HARDTECH FORUM
Nov 12, 2026
HardTech Forum: What’s Driving Robotics Decisions in Manufacturing and Logistics
Okay, so every factory wants a robot. But what about integrating one?
Amazon now runs more than a million robots in its warehouses. BMW has put humanoids on the line in South Carolina and Leipzig. GXO is paying for Agility’s Digit humanoids by the hour—robots-as-a-service, if you will.
Meanwhile, most factories are still trying to get the conveyor from 2009 to talk to the MES from 2014.
That’s the decision manufacturing and logistics leaders are facing now. Do you adopt off-the-shelf robotics, wait for the technology (and the price) to settle, or build in-house?
Humanoids make the choice harder. They promise to drop into spaces built for people without retooling, but outside a few closely watched pilots, the case for deploying them at scale isn’t proven yet.
MistyWest is teaming up with Robot Sales Club for a Vancouver HardTech Forum discussion of where automation investment is really going, what humanoid deployment looks like today, and what it actually takes to get manufacturers to adopt.
EVENT DETAILS
Doors open at 5pm
Panel Discussion starts at 6pm
Networking from 7pm until close
TICKETS
General Admission is $30 and includes food and refreshments.
These events generally sell out, so be sure to register in advance. Tickets will not be available at the door.
OUR PANELISTS
Max Joseph, Founder & CEO at Robot Sales Club
Max Joseph is the Founder and CEO of Robot Sales Club, a robotics-focused go-to-market and business development firm acquired by Vessel Investment Group. RSC partners with emerging and established robotics companies to accelerate commercialization, develop scalable GTM strategies, and build enterprise sales pipelines across manufacturing, logistics, and industrial automation. Through its deep industry relationships, strategic outreach, and hands-on sales execution, RSC helps robotics innovators connect with leading manufacturers and logistics operators, secure enterprise opportunities, and accelerate revenue growth.
Loki Jörgenson, CTO of Circle Innovation
Loki Jörgenson leads Circle Innovation’s Automation and Robotics Mobilization (ARM for BC) initiative. He began as a computational physicist and spent more than 20 years as a founder and CTO of startups in BC and the Bay Area. He has delivered products in machine learning and predictive systems for IT, fintech and medtech.
Donato Montanari, CTO at Novarc Technologies
Donato brings extensive, hands-on experience in AI, Machine Vision, and Industrial Automation. Before joining Novarc, he held executive roles in a wide range of imaging-based companies, from large, publicly traded corporations to startups. Donato holds a Master of Engineering in electrical engineering from K.U.L in Belgium and a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Universita’ of Pavia, Italy.
OUR PARTNERS
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GOLD
From initial R&D and prototyping to proof of concept and MVP, Intent act as partners to their clients, helping them create innovative product concepts and make their vision a reality.
SILVER
Nordic Semiconductor plays a key role in the realization of the wireless future. Their award-winning Bluetooth Low Energy solutions pioneered ultra-low power wireless, making them the global market leader.
Boast combines in-house human expertise with the latest AI capabilities to deliver a complete, maximized and defensible R&D tax credit claim.