Episode 244 of The Robot Report Podcast features Ajay Agarwal, partner at Bain Capital Ventures. We go deep into his investing experience, investment thesis, and how he has learned to identify great investments in robotics.
Podcast guest: Ajay Agarwal
Ajay Agarwal is a partner at BCV. | Credit: Bain Capital
Ajay Agarwal is a partner at Bain Capital Ventures (BCV) with more than two decades of experience investing in early-stage technology companies across software, AI, logistics, and industrial automation.
He has a rare combination of deep venture expertise and hands-on perspective in robotics, having led BCV’s early investment in Kiva Systems (now Amazon Robotics) and backed companies at the intersection of digital and physical systems.
Agarwal focuses on practical automation in supply chains and factories. He is also watching the rise of humanoid robotics and the technical and economic constraints shaping the field.
Show timeline
- 6:45 – 2026 RBR50 winners released
- 19:02 – News of the week
- 28:16 – Ajay Agarwal, partner at Bain Capital Ventures
News of the week
Here are the news stories covered on the show this week:
- Download the full list of 2026 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards
- Hello Robot’s latest Stretch 4 is bigger, faster, and stronger than previous versions
- Automated Tire decloaks with new autonomous tire-changing SmartBay
Sponsors
Thanks to our sponsors who make this content possible.
This episode is brought to you by Yamaha Robotics Group (YRG) — driving the future of smart automation.
Yamaha’s Linear Conveyor Modules and Advanced Operator Interfaces are helping engineers push efficiency and flexibility further than ever.
And let’s face it: The PLC isn’t going anywhere — it’s evolving.
LEARN MORE AT: https://hs.yrginc.com/therobotreport
If you’re designing robots beyond controlled factory cells, mobile manipulators, quadrupeds, or humanoids, maxon is worth a stop at the Robotics Summit & Expo this month in Boston.
At the show, maxon is exhibiting its High Efficiency Joint (HEJ) portfolio: fully integrated robotic joints that combine motor, gearing, electronics, and sensing in a compact unit. Built for cyclic loads, impacts, and continuous operation, HEJ joints are designed for real‑world robotics.
See maxon’s HEJ90 demonstrator at Booth 419 on the expo show floor.
LEARN MORE AT: https://www.maxongroup.com/en-us
To learn how you can sponsor a future episode of The Robot Report Podcast, contact: Jami Brownlee – jbrownlee@wtwhmedia.com
Would you like to be a guest on a future episode? Contact Mike Oitzman – moitzman@wtwhmedia.com
Register now for the 2026 Robotics Summit & Expo
Registration is now open for the Robotics Summit & Expo, the world’s leading technical event for commercial robotics developers. The event is produced by The Robot Report and WTWH Media.
>> LISTEN TO THE PODCAST EPISODE FOR A DISCOUNT CODE TO REGISTER! <<
The show will have more than 50 sessions in tracks on physical AI, design and development, enabling technologies, healthcare, and logistics. The Engineering Theater on the show floor will also feature presentations by industry experts.
More than 70 speakers are confirmed from companies such as AWS, Brain Corp, Fictiv, Harmonic Drive, maxon, PickNik Robotics, RealSense, the Robotics and AI Institute, Robust AI, Tesla, Toyota Research Institute, and more.
The summit will also feature a number of networking opportunities. They include a Mix & Mingle Networking Reception after the first day of the show and the ticketed Women in Robotics Breakfast and RBR50 Awards Dinner.
The Robotics Summit & Expo is co-located with DeviceTalks Boston, which focuses on medical devices.
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