Rob Dobson
Founder of DevicePilot
Rob Dobson
Founder of DevicePilot
Edinburgh, Scotland
Overview
Work Experience
Chair
2017 - Current
Marty is a Robot. A real-world walking and dancing robot. Did I say dancing - yes I did - you just have to see the wiggle-dance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtTVw8hmYRE He's also a serious educational asset for STEM teaching - especially to people who aren't normally drawn to STEM subjects. For teachers there are some great resources available like lesson plans and curriculum maps. For after-school clubs there is a great community with lots of ideas. For parents there are guides and ideas of things to do. And for kids there's the opportunity to make Marty your own, to program his movements in Scratch, and Python - make him dance, make him act out a part in a story, walk through a maze or just discover the world around him.
Chairman at Wootzano
2022
Wootzano is the leader in fresh fruit packing robotics
Investor
2018
Wootzano has created a flexible, touch-sensitive skin which has pressure-sensing resolution on a par with human fingers. Right now robots are hopelessly bad at real-world activities humans find easy, like picking up a cup of coffee or turning on a tap. Wootzano changes the game by giving robots the same kind of touch sensitivity humans enjoy.
Chairman and Co-founder
2013
The Internet of Things is all about scale. DevicePilot is there to help you scale from tens of devices to thousands and millions. Managing things is what DevicePilot does - batteries, connections, health, applications, etc all fall into the scope of DevicePilot's cloud based management system. Founded by Pilgrim Beart (founder and inventor of Hive - now a British Gas product) who knows a thing or two about scaling up and managing millions of things.
Non Executive Director
2013
The single biggest reason that startups fail is poor cash management (I either dreamt this or read it on the internet - either way it is true - to quote David O'Doherty). Float aims to solve this problem! Float is a cashflow forecasting web application designed to help small business owners understand their cashflow better. It directly integrates with bank and tax information and helps businesses predict what their exact balance will be at the end of the month and a projection going forward over 12 months. Currently available with direct download integration with Xero, QuickBooks and Free Agent.
Investor
2014
QikServe - the waiter in your pocket. A simple way to order and pay at table.
Investor
2016
Adimo takes ad clicks straight into the customer's shopping cart on their preferred retailer. By making internet ads shop-able they level the playing field for major brands who are being squeezed by retails wanting to promote own-brands.
Investor
2015
Access to hand-selected loans from approved peer-to-peer investment platforms
Investor
2013
Research Space is redefining the scientist's Lab Notebook as a cloud based, secure, robust, multiple access service. Building on the success of it's desktop eCats product which is used worldwide it has avoided the innovators dilemma by completely reinventing itself and its products.
Investor and Founding Chairman
2009 - 2022
Singletrack announced a major investment from AKKR in July 2022 and is now embarking on another exciting chapter in their growth. Singletrack is the leading provider of cloud based CRM software for financial capital markets. With offices in London and New York, Singletrack's team of industry experts help investment banks, funds and research providers monitor, manage and plan all aspects of revenue generation. Leveraging AI technology is also helping to prioritise activity and demonstrate best-in-class performance management.
Investor
2014 - 2022
Variously described as "The high-street in your pocket" and "Tinder for Fashion". Founder Cally Russell famously turned down Peter Jones on an episode of Dragons' Den. One to watch!
Education
BSc
1982 - 1985