Freefly Systems
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About Freefly Systems: Freefly Systems develops MōVI camera gimbals and aerial UAV solutions for motion, picture & video.
Rodger Mack
Vice President of Supply Chain & Manufacturing of Xenex
As Vice President of Supply Chain & Manufacturing, Rodger has the pleasure of leading a dedicated team of professionals in supply chain management, manufacturing, and technical service. This team of professionals are committed to building and servicing Xenex germ zapping robots with world class quality and meeting all internal and external service level agreements. Prior to this role Rodger served Xenex as the Vice President of Client Services. Prior to joining Xenex, Rodger held many leadership positions in the medical device and call center industries. Rodger recently served as the Chief Operating Officer for a medical device company. During this 14 year career in the medical device industry, he helped grow the business from 30 employees to over 2,500 employees and increase revenues from $1 million to $500 million. The company was also recognized as being one of America’s best places to work. Rodger was born and raised in the central Texas area, and received his Bachelor’s degree with honors from St. Edwards University. Rodger also was a four year letterman and senior captain on the St. Edwards baseball team, playing catcher. Much of Rodger’s time outside work is spent coaching his children’s sports teams and enjoying time with family and friends at the beach.
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About Xenex: Xenex offers Pulsed Xenon Full Spectrum, a UV disinfection solution that reduces the bacterial load associated with the risk for HAIs.
Rodger Mack
Vice President of Supply Chain & Manufacturing of Xenex
As Vice President of Supply Chain & Manufacturing, Rodger has the pleasure of leading a dedicated team of professionals in supply chain management, manufacturing, and technical service. This team of professionals are committed to building and servicing Xenex germ zapping robots with world class quality and meeting all internal and external service level agreements. Prior to this role Rodger served Xenex as the Vice President of Client Services. Prior to joining Xenex, Rodger held many leadership positions in the medical device and call center industries. Rodger recently served as the Chief Operating Officer for a medical device company. During this 14 year career in the medical device industry, he helped grow the business from 30 employees to over 2,500 employees and increase revenues from $1 million to $500 million. The company was also recognized as being one of America’s best places to work. Rodger was born and raised in the central Texas area, and received his Bachelor’s degree with honors from St. Edwards University. Rodger also was a four year letterman and senior captain on the St. Edwards baseball team, playing catcher. Much of Rodger’s time outside work is spent coaching his children’s sports teams and enjoying time with family and friends at the beach.
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About Xenex: Xenex offers Pulsed Xenon Full Spectrum, a UV disinfection solution that reduces the bacterial load associated with the risk for HAIs.
Diana Schlosser
Executive Vice President of Marketing of Swift Navigation
With VP Marketing roles at Copper Mountain Networks, BigBand Networks, SolarCity and Blu Homes—Diana has a winning track record for driving exceptional revenue growth, building epic brands and growing market share. With more than 20 years of leadership experience in companies of all sizes and stages of development, she has a passion for identifying challenges and opportunities to disrupt markets and create great customer experiences. Diana holds a BA degree from the University of California at Berkeley and an MBA degree from St. Mary’s College.
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About Swift Navigation: Swift Navigation offers hardware and software that makes GPS positioning technology available for autonomous vehicle and device guidance.
Colin Ward
Senior Vice President Chemicals & Refining of ABB
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About ABB: ABB provides power and automation technologies for smart grids, robotics, electric cars, renewable energy and motors.
Heather Cykoski
Group Vice President of ABB
Heather Cykoski, Group Vice President, leads ABB’s efforts to accelarate new growth. Responsible for developing, implementing and managing the relationship and total business acquisition of ABB with global customers worldwide. In addition to her current role she leads the global Engineering, Procurement, Construction Industry Network. A passionate global business leader with 20+ years of international experience leading multi-divisional, multi-cultural teams in the energy value chain. Joining in 2005, Heather has served as North American Manager for British Petroleum and Shell. In 2007 she was named Vice President, Group Accounts working with The Dow Chemical Company, successfully executing chemical plants and new investments in Asia, Middle East, Europe and North America. In 2010, she led ABB’s partnership with Dow Chemical and Saudi Aramco’s joint venture, in Jubail Industrial City, Saudi Arabia. A partner from concept through lifecycle. Later in 2012, she managed Group Strategic Project investments including East Africa’s liquid natural gas and North America’s gulf coast chemical and liquid natural gas investments. Heather is a leading member of the National Association of Professional Woman, served as a delegate of the Global Women’s Forum for Economy & Society, Member of Texas A&M Alumni and Society of Petroleum Engineers. She leads the Encompass Diversity & Inclusion Houston Chapter and serves on the board of the Pinehurst community. She resides in Houston, Texas with her husband and two daughters.
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About ABB: ABB provides power and automation technologies for smart grids, robotics, electric cars, renewable energy and motors.
Andrew Bright
Group Vice President, Head of Corporate Development for ABB Power Grids of ABB
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About ABB: ABB provides power and automation technologies for smart grids, robotics, electric cars, renewable energy and motors.
Steven Krum
Vice President, Business Development of Learnosity
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About Learnosity: Learnosity provides the technology framework for authoring, assessment delivery, and reporting for the world’s best assessment solutions.
Shawn Fojtik
President & Co-Founder & CEO of Control Medical Technology
Shawn Fojtik is the CEO of Control Medical Technology.He attended to the Harvard University.
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About Control Medical Technology, DIstal Access, FanAngel, Fluidx Medical Technology, University of Utah School of Medicine: Control Medical Technology develops and commercializes patient care devices for physicians, nurses, and technicians.
Braydon Moreno
Co-Founder/President of Robo 3D
Braydon Moreno CEO – Braydon has a BS in Management specializing in Entrepreneurship from San Diego State University. Braydon has extensive experience working in internet marketing, with specialties including SEO, social media marketing, and advertising campaigns. He is extremely detail-oriented and design savvy, as well as a bona fide technology visionary. He has also worked for several startups in mass manufacturing products overseas and has owned several successful companies giving him an ideal foundation to drive ROBO 3D into unparalleled heights.
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About Boxlight, Robo 3D: Robo 3D manufactures and markets 3D printers for retail.
Brian Carlisle
President of Precise Automation
Mr. Carlisle has 30 years experience in the robotics industry. Before co-founding Precise with Dr. Shimano, Mr. Carlisle was CEO of Adept Technology and led the company to sales of over $100 million. He has served on the Board of the National Coalition for Advanced Manufacturing (NACFAM), the Boards of the National Center for Manufacturing Science (NCMS), the Automation Forum of NEMA and is a founding member of the National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (NEMI). Mr. Carlisle holds a MS in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University.
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About Precise Automation: Precise Automation provides customized automation training courses for ABB’s range of products, both hardware, and software.
Yasser Khan
Executive Vice President of Plasma Business Intelligence
Executive Vice President at Plasma Computing Group
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About ONE Tech, Inc., Plasma Business Intelligence: Plasma Computing Group offers businesses with a BPM solution that focuses on business process automation and transformation.
Keith Merrill
Vice President of Plasma Business Intelligence
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About Plasma Business Intelligence: Plasma Computing Group offers businesses with a BPM solution that focuses on business process automation and transformation.
Keith Merrill
Vice President of Plasma Business Intelligence
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About Plasma Business Intelligence: Plasma Computing Group offers businesses with a BPM solution that focuses on business process automation and transformation.
Peter Howard
President & CEO of Realtime Robotics
Peter Howard is CEO of Realtime Robotics. He has a particular passion and interest in business formation and the process of creating order and value out of formative chaos. His roles have included entrepreneur-CEO, investor, and board director. As CEO, Peter has founded and successfully grown five companies, leading two to IPOs, one to strategic sale, and another to major technology license. In its first year of operations, Peter led Realtime Robotics in raising $2m in seed funding, landing several important contracts with global 100 firms, and launching its initial product. He has also been integral in the creation and launch of hundreds of innovative products as an industry leader in outsourced R&D and manufacturing services businesses based in the US, Japan, France, the Netherlands, Singapore, and China. Peter holds an MS degree from MIT in Management, and a Professional Director Certification from the American College of Corporate Directors.
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About Realtime Robotics: Realtime Robotics develops a platform for robots to function seamlessly across deployments with minimal programming.
J. Christopher Flaherty
Vice President, Intellectual Property Strategy of Medrobotics
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About Medrobotics: Medrobotics is a medical robotics company developing and commercializing the Flex Robotic System.
Samuel F. Straface
President & CEO of Medrobotics
Dr. Straface joined Medrobotics in March, 2009 after serving as an Executive-in-Residence at The Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse, an incubator in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, where he led a portfolio of life science companies with business formation, development and financing. Previously, he was the founding President and Chief Executive Officer of Triton BioSystems, Inc. (now Aduro BioTech, Inc.), a targeted nanobiotechnology company developing low side-effect highly selective therapies for advanced cancers such as head and neck, breast and prostate cancers. Dr. Straface has over 30 years of experience in global sales, marketing, business development, venture financing and general management at several companies, including Boston Scientific Corporation, and Johnson & Johnson. He began his career as a Scientific Officer, researching the neurophysiology of the retina and methods for early diagnosis of neuronal disease. He holds a Ph.D. in neurophysiology from the University of Western Australia.
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About Medrobotics, Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse: Medrobotics is a medical robotics company developing and commercializing the Flex Robotic System.
Richard S. Walsh
Vice President, Global Sales of Medrobotics
Mr. Walsh brings over 20 years of medical device sales and sales management experience with a focus mainly on emerging growth medical device technologies. Most recently, Mr. Walsh was Vice President of Sales for NeoTract, Inc., a company which develops and commercializes surgical products for the urology market. Previously, he was the Director of Global Sales and Integration at Acclarent, a pioneer in the development and commercialization of products for the ENT market, where he was responsible for the integration of the Acclarent international distribution network into the Johnson & Johnson Ethicon commercial organization. Prior to that, he was Eastern Area Director of Sales at Acclarent where he grew the Eastern U.S. balloon sinuplasty business to $34 million and was elected Sales Director of the Year for 3 consecutive years. Before Acclarent, Mr. Walsh held the Vice President of Sales position at Atricure (NASDAQ: ATRC) and Stereotaxis (NASDAQ: STXS). Before Stereotaxis, he was Sales Director, Eastern United States, at Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG) where he helped commercialize the DaVinci Surgical Robot. Mr. Walsh began his medical device sales management career at United States Surgical (now Covidien) where he was Regional Sales Manager, Mid-Atlantic Region. Mr. Walsh received a Bachelor of Science degree in Professional Aviation Studies from Embry Riddle and served for 7 years in the U.S. Army as an Army Aviation Officer.
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About Medrobotics: Medrobotics is a medical robotics company developing and commercializing the Flex Robotic System.
John D. Bonasera
Vice President, Clinical, Regulatory & Quality Affairs of Medrobotics
Mr. Bonasera brings over 30 years of experience in the medical device industry, having directed quality assurance, regulatory affairs and clinical development at multinational corporations and early stage medical technology companies. He has been responsible for developing and executing effective and novel strategies to navigate challenging regulatory paths to achieve FDA and foreign approvals that led to the commercialization and/or clinical trials of a variety of complex medical devices including implanted drug delivery systems, implanted resorbable spinal implants, and embolic micro particles. Prior to joining Medrobotics he directed clinical trials of new and innovative technologies including the use of a patient’s own stem cells to create new blood vessels in untreatable vascular disease to prevent amputation of the leg and foot and to improve cardiac function after heart failure. In each regulatory and clinical project he lead teams of engineers, physicians, attorneys, statisticians and other experts. Mr. Bonasera has a BA in Biology and Psychology from the University of Massachusetts. He is a certified regulatory professional and a certified medical technologist. In his early career he supervised hospital laboratories and received a faculty appointment to Northeastern University to teach clinical laboratory science.
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About Medrobotics: Medrobotics is a medical robotics company developing and commercializing the Flex Robotic System.
John D. Bonasera
Vice President, Clinical, Regulatory & Quality Affairs of Medrobotics
Mr. Bonasera brings over 30 years of experience in the medical device industry, having directed quality assurance, regulatory affairs and clinical development at multinational corporations and early stage medical technology companies. He has been responsible for developing and executing effective and novel strategies to navigate challenging regulatory paths to achieve FDA and foreign approvals that led to the commercialization and/or clinical trials of a variety of complex medical devices including implanted drug delivery systems, implanted resorbable spinal implants, and embolic micro particles. Prior to joining Medrobotics he directed clinical trials of new and innovative technologies including the use of a patient’s own stem cells to create new blood vessels in untreatable vascular disease to prevent amputation of the leg and foot and to improve cardiac function after heart failure. In each regulatory and clinical project he lead teams of engineers, physicians, attorneys, statisticians and other experts. Mr. Bonasera has a BA in Biology and Psychology from the University of Massachusetts. He is a certified regulatory professional and a certified medical technologist. In his early career he supervised hospital laboratories and received a faculty appointment to Northeastern University to teach clinical laboratory science.
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About Medrobotics: Medrobotics is a medical robotics company developing and commercializing the Flex Robotic System.
Graham Hooper
President & Chief Executive Officer of Ellison Technologies
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About Ellison Technologies: Ellison Technologies has been a provider of advanced manufacturing solutions to its clients.
Lavanya Jawaharlal
President & Co-Founder of STEM Center USA
Lavanya Jawaharlal is a co-founder of STEM Center USA and currently with the Mechanical Engineering program at the University of California, Berkeley. Enthusiastically involved with robotics, Lavanya has participated in STEM related activities for over 6 years and is part of her FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) Team, which won the 2011 Los Angeles Regional Competition. Lavanya has competed in both Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) and Raytheon competitions, placing second and third respectively. Her involvement in robotics extends to being a coach/mentor of several FIRST Lego League (FLL) teams. She has presented at multiple conferences including: the 2010 National Collegiate Inventors & Innovators Alliance (NCIIA) in Washington D.C. on “Design Inspired by Limpet: A Biomimicry Approach to Find Sustainable Solutions” and the 2011 Chinese Institute of Engineers (CIE) Conference where she talked about the “STEM Influence on the Younger Generation.” Lavanya has also served as the California Executive Vice President of Future Business leaders of America (FBLA). In her spare time Lavanya enjoys running with her German shepherd and Siberian husky and scuba diving.
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About STEM Center USA: STEM Center USA inspires the next generation of STEM leaders by developing a passion for STEM careers at a young age.
Tom Walker
President & CEO of Rev1 Ventures
Tom Walker has been the Chief Executive Officer of TechColumbus, Inc. since May 2012. Tom Walker served as the Chief Executive Officer and President of i2E, Inc. until July 2012 and also served as its Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President. Tom Walker was responsible for the design and implementation of statewide and national programs and resources to assist advanced technology companies and entrepreneurs in business creation and access to early stage capital. Tom Walker served as the Chief Executive Officer and President at TechColumbus, Investment Arm. He has 15 years of experience building business opportunities in software, information technology, life sciences, alternative energy and the advanced materials industry sectors. He has a proven track record of coaching executive teams, as well as, raising and managing sources of early risk capital for emerging growth companies. As a Founding Member of i2E, Tom Walker was a Leader in the vision, design and implementation of i2E’s business units. He is responsible for the management of the Oklahoma Technology Commercialization Center and the Technology Business Finance Program, which are OCAST programs funded with state appropriations, as well as, the Reynolds Governor’s Cup Collegiate Business Plan Competition and Seed Step Angels. Tom Walker served as the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the Oklahoma Investment Forum for three years, where he managed the Southwest Capital Conference. He serves as an Advisor to the National Angel Capital Association, serves as an Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Tulsa and is a reviewer for the Kauffman Foundation’s eVenturing initiative. He served as an Editor and Publisher of the Future Value magazine. Tom Walker turned the financially failing organization around in one year and attracted in excess of $15 billion in venture capital from more than twenty states to the region. Prior to the formation of i2E, Tom Walker worked with Battelle Memorial Institute, where he managed the corporate business development for five national technology divisions of Battelle in the Oklahoma region. He was instrumental in the development of over $60 million in new technology development business, managed an advanced technology project portfolio that averaged $36 million over a six-year period and directly developed more than $15 million in scientific and engineering project sales. He is a frequent national and international speaker and advisor in the areas of building innovation and entrepreneurial infrastructures. Tom Walker serves on the Boards of National Angel Capital Educational Foundation, Leadership Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Alliance for Manufacturing Excellence. He served as Chairman of the 6th annual North American Angel Capital Summit and serves as Chairman of 7th annual Angel Capital Summit. He was recognized as one of the 2006 Oklahoma business leaders under the age of 40. Tom Walker holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma, and a Master’s of Business Administration from Oklahoma City University. He is a graduate of the 27th Annual Venture Capital Institute and the 4th Annual Venture Capital Institute Graduate Program. He is a graduate of Leadership Oklahoma Class XVIII.
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About Rev1 Ventures: Rev1 Ventures is an investor startup studio that combines capital and strategic services to help startups scale and corporates innovate.
Philip Sugar
Founder & President of SpringActive
Philip Sugar, A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Management and Technology Program, Philip Sugar received dual degrees with a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Wharton School of Business with a Concentration in Entrepreneurial Management, and a Bachelor of Applied Science, Engineering with Concentration in Systems Engineering from Moore School of Engineering. He has extensive start-up and management experience with a variety of software companies, and sits on the boards of other emerging technology companies.
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About SpringActive: SpringActive are working to develop a new generation of robotics, creating advances in prosthetics, rehabilitation and soldier systems.
Steve Inman
President of Americas Operations of Teneo
Steve was the original founder of VistaOne and joined Teneo through acquisition in January 2016. Now President of Teneo Americas, Steve brings creativity and great sincerity to our customers and partners through his entrepreneurial approach.
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About Teneo: Teneo is the specialist integrator of next generation technology, offering the strongest mix of optimization solutions for networks.
Steve Evans
Vice President of Solutions Engineering of Teneo
Steve’s desire to stay ahead of technology trends inspires our engineering team to seek the best fit solutions for our customers. Steve leads our “as a Service” developments, working closely with our customers and partners.
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About Teneo: Teneo is the specialist integrator of next generation technology, offering the strongest mix of optimization solutions for networks.
Scott Gibson
Senior Vice President of Americas Sales of Teneo
Scott drives the sales strategy across the Teneo Americas region and takes pleasure in developing a high performance sales team. His satisfaction further stems from being our customers’ favourite vendor and our partners’ favourite partner.
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About Teneo: Teneo is the specialist integrator of next generation technology, offering the strongest mix of optimization solutions for networks.
Jeff Burnstein
President of Association for Advancing Automation
Jeff Burnstein is the President of the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), the parent group of the Robotic Industries Association (RIA), AIA – Advancing Vision + Imaging, and the Motion Control and Motors Association (MCMA). Together these trade groups represent over 1,000 global companies involved in robotics, vision, motion control and motors and related automation technologies. Key A3 activities include an annual Business Forum in Orlando every winter, content-rich websites, development of standards, collection of statistics and sponsorship of leading industry events including The Vision Show and Conference and the biennial Automate trade show and conference. Burnstein joined RIA in 1983 and has held a variety of senior positions, culminating in his promotion to President in 2007. He is a frequent commentator on issues such as the impact of automation on jobs and the future of automation beyond the factory floor.
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About Association for Advancing Automation, Robotic Industries Association: A3 is the umbrella association for Robotic Industries Association (RIA), AIA – Advancing Vision + Imaging.
Alex Shikany
Vice President – AIA of Association for Advancing Automation
Alex Shikany is the Vice President – AIA at the Association for Advancing Automation (A3). In his position, Alex runs the day to day operations of AIA, the world’s largest vision and imaging trade group, and is a frequent speaker at industry events around the world. Alex also oversees the association’s market research efforts for the global robotics, machine vision, and motion control markets. Additionally, he develops market opportunity studies and white papers for the automation industry on key issues such as the impact of robots on employment, and the emergence of collaborative robots. Alex is a graduate of Michigan State University’s Broad MBA program, where he majored in Marketing and Finance. He also received his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from MSU.
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About Association for Advancing Automation, Association for Advancing Automation: A3 is the umbrella association for Robotic Industries Association (RIA), AIA – Advancing Vision + Imaging.
Mark Gordon
Founder, President & Chief Executive Officer of Odyssey Marine Exploration
Mark D. Gordon was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Odyssey Marine Exploration in October 2014. Mr. Gordon has served as the company’s President since 2007 and on Odyssey’s Board of Directors since January 2008. He joined Odyssey in 2005 as an independent consultant before serving as Director, Business Development and Executive Vice President of Sales and Business Development, where he was responsible for the Attraction, Business Development and Retail Merchandising operations for the Company. Prior to joining Odyssey, Mr. Gordon started, owned or managed four different entrepreneurial ventures from 1987 to 2003, including Synergy Networks which he founded in 1993 and served as CEO until September of 2003 before selling the company to the Rockefeller Group. He continued serving as President of Rockefeller Group Technology Services Mid Atlantic (RGTSMA), a member of Rockefeller Group International, until December 2004. Past work experience also includes a two-year tenure as a Management Consultant at Arthur Andersen Consulting (now Accenture). Mark Gordon received a B.S./Business Administration in 1982 and an MBA in Finance in 1983 from the American University. As a shipwreck diver with the National Diving Center in Washington DC, he has conducted hundreds of dives and explorations on shipwrecks and was the first person to discover and dive on the wreck of the S.S. Proteus, a ship that had been missing since the early 1900’s.
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About Odyssey Marine Exploration: Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. is an American company engaged in the salvage of deep-water shipwrecks.
Ryan English
President & Co-Founder of FLYMOTION Unmanned Systems
Ryan is the President and Co-Founder. He is responsible for the strategic growth, company direction and implementing the business strategy visions of FlyMotion. Ryan leverages his extensive network to strengthen client and strategic partner relationships. He works with a dedicated team to develop solutions that set the future trends for numerous vertical markets within the unmanned systems industry. In addition to his military service and civilian special operations background, Ryan brings over a decade of successful entrepreneurship to the FlyMotion team. His forward thinking has, and continues to deliver groundbreaking advancements and innovation in the unmanned system industry. Ryan was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah and it was there that he developed the passion and drive for entrepreneurship. He enjoys international travel, motorcycles and sports cars.
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About FLYMOTION Unmanned Systems, GLG, InfraGard, U.S. Department of Homeland Security: FLYMOTION has quickly become one of the most recognized drone technology, integration and custom solution companies. Tampa, FL United States
David Stratchko
Vice President, Operations and Co-Founder of FLYMOTION Unmanned Systems
David is the Co-Founder and Vice President of Operations. He plays a key role in establishing long-term strategy and setting the company’s culture and values. His visions and forward thinking have assisted in molding the FlyMotion brand. David aided in conceptualizing FlyMotion in 2014. During his time with the company he has been a key contributor in the development of award-winning products such as FlyMotion TRIDENT and FlyMotion MAVERICK. Prior to his time at FlyMotion, David served over a decade in public safety as a firefighter/paramedic in the State of Florida. He was also attached to the specialized Marine Division. David is a Florida native who enjoys golf, motorcycles and sporting events.
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About FLYMOTION Unmanned Systems: FLYMOTION has quickly become one of the most recognized drone technology, integration and custom solution companies. Tampa, FL United States
Maurice Cooley
Vice President, Technology of FLYMOTION Unmanned Systems
Maurice is the Vice President of Technology. He is responsible for all technological advancements at FlyMotion, including product hardware, software, design and integration. He is also a key contributor in new ideas and future initiatives. Maurice joined FlyMotion in 2015, and has been vital in the delivery of the award-winning FlyMotion TRIDENT, and the design of FlyMotion MAVERICK. Prior to FlyMotion, he dedicated over a decade of his professional career in the electromechanical field where he specialized in automation controls in the Entertainment Industry. He has also served several years as a law enforcement officer in the State of Florida. Maurice is a Florida native who enjoys global travel and exploration.
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About Carnival Cruise Line, FLYMOTION Unmanned Systems: FLYMOTION has quickly become one of the most recognized drone technology, integration and custom solution companies. Tampa, FL United States
Jeff Unze
President, Partnerships of BorderX Lab
Early China digital marketing pioneer. Expert in China e-commerce channels and marketing options. Good source on when to activate influencers, when to market cross-border, when to localize, when to join native Chinese platforms and when to go brick and mortar. Led Sales team at Sina.com in 1999, now executive and head of partnerships at BorderX Lab a leading China cross-border ecommerce platform.
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About BorderX Lab: Democratization of global shopping via intelligent mobile robot; connect global brands with emerging Chinese consumers.
Michael Golway
President and CEO of Advanced Solutions Life Sciences
American entrepreneur, engineer and inventor. In November 2000, at the age of 31, Michael acquired his first technology company, IDS Engineering. The company had 2 employees with a focused business model of workflow consulting services. Today he is President & CEO of Advanced Solutions, Inc., which is a privately held company he acquired in November 2004, and parent company to an aggregate of technology businesses, including IDS Engineering. Michael’s passion is building and acquiring great technology companies, while growing market share through value innovation. He is the lead inventor for the integrated solution of BioAssemblyBot® and TSIM™, a 6‐Axis Robotic 3D Printing System for Human Tissue Structures. Michael has over two decades of experience leading multi-disciplined engineering, consulting and technology firms.
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About Advanced Solutions Life Sciences: Advanced Solutions Life Sciences provides solutions for living organisms, molecular biology, and biotechnology.
Ellsworth Collins
Executive Vice President of Marketing of Advanced Solutions Life Sciences
Worth is an Executive Vice President of Marketing & Innovation for Advanced Solutions. In this capacity he leads a team of professionals dedicated to assisting companies improve their profitability through improvements in productivity, technology, quality, business processes, and customer satisfaction.
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About Advanced Solutions Life Sciences: Advanced Solutions Life Sciences provides solutions for living organisms, molecular biology, and biotechnology.
Fady Saad
Co-Founder & Vice President of Strategic Partnerships of MassRobotics
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About MassRobotics: MassRobotics is a nonprofit hub that provides labs and expensive equipment that startups need for testing and prototyping.
Joyce Sidopoulos
Co-Founder, Vice President Community & Programs of MassRobotics
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About MassRobotics: MassRobotics is a nonprofit hub that provides labs and expensive equipment that startups need for testing and prototyping.
Jim McCarthy
President & Chief Operating Officer of Intelligrated
Jim McCarthy began his career in 1973 as a design engineer for a major provider of material handling systems. During the following years he held multiple positions in engineering, sales, and management, in two different companies. In 1988, he joined as one of the original management shareholders in the formation of what became Pinnacle Automation. During his career, Jim has had the unique opportunity to work in virtually all areas of the material handling business, including engineering, project management, sales, installation, and manufacturing, with several positions at the executive management level. In 1997, Jim became president of the Buschman Company, which was one of the Pinnacle Automation companies. Jim and the management team’s constant focus on customer satisfaction took Buschman to unprecedented levels of revenue and profitability. Jim is a founding member of the Intelligrated team. Jim is a graduate of Ferris State University of Big Rapids, Michigan and of the Harvard Business School PMD Program.
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About Intelligrated: Intelligrated is a leading North American-based, single-source provider of intelligent automated material handling solutions.
Edward Puisis
Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer of Intelligrated
Edward Puisis joined Intelligrated as chief financial officer and executive vice president in January 2010, and is responsible for overseeing Intelligrated’s finance, human resources, information technology, and procurement departments. In 1986, Ed joined GE and their financial management program. Upon completion of the program, and throughout his career with GE, Ed had the opportunity to work in manufacturing, marketing, sales, aftermarket and finance. Ed has 24 years of experience at both corporate and small entrepreneurial businesses. He has held executive roles in industrial systems, logistics, steel and construction-related industries, and served as CFO in both public and private businesses. Prior to Intelligrated, Ed managed financial operations, human resources and information systems for Dayton Superior Corporation. Ed holds a Bachelor of Science from Lewis University and an MBA from DePaul University.
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About Intelligrated: Intelligrated is a leading North American-based, single-source provider of intelligent automated material handling solutions.
Jim Sharp
Executive Vice President of Intelligrated
Jim Sharp is executive vice president of Intelligrated, focusing his efforts on incentive compensation, audit activities, equity accounting and transactions. Jim managed the integration efforts of Intelligrated and the former FKI Logistex after he served as vice president of finance and chief financial officer at Intelligrated. Before joining Intelligrated in December of 2002, Jim was vice President of finance and chief financial officer of Pinnacle since April 1994. From 1983 to early 1994, he held various accounting and financial positions with Pinnacle and its subsidiaries, including controller, treasurer and chief financial officer of Alvey. From 1977 until joining Alvey in 1983, Jim worked for the accounting firm of KPMG. Jim graduated from Southern Illinois University in 1976 with a B.S. degree in Accounting and is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Missouri.
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About Intelligrated: Intelligrated is a leading North American-based, single-source provider of intelligent automated material handling solutions.
Daniel Chon
President & CEO of CTL Medical
Daniel Chon is the Founder and CEO at CTL AMEDICA.
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About AccelSPINE, CTL Amedica, CTL Medical: CTL Medical Corporation assembled a world class executive team, bringing together some of the industry’s most exceptional talent.
Rose Moore
Vice President of Business Development & Marketing of CTL Medical
Rose Moore brings a combined 15 years of sales, executive management and business ownership experience. As Vice President of Business Development and Marketing, Moore is responsible for the overall management and execution of CTL Medical’s strategic and operational Marketing and Customer Relationship initiatives, as well as the implementation of comprehensive internal plans to streamline processes and increase revenues. Before joining CTL Medical, Moore served with various corporate sales and manufacturing organizations offering strengths in account management, marketing, strategic planning, workforce and operations management, client relationship development and customer service. Moore has a proven track record of expanding client bases and increasing revenues within the organizations she has served. She is a member of the National Association of Professional Women (NAPW) and serves actively with the charitable organization “Music is our Weapon”, which promotes comfort and cognitive healing through personalized music programs.
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About CTL Medical, National Association of Professional Women: CTL Medical Corporation assembled a world class executive team, bringing together some of the industry’s most exceptional talent.
Lanny Duyck
Vice President of Sales of CTL Medical
As Vice President of Sales for the Southern Region, Lanny Duyck brings to CTL Medical more than 25 years of experience in sales and management related to spine, neurosurgery, orthopedic trauma & joints and biologics. Leading up to his position with CTL Medical, Duyck has accrued an impressive resume, owning and operating successful medical device organizations and managing for some of the industry’s most significant medical device manufacturers. His strengths include planning and building of businesses, sales teams and regions with distributor based organizations. He has extensive experience in the development of educational resources pertaining to the industry in anatomy, medical terminology, product education, sales techniques, surgical techniques, ethics and motivation.In addition to countless industry specific training and certification courses, Duyck attended University of Texas at San Antonio and the Entrepreneurial Program at SMU’s Cox School of Business. He is a US Army Veteran who actively participates in a number of charitable organizations.
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About CTL Medical: CTL Medical Corporation assembled a world class executive team, bringing together some of the industry’s most exceptional talent.
Jon Suh
Vice President of Research & Development of CTL Medical
Jon Suh has more than 15 years of experience in product research and development with particular expertise in orthopedics, pharmaceuticals, petro-chemicals and semi-conductors. As the Vice President of Research and Development, Suh directs the design, testing and implementation of newly manufactured products, and oversees general operation and quality control.Previously, Suh served as the principal manufacturing engineer at a mid-size company where he instituted in-house manufacturing and was responsible for the mass production and operational processes. He has also held numerous management roles with large medical device companies where he was instrumental in research and development. Suh earned his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Penn State University, and has also received a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Drexel University. In 2013, Suh won an award for one of the 10 best new spine technologies of the year from Orthopedics This Week. Suh is actively involved in multiple charities and is also fluent in Korean and Spanish.
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About CTL Medical: CTL Medical Corporation assembled a world class executive team, bringing together some of the industry’s most exceptional talent.
John Foggia
Vice President of Engineering and Director of Enabling Technologies of Flirtey
As Director, Enabling Technologies at Flirtey, John Foggia leads development of safety systems and technologies that enable routine drone delivery operations and enhance Flirtey’s technical competitive advantage. With almost 40 years aviation experience, and a UAS emphasis for the last nine years, his strategic vision and technical capabilities help make Flirtey the industry leader in autonomous drone technology, drone safety systems, and advanced delivery technology. Foggia was previously a project manager at NASA Langley Research Center, where he led NASA’s program to fly drones over people, and fully integrate UAS into the National Airspace System. His role involved developing technology, fostering partnerships, expanding operations, and bringing civilian participants into the test environment. Following the September 11 attacks, he also led top-secret aviation security work in conjunction with a national lab that drove TSA and DHS safety programs to prevent future terrorist attacks in the United States. Foggia led a classified program at the Los Alamos National Laboratory focused on developing risk analysis for aircraft attack scenarios versus critical infrastructure. As Founder and CEO of an aviation engineering startup, Foggia developed the precision GPS and ADS-B technology to enable more efficient operations in the national airspace. Prior to that, Foggia managed a system of seven airports including the Minneapolis / St. Paul International Airport (MSP), where he was responsible for aviation noise management, introducing GPS precision approach, and implementing geographic information systems technology, which became a requirement for all airports. Foggia was also a USAF fighter pilot on active duty during the 1980s, and commanded Air National Guard units as Commander of a Special Forces Weather Unit in the 1990s. Foggia worked on a Ph.D at MIT in fluid dynamics engineering, as well as M.S. in Atmospheric Physics from Texas A&M University.
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About Flirtey: Flirtey provides drone delivery service of retail and e-commerce items to consumer homes.