Saman Farid is the founder & CEO of Formic, a robotics-as-a-service company on a mission to help US Manufacturing businesses overcome labor and productivity challenges through automation. By eliminating the traditional financial and operational barriers to automation adoption, he’s enabling businesses to achieve the throughput, quality, and safety they need to scale and grow. He has been involved with technology and robotics throughout his career, building and selling two technology companies. Prior to Formic, Saman ran the $600m global investment fund for Baidu Ventures focusing on AI, Machine Learning, and its effects on the way we work and live. He was also the founder of Comet Labs - an AI-focused investment fund and incubator and currently serves as an investor or board member for a mix of 25+ robotics, technology, and AI-focused businesses. He resides in the San Francisco Bay area, is passionate about youth empowerment, and works with local non-profits to promote technology education.