Robotics & AI Venture Studio
Carnegie Foundry is a one-of-a-kind robotics and AI venture studio, headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA.
In partnership with the world leader in autonomous robotics and AI - the National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC) at Carnegie Mellon University – we develop, mature and commercialize cutting-edge intellectual property and advanced prototypes, already market tested and primed for new and expanded applications.
This partnership combines expertise from decades of applied R&D work in autonomy with highly strategic, corporate investors - that include Oshkosh Corporation and U.S. Steel Corporation - to launch innovative companies focused on industrial automation and robotics. This highly specialized expertise and unique business model means Carnegie Foundry can bring multi-use technology solutions to market - minimizing the engineering risks, long lead times and high burn rates that are the most common points of failure for other companies in autonomation and robotics.
Over $400 million is invested in the proprietary hardware and AI algorithms that power 25 years of NREC products, prototypes and IP that Carnegie Foundry leverages.
Photos courtesy of National Robotics Engineering Center, Carnegie Mellon University
We scope the most promising of that work for customization and redeployment in other sectors or to extend autonomous solutions across an industry's value chain. In partnership with NREC and its 140+ engineers, we can simultaneously scale multiple projects, and multiple technical challenges - to spin-off innovative new companies aligned with industry needs in a fraction of the time it would take others to mature only one.
Pittsburgh is a hotbed of innovation for robotics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, thanks in large part to the influence of National Robotics Engineering Center at Carnegie Mellon University.
In the past decade, more than eighty local companies were acquired by the likes of Amazon, Autodesk, Delphi Automotive, IBM, Philips Healthcare, and Yelp.
Additionally, major technology companies, including Amazon, Uber, Facebook, Apple, Bosch, Caterpillar, Google, GE, and Tata, have opened technical or research offices in Pittsburgh.
Our work spans industries, including...
Autonomous Vehicles & Transportation Agriculture & Food Automation Manufacturing & Logistics
Warehouse and Materials Handling
Retail Automation
Healthcare & Health & Wellness
Defense, Security & Intelligence
Energy, Mining & Natural Resources Robotics Retraining & Upskilling
Critical MAss of Robotics & AI expertise, including...
Unmanned & Assisted Vehicle Systems
Robotic Manipulation & Navigation
Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)
Situational Awareness & Perception
Sensor Design & Integration
Hybrid Cloud & Edge Processing
Video & Audio Forensics
Applied AI & Deep Learning Systems
Complex Systems Integration
The Executive Team
Robert J. Szczerba, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Co-founder
Former Technology Executive and Senior Fellow Emeritus in Robotics & Automation at Lockheed Martin, and CEO of several tech startups
Herman Herman, Ph.D.
Chief Technology Officer
Co-founder
Current Director of the National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC) at Carnegie Mellon University and founder of multiple Robotics Companies
Jeff Legault
Executive Vice President Business Development Co-founder
Current Associate Director of the National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC) at Carnegie Mellon University leading relationships with 100+ industry executives on Robotics & AI
Karl Sanchack
Chief Operating Officer
Former President & CEO of the Erie Innovation District and veteran operations, innovation executive at Lockheed Martin
Michael Lutzky
Chief Strategy Officer
Former McKinsey & Company Management consultant and global media executive at Associated Press and NPR
Matthew Wachter J.D.
Vice President Finance & Investment
Former Vice President Finance & Development of the Erie Downtown Development Corporation, member of the KPMG M&A tax group and transactional law practitioner
To learn more about Carnegie Foundry's portfolio approach to robotics investment or industry specific venture investments in robotics, contact us at info@carnegiefoundry.com
