The Latest Trends in Robotics Innovation ～Inviting industry insiders in Boston

Venture investments in robotics companies slowed down in 2020 mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however it recovered significantly in 2021. While venture investment is anticipated to slow down amid the economic and financial uncertainties, the robotics industry is forecast to expand steadily as we respond to challenges of the society including demographic changes and adjustments in supply chains, and also on the back of advancement of technologies.

Robotics is an important driver of growth and innovation for many global enterprises. They had started to actively collaborate with startups via joint R&D activities, go-to-market efforts, investments, and M&As.

In this webcast, we will first touch on how Japanese companies are working with US-based robotics ventures, and then will invite industry insiders in Boston, one of the world’s biggest robotics innovation hubs, to share the latest trends in the robotics innovation from the local perspectives. We also aim to discuss how Japanese corporates can leverage this innovation ecosystem.

Language: The first 15 minutes will be presenting in Japanese only.

Agenda:

10:00-10:15 Opening

Ryohei Hirota
EY Strategy and Consulting Co., Ltd.
Strategy and Transactions, Associate Partner

10:15-10:45 Latest trends in robotics innovation in Boston

Fady Saad
General Partner of Cybernetix Ventures
Co-Founder of MassRobotics

Mark Martin
General Partner of Cybernetix Ventures
Former VP of Analog Devices

10:45-11:00 Q&A/Closing

Ryohei Hirota
EY Strategy and Consulting Co., Ltd.
Strategy and Transactions, Associate Partner

Guest Speakers:

Fady Saad
General Partner of Cybernetix Ventures
Co-Founder of MassRobotics

He is the Co-founder of MassRobotics; the first and largest robotics & AI startup escalator in the world. Fady led the multi-million dollar fundraising for the organization and architected MassRobotics’ corporate partnership program and business model. Fady supported & advised multiple startups and introduced them to 150+ VCs in the US & globally.
Early in his career, Fady was a Regional Manager of Nokia Siemens Networks in North Africa and Europe where he led and managed multimillion-euro acquisitions and bids. He was also part of the team that led the merger between Siemens Com and Nokia Networks in North Africa for 700+ employees.
Fady holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the American University in Cairo and a MS in Engineering, Systems Design, and Management from MIT.

Mark Martin
General Partner of Cybernetix Ventures
Former VP of Analog Devices

He is an experienced investor, board member, advisor, and tech executive.
Mark is a former VP of Analog Devices Industrial Automation, Sensors, and IoT division where he ran a $1B+ business, led multiple acquisitions, led strategic investments, and scaled new business ventures. Mark has 25+ years of executive tech leadership spanning industrial, healthcare, automotive, and consumer industries. Mark executed the sale of two business units for more than $450M and led $100M of acquisitions across 4 transactions.
Mark has a BS in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University and an MS in Engineering Management from Tufts University’s Gordon Institute. He is also a recipient of the Tufts Outstanding Career Achievement award. In his spare time Mark enjoys traveling, golf, and spending time with his family on Cape Cod.

Speaker from EY:

Ryohei Hirota
EY Strategy and Consulting Co., Ltd. Strategy and Transactions, Associate Partner

As TMT (Technology, Media & Entertainment Telecommunications) Sector Leader, he spearheads strategic dialogue with clients on key management agenda ranging from M&A to transformation to innovation to sustainability. Further, he leads intra-firm coordination across geographies and service lines to bring to clients "Best of EY” and “Whole of EY“.
Before joining EY, he was focused on M&A and open innovation advisory for TMT sector clients at a global firm, and also served as Japan-US M&A Corridor Leader based in New York City. Prior to that, he worked at a European and a US investment bank as a TMT sector banker, advising blue chip clients on their M&As and capital markets transactions. He also has experience in leadership development consulting and economic development assistance. 
Ryo earned B.Ec. in Economics from University of Tokyo as well as MBA from Yale School of Management.