All around us, products are getting smarter—in our homes, in our cars, and the palms of our hands. But unfortunately, the same thing can't be said about the factories that make these products, despite everyone's best intentions and all the talk about Industry 4.0...The time has come to reimagine factories, and I firmly believe that software needs to be at the heart of the next-generation factory.

Amar Hanspal is a senior business leader with 30+ years of experience driving business and technology transformation. Prior to joining Bright Machines in 2018, he was at Autodesk, where he drove the transformation of the design software leader’s product portfolio from on-premise to SaaS and its business model from one based on perpetual licenses to subscription. He led Autodesk into the cloud and enabled the company’s 12 million customers to access their designs on nearly any device. As Autodesk’s co-CEO and chief product officer, Amar oversaw the company’s entire software portfolio, including its innovative manufacturing and construction applications. In addition to sitting on Bright Machine’s board, Amar also sits on the board of eSilicon Corporation and advises early stage venture companies. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Bombay University and a master’s in mechanical engineering from State University New York, and he has completed the executive managerial program at Stanford University.