Oliver Mitchell

Oliver Mitchell is a partner at Arkenstone Venture Partners, a dual-use venture firm investing in defense technology, cybersecurity, automation, and AI-driven enterprise software, born out of Israel’s elite military units. Oliver is also a partner at ff Venture Capital, where he leads investments in robotics, artificial intelligence, drones, industrial automation, and climate tech, and builds strategic alliances with limited partners and corporate venture groups. A seasoned investor, Oliver boasts a proven track record of successful exits, including two IPOs (Novocure and Ekso Bionics), a $1.4 billion private equity sale of TripleLift, and high returns from recent transactions, including the acquisition of Scite.ai by Research Solutions (RSSS) and CardFlight’s growth equity round led by WestView Capital Partners. He currently serves on the boards of CivRobotics, Cambrian Robotics, and Paraspot, leveraging his deep tech expertise to scale transformative companies. Previously, he built and exited ventures such as Holmes Protection, AmeriCash, and RobotGalaxy, a national STEM-focused brand. As an Adjunct Professor at Sy Syms School of Business and the author of A Startup Field Guide in the Age of Robots and AI, he continues to shape innovation, sharing insights on his blog as the “Robot Rabbi.“

Last Mile Delivery Goes To Robotic Mules

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Lior Ron has had quite a ride since founding Otto less than a year ago; within three months of his official launch, Uber acquired the autonomous truck startup for more than $680 million. Ron, a former Google executive, told me this week that he started Otto as a socially conscious company to end roadside fatalities. Since trucks are … Read more

Is Robot Virtual Reality Just Hype?

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Virtual Reality (VR) could be one of the most overhyped technologies since the introduction of 3D televisions. However, Juliano Pinto would be the first to rebut that criticism. Pinto, a paraplegic, is part of a new brain-machine interface study that reteaches the brain to walk using virtual reality and robotic exoskeletons. Pinto is one of eight people in … Read more

Machines Eradicating Cancer

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At the SxSw Interactive Conference in Austin this week, Former Vice President Joe Biden challenged all innovators to think BIGGER. Biden’s Cancer Moonshot Task Force , established last January, brings together 20 government agencies and more than 70 private-sector companies with one aim – “eliminate cancer as we know it.” Even the most unorthodox medical collaborators are bringing their domain expertise … Read more

Robots As Living Organisms?

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This week was a big week for shape shifters. In Japan, researchers at Tohoku University and Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology announced that it had successful developed a shape-shifting molecular robot. The amoeba-like robot uses biomolecules, such as DNA and protein, to integrate molecular machines into an artificial cell membrane. In response to different DNA … Read more