Best Startup
At Best Startup UK we track over 130,000 UK startups and over 500,000 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 Kingdom based CEO’ operating in the Robotics space. If you think a CEO’ is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.co.uk.
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 Companies House UK, Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Omer Khushnood
CEO of VIVID Technologies
Omer Khushnood, CEO Vivid Technologies
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About VIVID Technologies: VIVID Technologies are transforming the traditional customer service experience.
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Atif Syed
Founder, Chairman and CEO of Wootzano
I am the Founder, Chairman & CEO of Wootzano Ltd where we are making robots feel and sense like humans do by using our unique electronic skin and robotic systems which can save an average fruit and vegetable packaging facility around £2.5 million at minimum a year. Ask me how we do it! Along with a PhD in Electronics and Nanotechnology Engineering from University of Edinburgh, I have extensive experience in Robotics and AI. I am also a Member of the Executive Committee for Robotics and Mechatronics at the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET). I am also an Enterprise Fellow at the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng). Since early age, I have had a crazy obsession with electronics and was fascinated by software development as it required not much need for any sophisticated lab. When I am not working on the business, you can find me working with machine learning algorithms, advocating why computer programming should be taught at schools from an early age and travelling.
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About Wootzano: Wootzano manufactures robots which can sense and feel like humans do using a unique electronic skin, machine learning, and electronics.
Mark Oleynik
Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Moley Robotics
An accomplished Ph.D. mathematician, computer scientist and proven trailblazer. Results focused, his career to date is characterized by delivering demanding major projects to time and to budget. Prior to founding Moley Robotics, Mark was a co-founder and a major shareholder of a number of companies working in a healthcare sector in Russia and internationally. Earlier in his career, Mark exercised his passion for building successful products at Pavlov First Saint Petersburg State Medical University and smaller companies. Mark Oleynik is a driven leader and passionate robotics and healthcare expert.
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About Moley Robotics: Moley Robotics develops robotic kitchen with oven, hob, sink, and two dexterous robotic arms that allow it to cook.
Pasi William Sachiti
Founder & CEO of Academy of Robotics
William Sachiti is a UK based serial entrepreneur best known for creating a UK driverless car manufacture company competing with multinational incumbents such as Google, Uber and Tesla. The company designs and builds the autonomous vehicles in their UK warehouse. William has started and exited three previous tech start-ups in row, the latest MyCityVenue, an A.I. driven experiences platform serving 1.6 million users was acquired in 2015 by Secret Escapes. Before MyCityVenue, William was the the BBC Investment program Dragons Den, where he pitched a start-up, digital outdoor advertising on bins. The Dragons famously said he needs to be wheeled out of the bin. The company he pitched subsequently was licensed in several countries before being acquired. One of William’s first start-ups he started at 19, was called 123-registration. This company was also acquired for an undisclosed amount.
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About Academy of Robotics: The Academy of Robotics is a technology institute with an extraordinary technical team of engineers, scientists, and researchers.
Alastair Bathgate
CEO and Co-Founder of Blue Prism
Alastair Bathgate has worked in the enterprise software field since 1996, before which he spent a decade in various management positions at a leading bank. This has given Alastair a unique understanding of operational business processes and how technology can be used to improve efficiency and service. He co-founded Blue Prism in 2001 and has been CEO since. He holds an MBA from Leeds University Business School.
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About Blue Prism: Blue Prism is an intelligent robotic process automation company that develops a digital workforce for enterprises.
Chris Blackford
CEO & Co-founder of Sky-Futures
As COO, Chris drives the strategic development of Sky-Futures’ operational and technology frameworks and the development of new partnerships with leading companies across a range of markets. Chris combines extensive drone experience with a strong understanding of the technical and operational complexities and, indeed, the capacity of drones to provide cutting-edge solutions across industries.
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About Sky-Futures: Sky-Futures is a provider of drone-based inspection and data services to the industrial inspection market.
Hongbin Zhuang
Co-Founder and CEO of Emotech LTD
Hongbin was the product director of Renren.com and assisted it to become one of the largest SNS in China with over 35 million monthly login users, which went to NYSE IPO in 2011. He graduated from UCL with a distinction in the degree of MSc HCI & Ergonomics and strongly believes that the revolution of human computer interaction will make a better world.
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About Emotech LTD: Emotech is an AI startup aiming to redefine the relationship between humans and technology.
James Field
CEO & Founder of LabGenius
James is founder and CEO of LabGenius. James completed his PhD studies at Imperial College London where his research was focused on re-engineering protein nanocages for biotechnological applications. Prior to his PhD, James completed a BSc in Biology with Microbiology and an MRes in Systems and Synthetic Biology, at Imperial College London. James is an active member of the synthetic biology community having participated in the iGEM competition both as an undergraduate (2009), advisor (2011) and judge (2016). In 2017, James was awarded the BBSRC Innovator of the Year award for early career impact. James is also a fellow of the prestigious Synthetic Biology Leadership Excellence Accelerator Program (LEAP).
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About LabGenius: LabGenius is a biopharmaceutical company developing protein therapeutics using a machine learning-driven evolution engine.
Ambuj Agrawal
Founder and CEO of ZappyAI
Ambuj is the world leading expert in Artificial Intelligence and Process Automation. He has received numerous innovation awards from Citibank, Imperial College London, Ministry of Justice UK, Bristol University, among others. He is also one of the youngest recipients of the “Exceptional Talent Visa in Digital Technology” by the UK Government for expertise in Compiler Design and Machine Learning. He has been one of the youngest Speakers at the Money2020 Europe, Fin.Techsummit Europe, Future of Work Summit London and Automation Summit Paris on the topic “Automation and Future of Work”.
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About Cocoon Networks, ZappyAI: Cognitive Robotic Process Automation (RPA) with AI/ML Process Mining
Anna Rasmussen
CEO & Founder of Open Blend
Anna Rasmussen is the CEO & Founder at OpenBlend.
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About Open Blend: The People Platform for People Managers. Our software facilitates coaching led one-to-ones to support an individual’s development journey
Joel Gibbard
CEO of Open Bionics
Joel Gibbard is the founder of Open Bionics and the inventor of the world’s first and most advanced 3D printed robotic hand prosthetic. Joel has won multiple awards for engineering, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Joel was recently named ‘Britain’s Design Engineer of the Year,’ and awarded the Limbless Association’s ‘Prosthetic Innovation of the Year’ award. The roboticist is based inside of the Bristol Robotics Laboratory and is committed to keeping his robotic hands open source.
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About Open Bionics: Open Bionics is a robotics company creating affordable 3D-printed bionic hands for amputees, researchers and makers.
Ben Scott-Robinson
Co-Founder and CEO of The Small Robot Company
Ben is the founder of The Small Robot Company. We have a mission to help farmers feed the world while regenerating the planet. We call this the Fourth Agricultural Revolution. Our service of robots, are called Tom Dick and Harry, and the brains of the operation, Wilma. Previously he ran Ordnance Survey’s internal agency creating beautiful products and campaigns with the world’s best maps. Before that, Ben started many startups, and worked as Creative and Experience Director at Top 10 digital agencies such as Digitas and Sapient.
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About The Small Robot Company: The Small Robot Company is delivering per plant farming for the world’s largest crops.
Martin-Immanuel Bittner
Co-Founder & CEO of Arctoris
Martin-Immanuel Bittner MD DPhil is a clinician-scientist and life sciences entrepreneur. He is a Rhodes scholar, an active member of several leading cancer research organisations, and an elected member of the Young Academy of the German National Academy of Sciences. Martin is a Co-Founder & CEO of Arctoris, the world’s first fully automated drug discovery platform.
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About Arctoris: Arctoris is a tech-enabled platform company in biotechnology, combining robotics & data science to accelerate drug discovery.
Aubone Tennant
CEO of Billforward
A focused and determined leader with a the ability to identify and execute key strategic objectives and a track record of building, motivating and developing outstanding teams to deliver the strategy. Key areas of expertise include sales and marketing, corporate finance, business development and strategic partnerships. An in-depth understanding of the fixed and mobile data connectivity market in the UK with a particular focus on business Network as a Service (NaaS) and consumer Pay as you Go (PAYG) offerings in both public and private sector.
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About Billforward: Billforward develops and sells cloud based unified billing applications for businesses in the United States.
Mathew Holloway
CEO & Co-Founder of Q-Bot
Mathew is CEO of Q-Bot where he leads the development and commercialisation of innovative robotics technologies for the construction industry. Q-Bot combines robotics with one of the most pressing needs; upgrading our existing buildings to make them more comfortable, reduce cold draughts and improve energy efficiency. In doing so Q-Bot turns difficult, dirty and disruptive jobs into cost effective and efficient processes, to create a real, scalable and cost effective solution to meeting targets for CO2 reduction and affordable warmth. Mathew has 8 years previous experience as a founder of two previous high tech start-ups where he has turned his ideas into desirable products and in turn seen them generate 7 and 8 figure turnovers. He was educated at Bath University (MEng 1st Class Honours), Imperial College and The Royal College of Art in Engineering and Design (Joint Masters, MA & MSc). His technical background includes electrical and mechanical engineering, innovation mechanisms, intellectual property, industrial design, controls and programming (vision, analytics and interfaces).
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About Q-Bot: Q-Bot is a robotics company that develops intelligent tools for a wide range of industries and applications.
Allan Gray
CEO & Co Founder of Cosmient
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About Cosmient: E-COMMERCE FROM THE FUTURE!
Owen Nicholson
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer of SLAMcore
Over a decade of experience in early stage R&D management working on both UK government and industry research portfolios. Successfully delivered technologies in a wide range of areas including UK augmented reality for the UK Special Forces, next generation nuclear submarines and domestic electronics. Worked for four years building and managing the University Research Programme for a leading global engineering company, transferring technologies from top research institutions around the world. Specialised in the strategic and commercial aspects of technology development acting as an advisor to the UK government on university technology transfer.
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About SLAMcore: SLAMcore provides location, mapping and perception software for robots and other autonomous machines to become spatially intelligent
Richard Parker
Founder & CEO of Altitude Angel
Richard is the Founder & CEO of Altitude Angel. He created the company in December 2014, with a singular vision: integrate drones into the airspace, safely, using cloud technology. An experienced software engineer, Richard has a deep technical background with both software and electrical engineering expertise and is currently training to become a private pilot, too.
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About Altitude Angel: Altitude Angel makes drones safer by providing the data and cloud services needed to safely unlock their potential.
Kostas Karachalios
Co-Founder and CEO of Perceptual Robotics
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About Perceptual Robotics: Perceptual Robotics is creating intelligent automation to make wind turbine and other infrastructure inspection simple and fast
Laurence Ellis
CEO of Magpie Education
A successful innovator who has pioneered new approaches in Education Services, Medical Services and Aircraft manufacturing. A long term interest in Education born out of 20 years in providing services in the education sector and as an employer of those with STEM qualifications.
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About Magpie Education, Proprep UK: Magpie Education is Creating curriculum tools for teachers to inspire the next generation of STEM Innovators.
James Kent
CEO of Xihelm
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About Xihelm: Xihelm is automating robotic, laborious handwork.
Daghan Cam
Co-founder and CEO of Ai Build
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About Ai Build: Developing Artificial Intelligence to make Manufacturing easy, smart, sustainable and affordable.
Barney Wragg
CEO & Founder of Karakuri
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About Karakuri: Karakuri is a fledgling robotics startup that’s meshing machine learning, optics, and sensors to help commercial kitchens.
David Poole
CEO and Co-Founder of Symphony Ventures
David is an industry visionary with over 20 years as a corporate executive, running multi-billion dollar outsourcing and services firms. He has grown global businesses, built industry leading sales and operations teams, and spearheaded innovation across the industry in areas including platform-based BPO, supply chain BPO, cloud-based services, and user experience. David’s priorities at Symphony are to develop a world-class team and to work closely with client leadership to help them leverage Symphony’s Digital Ecosystem of automation partners and other inspired delivery models to compete in a digital world.
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About Symphony Ventures: Symphony is a professional services firm passionate about creating value for the world’s leading organizations.
Ajay Rathor
CEO & Founder of Maxatta Limited
17 years experience in Quant Portfolio Management and Trading including positions as Executive Director and Vice President across Equities, FX and Credit. Pioneered Machine Learning at ING Bank in 2007 for Global Risk Arbitrage Group. Strategic and Technical Leadership at Maxatta. Ajay is responsible for leading and executing the Company’s long term strategy to create shareholder value. Ajay held leadership positions across both Hedge Funds and Banks, with a deep understanding of asset management, technology and data science. MD, Realedge Associates, Head of Algorithmic Trading at Systematic Hedge Fund Sunofia Advisors, Algorithmic Strategist at ING Bank.
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About Maxatta Limited: Maxatta is a leader in Robotic Process Automation and the delivery of AI through automation for Front Office Financial Markets.
Roman Drokov
Chief Executive Officer of MIO Mobile Kiosk
Roman A. Drokov is the founder and CEO of Mio Mobile Kiosk.
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About MIO Mobile Kiosk: MIO Mobile Kiosk designs a multitasker robot that assists in accomplishing personal tasks.
Nicholas Zylberglajt
Chief Executive Officer of Unmanned Life
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About Unmanned Life: Unmanned Life is the leading software platform for seamless orchestration of autonomous robotics
David Goldberg
Founder and CEO of POD Management
David is a respected, well-known and experienced individual within the property management industry. He began his career as a Management Consultant for 6 years before moving in to the property management industry in 2004, where he joined a leading firm of managing agents as a Property Manager. He worked through the company where he became a non-shareholding Director. During his time at there he was instrumental in the strategic growth of the company, growing from a small firm of 21 staff to a small to medium enterprise with 75 staff. He was headhunted by a international residential property where he successfully grew the department, before being asked to oversee the entire Residential Management Division and sit on the Operations Board. In 2017 he founded POD Management with ambitions to shake up the traditional world of property management, and backed in a joint venture by former Dragons Den star James Caan’s venture capital firm Hamilton Bradshaw and serial entrepreneur Faisal Butt’s Spire Ventures. He is also an advisor to AskPorter, an AI messaging platform that optimizes property & facilities management and improves customer satisfaction. Outside of work, David enjoys running and where time allows, a round of golf and going skiing with friends. He is also a keen guitarist, and can be found reliving his youth through a gigging rock covers band.
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About POD Management: Customer focused property management
Diederick van Thiel
Chairman, CEO, FOUNDER of AdviceGames
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About AdviceGames, E-cology innovations, Ikano Group, JADS (Jheronimus Academy of Data Science): AdviceGames provides virtual financial assisting and gamification for consumers and small businesses.
Ben Ayme
CEO of SkillSnap
https://skillsnap.com/profiles/1-ben-laurent-ayme
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About SkillSnap: SkillSnap is the only web-based recruitment platform which helps recruiters and hiring managers recruit LESS by identifying the best fit.
Venkatesh Akula
Founder & CEO of ClicQA
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About ClicQA: ClicQA is an Independent Software Testing company dedicated to cater a wide range of software testing services to clients across the globe.
Daniel Ospina
Co-Founder and CEO of Conductal
Daniel is an Organization Designer. Through his company, Conductal, Daniel uses Social System Design to create incentives and processes that spark creativity and enable business agility at scale in startups and established organisations. Beyond Conductal, Daniel is a visiting lecturer on System Design at Oxford University, a Co-founder of Crossmodalism, an Associate Fellow of London University, and a Fellow of the RSA.
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About Conductal: Conductal help smaller organizations to scale and larger ones to manage communities and innovate.
Steve Dann
Founder & CEO of Amplified Robot
An AR Expert and Augmented Reality Evangelist, Steve is a regular writer and contributor to media blogs, and is a thought-leader in the digital media and augmented reality sectors. He is a regular speaker on the subject of AR and New Technology at conferences and events.Based in London, Steve is currently the CEO of Amplified Robot, and Chairman of Berwick Post Ltd and is responsible for the strategy and commercial activity of both companies. Most recently, he has been responsible for spear-heading Amplified Robot’s drive into Augmented Reality and Digital Media. Steve trained as a film editor initially, before founding one of the UK’s largest creative post production Groups, VTR Plc. He has over 30 years experience in the Broadcast Post Production Market; selling creative and technical services to International Broadcasters, Production Companies and Advertising Agencies. He is also the founder and organiser of the Augmenting Reality Meetup Group, which regularly meets to discuss, view and demonstrate the latest innovations in AR and related Technologies.
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About Amplified Robot, Medical Realities: At Amplified Robot, we firmly believe in the seamless integration of technology with human interaction.
Klementiev Sergey
Chief Executive Officer of Intellectual Investments
Moved from Russia to Australia 4 years ago to develop his computing and management skills.
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About Intellectual Investments: Intellectual Investments will produce high-tech intellectual robots and artificial intelligence for stock market forecasting and the.
Gabriel Giani
CEO of BARO Vehicles
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About BARO Vehicles, idomotics: Tech company that develops products for self driving cars and mobile robots with AI. Building the bridge to autonomous vehicles!
Raoul-Gabriel Urma
CEO and Founder of Cambridge Spark
Raoul-Gabriel Urma is a PhD student in Computer Science at the University of Cambridge. His research centers on programming languages and software engineering. He is an author of the upcoming book Java 8 in Action: Lambdas, Streams, and functional-style programming published by Manning. In addition, Raoul has written over 10 peer-reviewed articles and given over 20 technical talks at international conferences. He has worked for large companies such as Google, eBay, Oracle, and Goldman Sachs, as well as for several startup projects.
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About Cambridge Coding Academy, Cambridge Spark: Cambridge Spark is a leader in personalised Data Science training.
Garry Haywood
CEO/CTO & Founder of Kinicho
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About Kinicho: making it easier to create and distribute spatial audio
Alex Lawrence-Berkeley
CEO of Level Five Supplies
CEO of Level Five Supplies, board member of Go-Op Trains Cooperative, Masterfilter Ltd, former co-founder of Self Driving Track Days.
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About Level Five Supplies: Marketplace and integrator of autonomous vehicle technologies
Chris Fleming
CEO of CYBERHAWK Innovations
Chris Fleming is recognised as a pioneer in the drone inspection industry. Having personally carried out over 150 live flare inspections to date, he still leads field teams on the most technically challenging projects for Cyberhawk. As an offshore Inspection Engineer, Chris has spent the last 20 years working around the globe in Australia, Norway, the North Sea, the Middle East, Malaysia and Brunei. Prior to joining Cyberhawk, Chris specialised in FPSO operations with his last seven years on the Captain FPSO.
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About CYBERHAWK Innovations: Cyberhawk provides aerial inspection and surveying by using Remotely Operated Aerial Vehicles (ROAV).
Conrad Wolfram
Chief Executive Officer of Wolfram Research
Conrad Wolfram is a mathematician, technologist, and entrepreneur. He founded the European [Wolfram Research](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/wolfram-research) in 1991 and works as its CEO. He launched computerbasedmath.org in 2010. Since 1997, Wolfram has also been a strategic director of the worldwide group, where he initiates and directs the business, marketing, design, and a variety of strategic technical projects, including the CDF Player concept to webMathematica, which underlies Wolfram|Alpha to conceptualizing wolfram.com. Conrad Wolfram has an MA from Cambridge University, U.K., where he read physics and mathematics.
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About ComputerBasedMath.org, Wolfram Alpha, Wolfram Research, Wolfram Research: Wolfram Research is a computer, web, and cloud software company that offers solutions for sectors such as education, R&D, and sciences.
Dean Sadler
CEO of Tribepad
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About Tribepad: Recruitment Software Specialists. Products include Applicant Tracking System (ATS), Onboarding, Video Interviewing and Contractor Management
Jeremy Russell
CEO of OR Productivity
Jeremy Russell is CEO at OR Productivity plc.
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About OR Productivity: OR Productivity develops and commercializes surgical robotics for healthcare providers and hospitals.
Dan Collier
Co-Founder, Director of Sales and Strategy & CEO of ElevateDirect.com
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About ElevateDirect.com: Productivity enhancement tool for recruitment across all workforce categories
Richard Hancock
Chief Executive Officer of Blue Maestro
Richard Hancock joined Blue Maestro as Chief Executive Officer in 2012.
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About Blue Maestro: Environment and health monitoring solutions from developing innovative Bluetooth devices to hosting a cloud platform for sensor telemetrics.
Rui Andres
Chief Executive Officer of Fieldwork Robotics
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About Fieldwork Robotics: Fieldwork Robotics is developing and commercializing soft, selective, and autonomous harvesting robots.
Chris Reid
Founder & CEO of Connect Childcare
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About Connect Childcare: Connect Childcare are proud to develop integrated solutions for Management, Observation & Communication for Childcare Providers.
Jack Cornes
CEO of HausBots
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About HausBots: Technology to protect and maintain the built environment. Our patent pending wall climbing robot is being used in painting and inspection.
Robert Hogg
Chief Executive Officer of Black Marble
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About Black Marble, British Computer Society: Black Marble develops solutions across the Microsoft platform, from custom developed software solutions.
Bartek Wlodarczyk
Chief Executive Officer & President of SKY ENGINE
Bartek Włodarczyk is the Chief Executive Officer & President at Sky Engine.
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About SKY ENGINE: Evolutionary AI Platform for the Deep Learning in Virtual Reality with Synthetic Data for any Computer Vision applications
Jacqui Taylor
Founder & CEO of FlyingBinary
Jacqui Taylor is a Founder & CEO at FlyingBinary.
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About FlyingBinary: FlyingBinary are dedicated and passionate individuals who are leading the way to the adoption of a cloud based IT strategy.
Zuke Okolo
CEO of Synergy At Work
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About Synergy At Work: Synergy At Work is an HR Robotics and Automation SaaS Platform, driving HR Process and cloud automation capability forward.
