- Brad Porter’s journey into the tech world began with a solid foundation in academics. He pursued his undergraduate studies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he delved deep into computer science.
- Porter’s career trajectory is marked by a series of strategic roles that have shaped his expertise and leadership in technology.
In the ever-evolving realm of technology, few names resonate as profoundly as Brad Porter’s. As the CEO and founder of Collaborative Robotics, Porter stands at the forefront of innovation, steering one of the world’s largest cloud computing platforms into the future. His journey mirrors a narrative of determination, foresight, and relentless pursuit of excellence.
Education background
Brad Porter’s journey into the tech world began with a solid foundation in academics. He pursued his undergraduate studies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he delved deep into computer science.
His time at MIT not only honed his technical skills but also ignited a passion for leveraging technology to solve complex problems.
After completing his undergraduate degree, Porter continued to push the boundaries of technology by pursuing a Master’s degree in computer science and engineering, further solidifying his expertise in the field. His academic pursuits laid the groundwork for what would become a stellar career in the tech industry.
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Career journey
Porter’s career trajectory is marked by a series of strategic roles that have shaped his expertise and leadership in technology.
Career start
Porter started his career at web browser pioneer Netscape and Tellme Networks, a company focused on voice search and telephony applications that was later acquired by Microsoft. In these companies, Porter accumulated a deep technical background and industry experience, which laid a solid foundation for his future career development.
Amazon’s glory days
Porter joined Amazon in 2007, kicking off his glory days at the global e-commerce giant. At Amazon, he grew to become a distinguished engineer and was promoted to vice president of Amazon Robotics in 2017. In this role, he was responsible for managing Amazon’s robotics operations in warehouses and other high-tech projects, including the development and application of cutting-edge technologies such as warehouse robots, drones and unmanned delivery robots.
Porter’s achievements at Amazon are not only reflected in technical innovation, but also in his effective management of the team and deep insight into the project. The team he led has achieved remarkable results in improving warehouse operation efficiency and optimising customer experience, making important contributions to Amazon’s rapid development.
Leave and join Scale AI
Despite his remarkable success at Amazon, Porter chose to make a new choice at another important point in his career. He joined Scale AI, which was founded by Alexandr Wang in 2016 as its CTO. Behind this decision is Porter’s deep identification with Scale AI technology and boundless vision for the entrepreneurial environment.
Scale AI is a startup focused on accelerating the development of AI applications, with its core business of using software and humans to process and annotate image, lidar, and map data for companies creating machine learning algorithms. These high-quality data are the key fuel driving artificial intelligence algorithms, and Scale AI is providing such services to help the rapid development of autonomous driving, computer vision and other fields.
Porter said he was excited by Scale AI’s technology and wanted to take the opportunity to experience the entrepreneurial environment and contribute to the company’s growth. After joining Scale AI, he will be responsible for managing the company’s engineering team and driving continuous innovation and upgrading of the company’s technology.
Since its inception, Scale AI has risen rapidly under the leadership of Alexandr Wang to become a new unicorn in Silicon Valley. The company not only attracted many top talent to join, but also received multiple rounds of funding and a valuation of more than $1 billion. PandaSet, Scale AI’s open source data set, provides important support for the research and development of autonomous driving technology and promotes the progress of the entire industry.
Porter’s addition has certainly injected new energy and momentum into Scale AI. His extensive technical experience and forward-looking strategic vision will bring new opportunities and challenges to the company’s development. We have every reason to believe that with the joint efforts of Porter and Alexandr Wang, Scale AI will make more brilliant achievements in the field of artificial intelligence.
Collaborative Robotics
During his nearly 14-year tenure at Amazon, Brad Porter accumulated extensive experience in robotics development and team management, laying a solid foundation for his entrepreneurial journey. In 2022, Porter founded Collaborative Robotics, a company dedicated to developing practical collaborative robots (cobots). He aims to redefine the future of human-machine interaction through innovative collaborative robotics technology, enabling safer and more natural cooperation between robots and humans.
Porter assembled a team of experienced developers and managers, including Jon Battles, the vice president of Technical Strategy, who has over twenty years of experience with Amazon’s robotics team. This team not only possesses extensive knowledge of robotics technology but also has the capability to integrate automation with human problem-solving, streamlining workflows, alleviating employee stress, and reducing errors.
Since its inception, Collaborative Robotics has quickly gained market recognition. In 2024, the company completed a $100 million Series B financing round led by General Catalyst, with participation from several well-known investment firms, including Bison Ventures, Lux Capital, and Industry Ventures.
Existing investors such as Sequoia Capital and Khosla Ventures also participated in this round. As a result, Cobot’s total funding has surpassed $140 million in less than two years.
Porter stated that this round of financing will primarily be used for the commercialisation of autonomous mobile manipulators and plans to further expand the talent team to support its rapid business growth and market expansion. He emphasised that Cobot’s collaborative robots are ready to be deployed in multiple pilot projects and are expected to launch their first product within the next year. This robot will have omnidirectional mobility, capable of picking up, carrying, and placing packages and boxes, and interacting efficiently and intuitively with humans.
Technological innovation and future prospects
Collaborative Robotics employs a “building block” approach to hardware design and plans to navigate and learn new tasks by adjusting software and machine learning. They emphasise using off-the-shelf components and digitally designed systems to reduce costs and simplify supply chain management. This innovative design approach not only enhances product flexibility and scalability but also lowers the market entry barrier.
Porter is confident about Cobot’s future. He believes that as technology continues to develop and the market matures, Cobot’s collaborative robots will play a crucial role in various fields, including manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, and municipal services. He is convinced that through Cobot’s efforts and market support, collaborative robots will achieve closer and more efficient cooperation with humans, jointly promoting social progress and development.
