RoboForce Executives | Leadership Team & Company Leadership

Date August 22, 2025
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RoboForce

COMPANY INFO

RoboForce is a private robotics engineering company founded in 2023 and headquartered in Milpitas, California. It has about 14 employees and is backed by notable investors including Nobel Laureate Myron Scholes and Gary Rieschel. RoboForce is an AI robotics startup building the world's most advanced Robo-Labor system designed to automate dangerous and tedious tasks, thereby improving safety and efficiency in operations. The company operates primarily in the robotics and hardware industry.

7 Key RoboForce Executives

RoboForce is a private robotics engineering company headquartered in Milpitas, California, focused on creating the world’s most advanced Robo-Labor system. Founded in 2023, RoboForce leverages cutting-edge AI to automate dangerous and tedious tasks, driving safety and operational efficiency in the robotics and hardware sector.

The RoboForce leadership team is composed of accomplished executives and industry veterans with deep expertise in AI, robotics, engineering, and technology commercialization. The RoboForce management team blends entrepreneurial drive with world-class academic backgrounds, drawing from Silicon Valley experience and global innovation hubs to accelerate the company’s growth. The RoboForce founders and core team are dedicated to pushing boundaries in the robotics industry, making impactful contributions to both product development and business strategy.

Key Executives

Leo Ma - CEO

Leo Ma is the Founder & CEO of RoboForce since June 2023. He leads the company’s vision and strategic execution, driving the development of Robo-Labor—a next-generation robotic workforce system designed for the most challenging environments. Leo’s leadership as RoboForce CEO has positioned the company at the forefront of AI-powered robotics, attracting notable investors and guiding the team through rapid prototyping and early-stage growth.

Leo holds a Master’s in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University and completed Executive Education at The Wharton School. Previously, he co-founded CYNGN (serving as VP Engineering for six years), worked as a Software Architect for Autonomous Driving at Baidu USA, and contributed as Guest Lecturer and Software Engineer at Carnegie Mellon University. His expertise covers AI, robotics, autonomous driving, and large-scale software engineering.

Calvin Zhou - VP of Engineering

Calvin Zhou is Co-Founder and VP of Engineering at RoboForce, where he heads all engineering efforts for the company’s Robo-Labor system. A key member of the RoboForce founders group, Calvin has been instrumental in building robust engineering teams, developing autonomous vehicle technologies, and steering projects from startup phases to public launch.

Calvin holds a Master’s in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor’s in Industrial Engineering & Computer Science from Tsinghua University. His prior roles include Tech Lead in ML & Robotics at Cruise, leading AI & Autonomy at Cyngn, and software engineering positions at CMU and Tsinghua. He has deep expertise in AI, robotics, autonomous vehicles, and machine learning.

Veeral Hardev - Head of Business Development

Veeral Hardev has led business development, investor relations, and marketing at RoboForce since August 2024. He is responsible for forging strategic partnerships, driving market expansion, and managing investor engagement. Veeral’s contributions to the RoboForce executives team help propel corporate strategy and product adoption in the AI robotics sector.

Veeral earned his MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and holds dual BS degrees in Material Science Engineering and Economics from UCLA. He previously held senior roles at Ubiquitous Energy, Nanosys, and Boeing, specializing in technology commercialization and product development. He is an inventor on several patents and is recognized for cross-sector experience in renewables, life sciences, and consumer electronics.

Mark Sandoval - Head of Product

Mark Sandoval serves as Head of Product at RoboForce, overseeing product development, technology sourcing, strategic partnerships, and program management. Since joining in April 2025, Mark has driven innovations in product strategy and led RoboForce’s efforts to deliver next-generation robotics solutions.

Mark holds an M.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and a B.S. from UCLA. His prior executive background includes leadership at Ouster, AMP Robotics, Embroker, Renew Financial, SolarBridge Technologies, SunPower, Bloom Energy, Lam Research, and Intel. Mark’s expertise spans automotive, semiconductor, cleantech, and fintech product development.

Jianan Lu - Founding Member

Jianan Lu is a Founding Member of RoboForce and has played a pivotal role since June 2023 in the company’s stealth phase, contributing to the design and development of RoboForce’s advanced robotic systems.

Jianan holds a Master’s Degree in Embedded Software Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Fudan University. Previously, he was a Technical Lead at Google for over eight years, specializing in large-scale software system design and engineering.

Lexian Guo - Senior Mechanical Engineer

Lexian Guo has served as Senior Mechanical Engineer at RoboForce since April 2025. Responsible for mechanical design, validation, and construction of complex robotic systems, Lexian drives innovation and ensures the mechanical excellence of RoboForce’s AI robotics platforms.

Lexian holds both a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley College of Engineering. His previous industry experience includes work at Atomic Machines and Nikon Research, specializing in robotics, mechatronics control, design, simulation, and testing.

Dan Zhao - Doer in Stealth Mode

Dan Zhao joined RoboForce in March 2024 in a stealth mode role, driving robotics development and focusing on multi-legged locomotion and advanced control systems.

Dan earned his PhD in Mechanical Engineering (Robotics) from the University of Michigan, an MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering, and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Tsinghua University. He previously worked as Staff Control Engineer at XPENG Robotics and Senior Machine Learning Engineer at Stoneridge, with extensive expertise in robotics and control algorithms.

Leo Liu - Founding Member

Leo Liu is a Founding Member of RoboForce, contributing to the stealth development of advanced AI and robotics platforms since June 2023.

Leo holds a Master of Science in Computer Software Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He has experience as Technical Lead at LinkedIn and Software Engineer at IBM, specializing in scalable software solutions and marketing systems.

Company Leadership

The RoboForce leadership team exemplifies a blend of technical brilliance, entrepreneurial vision, and operational expertise. With founders Leo Ma and Calvin Zhou at the helm, and a highly skilled group of executives and domain specialists supporting strategic growth, RoboForce continues to harness advanced technical talent to redefine robotics and automation. The structure of the RoboForce management team ensures cross-functional agility, driving the company’s mission to deliver the world’s most advanced Robo-Labor technology.

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