The

Team

At Konpanion we are proud to be part of a multidisciplinary team with skillsets ranging from fashion, linguistics, robotics and machine learning. We believe this allows Konpanion to be a place for fertile imaginative thinking, an essential skill to invent companion robots for the real world. We are always looking for new talents to join our team, feel free to get in touch!

ALEXANDRE COLLE

| CO-FOUNDER | CEO

Robotics PhD candidate at the Edinburgh Centre for Robotics, with a strong focus on enhancing social robot integration through aesthetics. Background in fashion and hospitality entrepreneurship, MA industrial design from Central Saint Martins, lead human-robot interaction designer for the Small Robot Company.

alexandre@konpanion.com

DR. SWEN GAUDL

| CO-FOUNDER | CTO

Senior lecturer in interaction design at the University of Gothenburg. Research Fellow at Falmouth University working on Computational Creativity. Received PhD in Computer Science at the University of Bath, specialising in AI. Spent three years as a researcher and PM at the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology. Specialised in AI and embodied cognition and has 10 years of software development experience.

swen@konpanion.com

CAMILA JIMENEZ POL

| CO- FOUNDER | COO

Lead multidisciplinary designer focusing on product development, UX/UI design and User Research at Konpanion, with a first-class BA(Hons) in Product and Industrial design from The University of Edinburgh and a strong believer that technology should go hand-in-hand with design and must be guided by human spirit.

camila@konpanion.com

MINQIU ZHOU

| SOFTWARE ARCHITECT

Lead software developer working on Maah's cognitive architecture. Current PhD Engineering candidate at the University of Edinburgh. Fascinated with Sudoku.

minqiu@konpanion.com

YORDAN SVETKOV

| MECHANICAL ENGINEER

Lead Robotics Engineer focused on developing the hardware behind Maah, experienced in mechanical and electronic design.

JIAMEI HUANG

| UX/UI DESIGNER

Postgraduate in Design Informatics at the University of Edinburgh, specialising in user research and experience for the Maah robot. Experienced in designing data visualizations and integrating them with Natural User Interfaces (NUI) to enhance user comprehension and optimize overall user experience.

jiamei@konpanion.com

DANIELLE JERAD

| MECHANICAL DESIGN ENGINEER

Interdisciplinary Mechanical Engineer and Game Artist. Working on converting Maah into a soft cuddly parametric robot. Loves simulated environments as much as sun and sand.

MATTIA OPPER

| NLP ARCHITECT

PhD candidate at Edinburgh University’s ILCC, working on unsupervised representation learning and structure induction. Prior to this graduated with distinction from the MSc in Speech and Language Processing, from which the interest in generating novel voices originated.

Our

Advisors

BEN SCOTT-ROBINSON

| ADVISOR

Co-founder and CEO of The Small Robot Company, an agricultural technology company dedicated to sustainable farming practices. With a proven track record in founding agencies, consultancies, and start-ups, he brings a wealth of expertise to his role. Ben's contributions have earned him recognition as a top UK entrepreneur, including being featured in Business Leader's Top 30 UK Entrepreneurs list and winning prestigious awards like the MEX Experience Innovator of the Year. His leadership in the field of sustainable farming technology positions him at the forefront of innovation in the industry.

ARLENE BUNTON

| DEMENTIA SPECIALIST ADVISOR

With 20 years of experience in the social care, mental health, and homelessness sectors, she currently works full-time as an Independent Sector Lead with Scottish Care. She is passionate about incorporating digital technology into the early stages of the dementia journey to identify effective interventions and adaptable support methods throughout the dementia journey. Additionally, she is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Applied Social Research in Dementia and Ageing at the University of Stirling. Her area focus is on supporting dementia care transitions and improving dementia outcomes.

DR. MEL MCKENDRICK

| EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGIST ADVISOR

Chartered psychologist and assistant professor specializing in experimental design, mental health, digital health, social cognition, attention, and resilience. With a PhD in Psychology, her expertise spans various disciplines, incorporating sensory metrics and self-assessment tools. She also serves as the CEO of Optomize Ltd, a health-related simulation training company. Currently at Heriot-Watt University, Dr. McKendrick contributes to the field through research, teaching, and mentoring.

PAUL DOYLE

| ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATOR

Experienced professional in Assistive Technology (AT) since 1995, currently serves as an expert witness at Bush & Company and as an Honorary Clinical Tutor at UCLAN's School of Medicine. With expertise in AT consultancy, he advises clients in the social care sector and the fields of assistive robotics and smart home development. Paul's extensive involvement in national and international AT and assisted living programs involves collaborations with academia, industry, and government. As a Trustee of the Karten Network and a former council member of BATA (British Assistive Technology Association), he advocates for accredited education in Assistive Technology and recognition for the role of an Assistive Technologist.

PROF. ADAM STOKES

| BUSINESS & SOFT-ROBOTICS ADVISOR

Adam A. Stokes is Full Professor and Chair of Bioinspired Engineering in The School of Engineering at The University of Edinburgh. Professor Stokes holds degrees in engineering, biomedical science, and chemistry and he used this background to found The Soft Systems Group, an interdisciplinary research laboratory focusing on the intersection of next-generation robotics technology, bioelectronics, and bioinspired engineering. Professor Stokes is Co-Lead of The National Robotarium, the UK centre of excellence in robotics, and Deputy Director of the Edinburgh Centre for Robotics. Before joining the faculty at Edinburgh he was a Fellow in the George M. Whitesides group at Harvard University, one of the most innovative and entrepreneurial labs in the world. Prof. Stokes is enthusiastic about translating innovation out of the lab and into people’s lives. His entrepreneurial activities have been recognised by winning the Inaugural Data Driven Entrepreneurship (DDE) Academic Entrepreneurship Award, and the Principal’s Award for Innovation. Outside of the academy Prof Stokes is a founder of several companies and the Academic in Residence with Archangels Investors Ltd.

ANDREW COLEMAN

| BUSINESS & FUNDRAISING ADVISOR

Andrew is an investor and advisor in new science and technology ventures, with 30 years’ experience in IT, business development, strategy and partnerships. His most recent venture was sold to Capita plc in 2015. Andrew’s current portfolio of early-stage investments includes Mocean Energy, OGI Bio and Carbogenics. He is also Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Bayes Centre, and a mentor for Edinburgh Innovation Ltd.

CRISTY TURNER

| COMMUNICATIONS ADVISOR

With over 15 years of experience in fashion, lifestyle, and digital, founder Cristy Turner has led campaigns for top global brands including Tommy Hilfiger, Target, Veuve Clicquot, Grand Hyatt, St. Regis and LVMH. Prior to Scout, Cristy was VP at Digital Brand Architects (DBA), overseeing strategy for the agency’s brand clients. Previously, she launched the social division at PR agency, LaForce + Stevens, and was Creative Director at online retailers, REVOLVE and FWRD.