HOPE Robotics is dedicated to improving construction productivity and worker safety through automation.

Hope Robotics was born of a simple belief that necessity is the mother of all invention. When a former investment banker, who loved building things, started a commercial painting company, shortly thereafter he became frustrated by the lack of technology advancements in construction. As a businessman, looking for a competitive advantage, he began researching solutions. He contacted software companies, hardware companies, robotics manufacturers, automation integrators, prestigious universities and many others. To his amazement no one was leveraging emerging robotics technologies in construction. So he spent the next two years researching a solution and started Hope Robotics. Here is what he found. The global construction industry is a $10 Trillion market, accounting for 13% of the world’s GDP and employing 7% of the world’s workers. This industry has suffered decades of spectacularly poor productivity gains. Since 1945, global construction productivity gains are up 1%; in comparison, in that same period, agriculture is up 1,500%. Most of the $1.6 Trillion productivity gap is attributable to smaller specialty trades, including painting, installing drywall, and pouring concrete. Every year $250 Billion is spent on painting new construction globally. 80% of that cost is dangerous, toxic and repetitive labor. Meanwhile, robotics technology is accelerating innovation at a staggering pace. As innovation expands, costs contract, making these technologies available to all industries. Here are his conclusions. His experience running a commercial painting company and industry experts agree that emerging technology will transform the construction industry in the next five years. Companies that embrace automation will recognize a distinct competitive advantage in pricing, quality, productivity, and agility. Workers that embrace automation will see dramatic improvements in safety, productivity and opportunity. Hope Robotics is leveraging emerging technologies in unique ways to build the construction industry of the future. Hope Robotics is developing low cost, high output, faster, smarter and safer mobile autonomous painting robots. Hope Robotics patent pending.

Our Team

MICHAEL HARGADON – Founder/President

Education: Florida Start University, Bachelor of Science, Major: Finance

Mike has over 25 years’ experience. Mike is a financial services professional turned entrepreneur. After graduating from Florida State University with a Degree in Finance Mike started his career in Investment Banking with Bear Stearns & Co. During his career in banking Mike worked for Bear Stearns, Merrill Lynch, Bank of America, Wachovia, SunTrust, First Miami and Knight Trading as an Analyst, Trader, Vice President, Senior Vice President and COO. Working summer jobs in construction during High School and College Mike fell in love with construction. In 2009 Mike left banking to start a commercial painting company. Shortly thereafter Mike became frustrated by the lack of technology advancements in construction. In an effort to capture a competitive advantage Mike contacted software companies, hardware companies, robotics manufacturers, automation integrators, prestigious universities and many others. To his amazement no one was leveraging emerging robotics technologies in construction. So he spent the next two years researching a solution and started Hope Robotics.