Keenan Wyrobek, Roboticist & Founder "Drones + Robots + Africa"

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Roboticist Keenan Wyrobek’s first career was founding Willow Garage which created ROS (Robot Operating System) that now makes robotic components inter-operable. After creating a foundation to sustain this vital piece of open source software, Keenan went in search of new engineering challenges. He became intrigued with the idea of helping developing countries deliver crucial medical supplies to areas that are poorly served by roads. He co-founded Zipline, the VC funded venture that is improving the lives of people in rural Rwanda. Zipline is now poised for profitable growth. Listen to this inspiring and brilliant engineer speak passionately about solving major problems while building a business.

Topics covered:

• Sal’s Pitch for Angel Invest Boston Syndicates
• Sal’s Introduction of Keenan Wyrobek
• How Keenan Wyrobek Became an Engineer
• Keenan Wyrobek Starts Willow Garage & Creates ROS (Robot Operating Systems) the Ubiquitous Open Source Software that Makes Robot Components Inter-Operable
• Robotics: 90% Software & 10% Hardware?
• Keenan Wyrobek Stumbles upon the Idea of Zipline
• “And I think the reason we got that traction in our conversations is that this was a really visceral problem. Everybody's one degree away from it. It's either your grandmother or you or your sister has gone to the hospital and the doctor says, "I could have helped you, but I don't have X."”
• It Took Two and a Half Years to Refine the Solution for Delivering Perishable Medical Supplies with Drones
• “Our first plane had a wingspan that was probably about four feet and what we operate now is 10 feet. So it's went from a plane you could carry under your arm with no problem to a thing that's a beast.”
• VCs Saw a Huge Opportunity
• In the Midst of the Drone Craze in 2014 & 2015, Zipline Was Quietly Making Progress
• New Version of the Drone Is Built to Scale
• Keenan Wyrobek’s Advice to Young People Interested in Drones
• Parting Words