Episode 242 of The Robot Report Podcast features Neal Hansch, managing partner and CEO of Silicon Foundry. In this episode, Hansch shares his expertise on how startups can navigate enterprise engagement, the evolving landscape of physical AI and robotics, and the impact of macroeconomic shifts on innovation strategy.
Neal Hansch, CEO, Silicon Foundry.
Hansch draws on more than 25 years of experience in venture capital, corporate development, and technology operations to advise Fortune 2,000 companies on innovation. His career spans leadership roles across investment, emerging markets, and mergers and acquisitions, including positions at Rustic Canyon Partners, MEST, and Macromedia.
A Duke and UCLA Anderson graduate, Neal is based in San Francisco with his family.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur, corporate innovation leader, or investor, Hansch offers valuable perspectives on fostering meaningful collaboration between emerging tech startups and large enterprises.
To learn more about co-host Mike Oitzman’s participation in the 2026 CATS production of Rashomon, read the review here.
Show timeline
- 8:02 – News of the week
- 21:00 – Neal Hansch, CEO, Silicon Foundry
News of the week
Engelberger Robotics Awards announced
The Association for Advancing Automation (A3) announced Hiroshi Fujiwara, executive director of the Japan Robot Association (JARA), and Robert Little, co-founder of ATI Industrial Automation, as the honorees of the prestigious 2026 Joseph F. Engelberger Robotics Awards.
Fujiwara has served as executive director of JARA since 2009, leading strategic operations and policy advocacy for Japan’s robotics industry. In that role, he has helped foster collaboration among industry leaders, government agencies, and international partners to support industrial and service robotics innovation.
Little has more than 40 years of experience in robotics, automation, and manufacturing. In 1989, he co-founded ATI Industrial Automation and helped grow the company from approximately $1 million to more than $100 million in revenue.
Under Little’s leadership, ATI became a global leader in robotic tool changers, force/torque sensing, and other end-effector technologies, expanding the practical use of robots in manufacturing. The Robot Report recently spoke with Little and will share that conversation soon.
Flex and Teradyne expand partnership to scale physical AI
Flex said it plans to deploy robots from Teradyne Robotics across its own production facilities worldwide to drive operational efficiency. The Austin, Texas-based company already makes key components for force- and power-limited robots from Teradyne unit Universal Robots (UR).
By integrating UR cobots and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) from Mobile Industrial Robot (MiR), another Teradyne unit, into its facilities, Flex is attempting to solve the “scale problem” that has long hindered the widespread adoption of physical AI.
In addition, Teradyne announced its first-quarter financial results. The North Reading, Mass.-based testing and automation company brought in $91 million in Q1 of 2026. This was an increase from both its Q1 2026 and Q4 2026 sales, as well as its fourth consecutive quarter of growth.
Teradyne had conducted two rounds of layoffs last year after declines in revenue in 2023 and 2024.
Figure scales up production at BotQ
Figure AI has transitioned to a high-output production phase at its BotQ facility in the San Francisco Bay Area, achieving significant throughput milestones:
- Production velocity: The humanoid robot producer said it has increased throughput by 24x in under 120 days, moving from one robot per day to one robot per hour.
- Output volume: It has delivered over 350 third-generation robots (Figure 03) and produced over 9,000 actuators and 500 battery packs.
- Quality control: Figure has implemented 150 networked workstations and over 50 in-process inspection points.
- Yield improvements: Achieved a first-pass yield of over 80% at the end-of-line and 99.3% for the battery line.
- Rigorous testing: Each unit undergoes more than 80 functional tests, including “burn-in” sessions involving thousands of cycles of squats, presses, and jogging to eliminate early-cycle failures.
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
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.
The post The art of crossing the chasm: When is a startup ready for enterprise adoption? appeared first on The Robot Report.