Evan Beard — SPARQNOW

At-a-Glance

Serves as co-founder, CEO, and chief engineer of Standard Bots, America's largest AI-native industrial robot manufacturer, which reached a $1 billion valuation in 2026.
Co-founded Etacts, which was acquired by Salesforce.
Testified before the U.S. Congress, including the Joint Economic Committee and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, on advancing American leadership in robotics and AI.
Serves as an official advisor on the National Security Commission on Robotics for Advanced Manufacturing.
Graduated with distinction from Duke University with a degree in Economics and a minor in Computer Science.

Biography

Evan Beard is the co-founder, CEO, and chief engineer of Standard Bots, an AI-native industrial robot manufacturer. Standard Bots has raised $260 million from investors including General Catalyst and Amazon, reaching a valuation of $1 billion in 2026. The company's industrial robots are deployed at major manufacturers such as Lockheed Martin, Verizon, and NASA.

An early alumnus of Y Combinator, Beard previously co-founded Etacts, which was acquired by Salesforce.