Sessions: Robotics | TechCrunch

Colin Angle is chairman of the board, chief executive officer and co-founder of iRobot (Nasdaq: IRBT). Angles leadership has transformed the Massachusetts Institute of Technology spin-off into a global leader of practical robots. One of the worlds leading authorities on mobile robots, Angle is an industry pioneer with more than two decades of experience. Under his guidance, iRobot is at the forefront of the growing robot industry, delivering home and military robots that are making a difference.

A longtime sailor, Angle is known for his ability to bring together and inspire a winning crew. By setting a course of team empowerment, collaboration and innovation, Angle is enabling iRobot to deliver cutting-edge, market-leading robots that save time and lives. Today, more than 14 million home robots have been sold worldwide, revolutionizing the way people clean. More than 5,000 military robots have been delivered to defense forces worldwide, performing thousands of dangerous missions while keeping troopsout of harmsway.

Angles vision for the future of robots and his keen sense of business strategy are driving forces behind iRobots successful identification and execution of expansion opportunities. Under Angles leadership, iRobot has formed strategic p artnerships with Clorox, Boeing and a variety of other companies, building on decades of expertise from each partner to create new and innovative robot solutions.

In iRobots early days, Angle and his team designed the behavior-controlled rovers for NASA that led to the Sojourner exploring Mars in 1997. Angles team won the NASA Group Achievement Award for its accomplishments, and his name is inscribed inside the case of Spirit, the Mars exploration rover on displa y at NASA.

Before co-founding iRobot in 1990, Angle was president of Artificial Creatures Inc. Earlier in his career, Angle worked at MITs Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, where he first teamed with iRobot co-founders Helen Greiner and Rodney Brooks. Angles master thesis at MIT produced Genghis, a six-legged auto nomous walking robot that is now at the Smithsonian National Air and Science Museum in Washington, D.C.

Angles leadership has been recognized with numerous professional awards. He has been named CEO of the Year by the Mass Technology Leadership Council, a Mass High Tech AllStar, one of Fortune Small Business Magazines Best Bosses and New England Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst and Young . Angle has a ppeared on CNN and CNBC, and has been profiled as an industry expert in media outlets such as Business Week, CNET, the New York Times and Newsweek. Angle is a member of the board of directors at Striiv, Inc.

Angle holds a bachelors degree in electrical engineering and a masters degree in computer science, both from MIT.

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Sessions: Robotics | TechCrunch