We’ve talked about Agility for years. Recently, it’s been the Oregon firm’s commercialization push. This technology is astounding. The OSU study project made that evident. However, market access has proved difficult.
Warehouse fulfillment and logistics were more successful than a Ford partnership on last-mile delivery. The company has been hiring while testing a head-wearing bipedal robot. In March, I spoke with Apple and Ford veteran Aindrea Campbell, the new COO. Last year, Agility hired Renuka Ayer as CFO and Rich Bohne as CCO.
Its new CTO is another vote of confidence for its warehousing ambitions. Melonee Wise founded and led Fetch Robotics until its 2021 sale to Zebra Technologies. She was Zebra’s Robotics Automation VP for years.
“Today, we’re thrilled to cap off this incredible year of leadership growth by welcoming industry luminary and well-known roboticist Melonee Wise to the team as our new CTO,” Agility cofounder and CEO Damion Shelton said in a prepared statement.
The news announcement states, “Melonee brings as much (or more) experience in building and deploying robot fleets than just about anyone on the planet.” One could argue. Wise managed Willow Garage’s robotics logistics system. As warehouses integrate, she’ll likely assist Agility in focusing on interoperability and the robotic ecosystem.
With Wise as CTO, cofounder Jonathan Hurst, the robotics professor whose Cassie project became Digit, becomes CRO or Chief Robotics Officer. Company writes,
He changed his title from CTO to CRO to reflect his daily work: defining Agility’s research and development strategy, developing the innovation pipeline, shepherding Digit’s industrial design, and nurturing the company’s brand identity.
Substantial raises fund these moves. The company raised $180 million with a $150 million Series B in April.
