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Dr Esben Østergaard co-founded Universal Robots (UR) in 2005 with two members of his research team, securing an initial investment of (USD) $200,000. Under his leadership, UR revolutionised collaborative robotics, culminating in its (USD) $350M acquisition by Teradyne in 2015. He later reinvested in Mobile Industrial Robots, which was also acquired by Teradyne for (USD) $272M.

Serving as Chief Technology Officer of UR until 2019, Dr Esben played a pivotal role in shaping the modern collaborative robotics industry. His contributions have been recognised with prestigious awards, including the Joseph F. Engelberger Award (2018), one of the highest global honours in robotics, and the Visionary Leadership Award by Frost & Sullivan for his transformative impact on the industry.

A recognised innovator, he holds multiple patents and scientific publications in robotics and AI. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy in AI and Robotics from the University of Southern Denmark (2004) and a Master of Science in Computer Science (2000), complemented by studies in Physics and Multimedia Science. Earlier in his career, he worked as a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) researcher, focusing on multi-robot coordination.