Company

Kevin leads the development and execution of Augean’s operations strategy and is responsible for building the machine that builds the Burros. Prior to joining Augean, Kevin gained extensive experience launching, scaling, and improving manufacturing and supply chain operations in large-scale and start-up environments at Tesla and for clients of Deloitte Consulting. Most recently, Kevin applied his operational mindset to developing TE Connectivity’s corporate and distribution go-to-market strategies, with an emphasis on implementation and value capture. Kevin’s passion for bringing impactful products to market was reinforced while obtaining an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management, an M.S. in Supply Chain Systems Engineering from MIT School of Engineering, and a B.S. in Systems Engineering from University of Pennsylvania.

Vanessa is focused on building an inclusive and equitable culture at Burro. She strongly believes that happy employees make happy customers. As a member of the Senior Leadership team, Vanessa handles investor relations, manages Burro’s legal team, and drives organizational structure as the company continues to grow. Vanessa also works to hire, attract, and retain a world-class team of robot-enthusiasts working to solve the most pressing issues in the agriculture industry. She received her B.A from Ursinus College and J.D. from Temple University Beasley School of Law. Vanessa loves to spend time with her long-haired dachshund and is a big supporter of the vibrant Philadelphia art scene, including museums and the ballet.

Terry leads the development of a unified technical vision, architecture, and autonomy roadmap with Augean Robotics. Prior to Augean, Terry worked as a robotic software developer with COSY and as a design engineer and project manager with a large manufacturer supplying African railroads. Terry received his Ph.D. from University of Oxford’s Robotic Institute where his research focused on computer-vision-based autonomous navigation and mapping, and a BSc (B.S.) in Electro-Mechanical Engineering from University of Capetown. He grew up in South Africa where he gained a love for machinery and robotics.

Rohit leads product management at Burro and is focused on building the next generation of farm robots. Prior to Burro, Rohit has led product and engineering in the self-driving vehicle industry, including Cruise and Waymo, and built warehousing robots at Google X. He received his B.Tech from Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati and an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Guillermo is Burro’s vice president of engineering. He is focused on bringing operational excellence and engineering craftsmanship to the engineering team. Prior to Burro, Guillermo spent 15 years working in the automotive industry. He was the Director of Planning, Controls and HMI at Woven Planet and the Toyota Research Institute in California. Guillermo also worked for 12 years for the ADAS and AD departments of Renault in Paris and Nissan in Japan developing and shipping to production chassis control and ADAS/AD systems. He received his Ph.D. in controls theory from Centrale Supelec in France and two masters degrees in electrical engineering and applied mathematics from Supelec and Paris Sud. He has 15 papers and over 60 patents.

Mark has 25+ years of strategic finance experience across multiple sectors and companies.  Most recently Mark was the Chief Financial Officer at Medical Guardian, a leading Healthcare company helping people live a life without limits, where he oversaw the Finance and Accounting teams through M&A and profitable growth.  Prior to that Mark was the Chief Financial Officer at Gopuff where he led the growth and scale of enterprise value over 3500%.  Over the past 10 years Mark has driven growth by building a world class finance organization focused on profitability and multiple strategic acquisitions.

Prior to Gopuff, Mark led Accounting and Finance organizations for large retail and technology companies including eBay Enterprise (now Radial), Aramark, and Wawa.  Mark began his career in the Philadelphia startup scene, building teams and partnership to successfully work through an acquisition and IPO at Zany Brainy.

Mark received his MBA in Finance and BS in Accounting from Drexel University and sits on both the Riddle Hospital Healthcare Foundation Board as Treasurer and the Advisory Committee of the CFO Leadership Council.

Vibhor builds Burros and his software controls them. He develops many of the computer-vision approaches to localization and autonomy at Augean Robotics. Prior to Augean, Vibhor worked as a researcher at Lehigh’s Vader Labs where he specialized in accurate infrastructure free outdoor localization, and as a software engineer at Samsung. He received an M.E.E from Lehigh University, and a B.S. Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering from Manav Rachna International University in Faridabad, India.

Charlie grew up on a working farm. This experience led him to believe that all tedious outdoor labor should be automated, and simultaneously to understand the challenges that robots face in industries like agriculture. He founded Burro after working for CNHi, where he reported to the head of the North American operating unit and worked on special projects across sales, marketing, manufacturing, distribution, and autonomy M&A. He received a BA from Amherst College, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Don leads the sales, marketing, and business development teams at Burro and is focused on executing an aggressive growth effort within new and existing market segments. Don has held several senior executive roles with SMB tech companies including a number of startups and owner founder entities spanning multiple industries. Don has an MBA from IESE (Barcelona) and completed an MS-DS at Northwestern University in 2019. Don was raised among the farms and ice hockey arenas of Saskatchewan, Canada.

Ylan is a Strategy and Operations Analyst at Burro helping to facilitate and oversee manufacturing, create operational procedures, analyze field data to drive product reliability improvements, and increase customer value. She attended the University of Pittsburgh receiving an Industrial Engineering degree with a minor in Economics and a Certificate in Product Design, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship. In her free time, Ylan loves to play tennis, watch psychological thrillers, and experiment with different art forms.

Stacy is Burro’s People Operations Associate. She fully embraces fulfilling team happiness, from bagels to benefits, diversity training to continuing ed, onboarding to OKR’s, culture to cookies. Burro is her 3rd start up experience, as she was previously the Director of Employee & Community Engagement at WebLinc Ecommerce. Born and raised in Philly, she is a cheerleader for her beloved city, frequently attending the Philadelphia Orchestra and Opera, and can often be found wandering Philly’s world class museums, galleries, and vintage flea markets. Stacy attended Temple and Syracuse University, earning a degree in Psychology.

Camillo J. Taylor is currently the Raymond S. Markowitz President’s Distinguished Professor with the Computer and Information Science Department and GRASP Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Taylor received his A.B. degree in Electrical Computer and Systems Engineering from Harvard College in 1988 and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Yale University in 1990 and 1994 respectively. Dr. Taylor was the Jamaica Scholar in 1984, a member of the Harvard chapter of Phi Beta Kappa and held a Harvard College Scholarship from 1986-1988. From 1994 to 1997 Dr. Taylor was a postdoctoral researcher and lecturer with the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of California, Berkeley. He joined the faculty of the Computer and Information Science Department at the University of Pennsylvania in September 1997. Dr Taylor’s research interests lie primarily in the fields of Computer Vision and Robotics and include: reconstruction of 3D models from images, vision-guided robot navigation and scene understanding. Dr. Taylor has served as an Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions of Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence. He has also served on numerous conference organizing committees and is a General Chair of the International Conference on Computer Vision (ICCV) 2021. He was a Program Chair of the 2006 and 2017 editions of the IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition and of the 2013 edition of 3DV. In 2012 he was awarded the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching at the University of Pennsylvania.

Shreshtha is a robotic software engineer at Burro. She builds motion planning and perception algorithms that leverage computer vision and AI, enabling Burros to better understand, travel through, and manipulate their environments. Prior to joining Burro, she developed pick and place applications using robot manipulators and perception features for autonomous vehicles for Wipro Limited, and held engineering roles with Refraction AI and Honda. She received her Masters Degree in Robotics from University of Michigan, and her B.E. in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from R.V. College of Engineering in Bangalore. Outside of work, she enjoys cooking, playing basket ball and singing with her guitar.

Stephen designs and builds the mechanical components of Burro. Prior to working at Augean, Stephen was a Lead Structural Engineer at SpaceX for ten years, where he worked on the mechanical components of the Falcon 9 rockets and Dragon Spacecraft. Stephen also worked at Space Systems Loral, where he contributed to the development of satellite structures. He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and minor in Engineering Management from Cornell University.

Mona is a robotics engineer at Burro, where she focuses on robot localization and mapping. Before joining Burro, she worked as a software developer at Quandl Inc. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies, where her research centered on long-term visual localization. Mona also completed an M.S. in Computing Science at the University of Alberta and a B.S. in Computer Science at the University of Toronto.

Josh is a robotics autonomy engineer at Burro and is passionate about all things robots. He builds the brains of the bots which includes sensor fusion, perception, localization, path planning, and control. His prior experience in autonomy includes an aerostat for surveillance, drones for special operations, autonomous cars, and agriculture robots. Before his career in robotics, he had a career in the nuclear industry as a nuclear, electrical, instrumentation, and control engineer. Prior to that, he was a nuclear reactor operator and electronics technician for six years in the US Navy. When not working, he’s reading something scientific, adventuring in nature, or traveling.

Malavika is a robotic software engineer at Burro, and develops behaviors across obstacle handling, path planning, perception, and localization. Prior to joining the company, Malavika held software engineering roles with Wells Fargo and ZF Group. She received her M.S. in Robotics from the University of Pennsylvania, where she focused on task allocation and navigation with multi robot systems and vision-based navigation. Additionally, she received her B.S. in Instrumentation and Control Engineering at PSG College of Technology, in Coimbatore, India. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, hiking and dancing.

Chao designs and develops the electrical and embedded systems of Burro. Prior to working at Augean, Chao obtained his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, and Ph.D. Minor in Electrical Engineering at North Carolina State University where his research focused on developing wireless sensor systems and computer vision based systems for structural health monitoring. Chao also worked as a research assistant in the Robotics and Automation Laboratory at Tsinghua University in China where he developed a high-speed wafer transfer robotic system. Chao received his B.S. in Automation Engineering from Beijing Institute of Technology, China.

Ron leads the integration team at Burro, bringing his experience and enthusiasm to all aspects of the software development lifecycle. Prior to working at Burro, Ron spent the last 20 years bringing new and innovative medical imaging devices and computer-controlled scientific instruments to market. He obtained his B.S. in Computer and Information Science from Temple University, where he discovered his love for teaching and mentoring. Ron enjoys spending time with his wife and three boys, making projects such as 3D printing, electronics, and woodworking, and wondering if this is finally the year that our Philadelphia Phillies will make it back to the postseason.

Sarah Allen is a software engineer on the Robotics Infrastructure Team, creating tools to improve robot health monitoring and system testing. Prior to joining Burro, Sarah worked at Exyn Technologies as a Robotics Software Engineer on similar projects. She received her Master of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering at Cornell University and her B.S.E. at the University of Pennsylvania. In her spare time, Sarah helps to run the Philadelphia Riichi Mahjong Club.

Erik is a Senior Mechatronics Engineer here at Burro, designing  hardware components and expansion packs for the platform. Before joining the team, Erik spent 7 years with a local startup developing high-power wireless charging systems for EVs. He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, and minor in Economics, from the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Fanfei is a Senior Perception and Machine Learning Engineer at Burro. He develops machine learning algorithms for the computer vision system. Prior to working at Burro, he led the full-stack ML algorithm development for perception systems at Exyn Technologies. Fanfei completed his Ph.D. at Stevens Institute of Technology under the guidance of Dr. Brendan Englot. His research lies at the intersection of robotics and machine learning.

Yao-Chung builds the infrastructure that enables us to scale fleets of our robots. Prior to working at Augean, he conducted research on computer vision and robotics topics in Electrical and Computer Engineering Information Processing Lab at the University of Washington. He also developed several applications including a webRTC application during Google Hackathon 2020. Yao-Chung received his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering at University of Washington and B.S. from National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan.

Logan is one of our passionate software engineers working on user interface and experience as well as software architecture. Before working at Burro, Logan worked in software architecture internships and conducted research at Northwestern University investigating IoT device privacy, energy harvesting, and brain-computer interface design. Logan received his B.S. in Computer Engineering and Neuroscience from Northwestern University and is completing his Master’s degree in Computer Engineering at Northwestern, with a thesis on the analysis of modern neural sensing technology for use in consumer applications. Outside of work, Logan enjoys cooking, music, and spending time with his two cats, Pepita and Pringles.

Gabriel Smith is a software engineer at Burro, tasked with the challenge of maintaining and refining our ever-growing full stack codebase. Prior to joining Burro, Gabe worked on the development of Ver – a patent-pending computer vision based VR software stack for strabismus therapy, and also taught Python to middle schoolers. Gabriel received a B.S. in Computer Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. Outside of tinkering with robots and developing software, he enjoys watching baseball, building Lego vehicles and buildings and reading books by authors like J. R. Tolkien and Brandon Sanderson.

Safy graduated with a M.Sc. degree in artificial intelligence and robotics from University of La Sapienza in Rome, Italy, where he focused his studies on robot localization and mapping, computer vision and neural networks. His work experience is in developing autonomous drones and ground robots for agriculture and environmental assessment solutions. Safy enjoys surfing, kayaking, snowboarding and being out in nature.

Craig is developing Burro’s robotic simulation and integration testing capabilities. Prior to Burro, Craig has spent over eight years developing robotic and autonomous systems at Triton Systems, designing electromechanical hardware at Princetel, and integrating complex, multidisciplinary systems at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Craig holds an M.S. in Robotics Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and a B.S.M.E. from Temple University. His graduate studies included coursework in robotic control systems, advanced robot navigation, and deep learning for robot perception. Craig worked with WPI’s Manipulation and Environmental Robotics (MER) Lab to implement vision-based key insertion algorithms for robotic manipulators.

Chun is a Robotics Software Engineer at Burro, currently focusing his work on dexterity. His goal is to help automate tedious work, and is doing so by helping to improve the autonomy in our technology stack. Prior to Burro, Chun was a research assistant at the GRASP lab and had robotics software internships at iRobot and Humatics. Chun obtained his M.S in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, and considers himself a curious, lifelong learner with a passion for robotics.

Ian works on Burro’s sensors and processing data from them, making sure that Burro’s brain has the information it needs to make good decisions.  Previously, he worked at the GRASP lab at UPenn on teams of robots in the air and on the ground, building algorithms to get them to collaborate.  He double majored in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Physics at Lafayette College, received an MS in Robotics from UPenn, and is working towards a PhD in Electrical and Systems Engineering at UPenn as well.  When he isn’t wrangling robots, he can often be found reading SF and Fantasy novels, playing board games, or riding a tandem bike with his wife!

Pranav is a robot support engineer at Burro, tasked with maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction while maximizing uptime and reliability. Before working at Burro, Pranav worked on autonomous low-lift and tuggers as a robot support engineer. Pranav received his M.S. degree from Texas A&M University in the field of mechanical engineering and a specialization in control systems. Outside of his work supporting robots, he enjoys tinkering with his 3D printer, gaming and reading novels.

After completing a Ph.D. thesis at Université Paris-Saclay on data localization and fusion, Salim joined Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi to work on ADAS and autonomous driving topics for L2 and L3 projects. Salim worked on the major parts of the algorithmic stack of the multi-sensor data fusion software component for five years, primarily vehicle dynamic estimation and object tracking for active emergency braking and adaptive cruise control. He also successfully led a team of eight people for two years in the development of a Lidar point cloud algorithmic stack using deep learning for a level three autonomous driving project. Salim is happy to be part of the Burro team, helping tackle new challenges around autonomous robots. He is passionate about resolving real-world issues that have a significant impact on people.

Alan designs and develops Burro’s electrical and embedded systems. Prior to working at Burro, Alan developed embedded software and accelerated image processing algorithms using low SWaP FPGA and GPU SoCs for onboard satellite processing. He also has experience developing electronics at a previous startup. Alan received his M.S. E.E. from the University of Pennsylvania and his B.S. degree from Drexel University. In his free time, Alan enjoys playing video and board games and going to Quizzo. 

Chris leads our sales and support efforts in California. He grew up on his family farm in the San Joaquin Valley, where he experienced from an early age the challenges and opportunities around using and implementing new technologies on a farm. He joined our team after working for Brandt Farms, a leading grower, packer, and shipper of table grapes, stone fruit, citrus, and persimmons in and around Reedley, CA. At Brandt, he managed ranch operations at various levels, and worked implementing various early ag technologies such as multi-spectral imaging, soil mapping, and variable rate fertility applications. From this, he has a real world understanding of technology that does what it is sold as doing and works reliably in the field. Chris and his wife Kasey have three kids (who love robots), and are heavily invested in their community.

Noe Toribio grew up in Fresno, California where he was immersed in robotics and agriculture as he participated in robotics competitions in high school and worked in the local industry, including spending time working in farm fields. He attended California State University, Fresno where he got his Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology as he simultaneously worked on projects at the intersection of robotics and agriculture.

Angel supports development of new autonomous functions and capabilities in the field, and also supports customers currently using Burros. Prior to joining the company, Angel held a variety of roles ranging from bussing tables to working in a materials testing lab and programming microcontrollers. Angel grew up in Bakersfield, where he attended Bakersfield College before transferring to UC Berkeley to earn his B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering. He joined Burro to gain more exposure into the field of AI/robotics while simultaneously helping make an impact on the type of community he grew up around. His main academic interests include machine learning, control theory, and simulation.

Josue grew up in Fresno, California, the son of extremely hardworking Mexican immigrant parents. Through his parents’ determination to provide their family with better opportunities Josue developed a strong interest in technology and education. This led him to obtain a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from UC Davis in 2015, and to work in education, teaching chemistry at Fresno High School. He continued working in education while simultaneously obtaining his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Fresno State in 2019. Today, Josue works at the intersection of education and technology, teaching crews how to use Burros and problem solving any issues to ensure our customers have an exceptional experience.

Daniel was born in Mexico, and immigrated to Delano, California when he was 10. He began working for Sunview Vineyards at the age of 15, where he experienced most of the jobs performed in table grape production firsthand, while also working on special projects including integrating geographic information systems, implementing drone mapping, and trials with ants. He attended California State Bakersfield where he obtained his B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in accounting, and joined the Burro team to make a difference in the community that surrounds him.

Isaiah grew up in Bakersfield, California, immersed in agriculture from a young age. As a child, he was taught the value of hard work by proxy of family members who worked agricultural careers. Isaiah studied at California State Bakersfield, where he received his B.S. in Computer Science in Fall 2021, taking an interest in Software Engineering. The combination of his love for technology, hard work, and proximity to agriculture is why he loves working at Burro. In his spare time, Isaiah enjoys hiking and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.