SOMERVILLE, Mass.--RISE™ Robotics is thrilled to announce the appointment of Hiten Sonpal as the company's new Chief Executive Officer. Sonpal, a seasoned leader in robotics and automation, brings a wealth of experience and a clear vision to drive RISE into its next phase of growth and innovation. This strategic move, fully supported by the entire RISE team, underscores our commitment to continued growth and leadership in the industry.
Hiten Sonpal's impressive background includes roles as President at Electric Sheep Robotics, Chief Product Officer and CEO at Mowbot, and key positions at iRobot, where he led engineering and product initiatives. Sonpal’s leadership has been instrumental in the successful shipment of millions of units across various product lines, demonstrating his ability to scale and drive significant business impact.
"I am excited to be part of RISE Robotics and to lead such a talented team,” said Sonpal. “The founders and executive team have uniquely positioned RISE to revolutionize the hydraulics industry with our innovative belt technology. Our mission is to replace every linear hydraulic actuator on Earth with our more efficient and productive solutions."
Since joining RISE Robotics in May, Sonpal has already begun implementing strategic initiatives, including realigning the company's project portfolio and launching an innovative 12-week program allowing employees to work on passion projects every Friday. This initiative aims to harness the internal motivation of the team, driving creativity and advancing the company's technological capabilities.
"I am excited for RISE because Hiten’s fresh perspective and extensive experience are exactly what we need as we accelerate," said Arron Acosta, Co-Founder and VP of Business Development at RISE and Former CEO. "I worked with Hiten leading up to this transition, and I am enjoying working with him now and supporting his leadership." Acosta's continued involvement, along with other Co-Founders Blake Sessions CTO, Toomas Sepp Chief Engineer, and Kyle Dell’Aquila Head of Industrial Design. ensures a unified leadership dedicated to RISE's future success.
Sonpal's strategic focus includes accelerating the time to market for RISE Robotics' products, starting with the company's sampling program, and restarting the paused liftgate project. He emphasizes the importance of speed over size in seizing market opportunities, ensuring that RISE Robotics remains agile and impactful in the industrial sector.
"RISE Robotics has a tremendous opportunity to make a significant impact across various industries, from logistics to manufacturing to defense," Sonpal added. "Our technology not only increases productivity but also enhances efficiency, so our customers can increase revenue per employee while simultaneously driving down operational expenses. The efficiency improvements also contribute to broader societal goals by directly reducing greenhouse emissions of gas-powered machinery and the battery size of mobile electric machinery.”
The RISE Robotics team is enthusiastic about the future under Sonpal's leadership and looks forward to the continued growth and success of the company.
About RISE™ Robotics
RISE™ Robotics is a leading provider of next-generation actuation solutions, revolutionizing the hydraulics industry with its proprietary belt technology. Founded in 2011 by graduates of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), RISE Robotics is a technology company backed by The Engine, a Tough Tech venture capital fund built by MIT, Greentown Labs, and Techstars. RISE Robotics is leading the way to zero-emission heavy machinery by providing the world’s most efficient and productive alternative to hydraulics, RISE Beltdraulic™. Designed for medium and heavy-duty applications, Beltdraulic provides fuel, emissions, and sound reductions, improves productivity, and extends machine life.
