Abstract: It was July 2001.  Jorgen Pedersen founded RE2 Robotics.  It was supposed to be a temporary venture while he figured out his next career move.  But the journey took an unexpected course.  RE2 became a leading developer of mobile manipulation systems.  Fast forward to 2022, RE2 Robotics exited via an acquisition to Sarcos Technology and Robotics Corporation for $100M.  In this talk, Jorgen will share the 20 year journey of RE2 Robotics, which includes bootstrapping a robotics business, leveraging Government funding as non-dilutive investment, pivoting at critical moments, raising capital in order to scale, commercializing cutting edge robotics technology, and most importantly, recognizing the importance of vision, mission, and core values to build a strong culture that can overcome any obstacle.

Bio: Jorgen Pedersen is the Chief Operating Officer of Sarcos Technology and Robotics Corporation. In this role, he contributes to the company strategy, creates and drives operational vision, and streamlines operations across business functions.

Pedersen joined Sarcos in April 2022 in connection with its acquisition of RE2. Prior to joining Sarcos, Pedersen had served as Chief Executive Officer of RE2 since 2001, when he founded RE2. As CEO of RE2, Pedersen was responsible for overseeing all aspects of RE2’s business, including its strategic direction, developing partnerships and alliances, and overseeing day-to-day operations. Prior to founding RE2, Pedersen was at Carnegie Mellon’s National Robotics Engineering Center. Pedersen has served as Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Robotics Division of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) and a member of the Board of Trustees for NDIA and the Board of Directors for the National Advanced Mobility Consortium.