Innovation Works announced last week that Kevin Dowling will serve as interim leader of the Robotics Factory. Dowling, a tech leader who was involved with three IW companies and a founding member and board chair of the Pittsburgh Robotics Network, or PRN, brings with him an impressive repertoire of experience and leadership to helm the Robotics Factory program, the organization said.
Launched in partnership with the Pittsburgh Robotics Network and other regional partners, the Robotics Factory is a part of a $63 million grant awarded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) to the Southwestern Pennsylvania New Economy Collaborative as part of their Build Back Better Regional Challenge.
The initiative aims to create, accelerate, and scale robotics startups in the Pittsburgh region, further cementing the area’s global recognition in the robotics and autonomy sector.
“We are excited to have Kevin on board,” said Ven Raju, president & CEO of Innovation Works. “Kevin brings deep domain experience to our ongoing Robotics Factory initiative. With his distinguished academic background coupled with his industry experience, he is exceptionally positioned to advance our Robotics Factory programs. Kevin will lead our highly talented team and further our efforts to create, accelerate and scale robotics startups in the region.”
Dowling has a proven track record serving as a robotics leader
Kevin’s career highlights include a 17-year tenure as a scientist and senior engineer at Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute and holding the position of CEO at Kaarta. He has also worked in technology leadership roles at PRI Automation, Color Kinetics (acquired by Philips), and MC10.
The Robotics Factory, under the leadership of Innovation Works and with four-year support from the EDA, will operate a series of interrelated programs. These are designed to stimulate the development and growth of startups in the robotics sector, focusing on creating solutions for industry-identified challenges, accelerating startups, and scaling up manufacturing.
“I am honored to join the exceptional team at Innovation Works,” said Dowling. “The Robotics Factory represents a major step forward in the growth and prominence of Pittsburgh’s robotics ecosystem. Drawing from my experiences from both academia and industry, I’m eager to contribute to our mission to create, accelerate, and scale robotics startups in the region, securing Pittsburgh’s position as a global robotics leader.”
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