SAN FRANCISCO – Bright Machines, the leader in software-defined manufacturing, today announced that Chris Stori has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the company. Stori will lead Bright Machines into its next phase of growth delivering a suite of software-defined automation services for electronics manufacturing customers, including complex server assembly to meet the exploding demand for AI infrastructure.

Bright Machines' automated solution is achieved through a software-driven robotics stack. By leveraging computer vision, machine learning, and proprietary software, Bright Machines' levels of speed, visibility, and flexibility are unmatched in electronics manufacturing. Currently, the most sought-after application is in the company's work to build the "AI backbone." With AI demand at an all-time high, and the additional headwinds of chip shortages, outdated infrastructure, labor gaps, and supply chain disruptions. Compounded by increasing levels of complexity with today's AI infrastructure; it's almost impossible to manufacture at scale in a way that maintains the highest quality standards and is also efficient. With major market forces putting AI at the forefront of economic and political importance, Stori joins at a perfect time to scale Bright Machines to meet global demand for AI hardware infrastructure.

"Bright Machines' flexible automation and proprietary software — such as Smart Skills, the Bright Machines' brain — are key differentiators that stood out to me immediately," said Stori. "The expertise of the staff across multiple domains puts Bright Machines at the forefront of the AI and manufacturing space. Our solutions deliver value across multiple dimensions, helping customers improve quality, reduce time to market, provide insights into their manufacturing processes, and address security concerns."

Stori joins Bright Machines following his more than 11-year tenure at Meraki and Cisco. Most recently at Cisco, he was the Senior Vice President and General Manager for Cisco's Enterprise Networking, Meraki, and IoT Business. In this role, he led the teams responsible for business strategy and development, product management, and user experience for all enterprise networking. The multi-billion-dollar portfolio included the industry's broadest range of wireless, switching, and routing solutions. Prior to Cisco and Meraki, Stori spent seven years working at McKinsey & Company where he led projects helping U.S. manufacturing and industrial companies enter developing international markets and he also focused on renewable energy and mitigating climate change.

"Bright Machines is poised to completely change the way the world builds electronics and hardware," said Lior Susan, Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board of Bright Machines. "Stori's extensive experience propelling companies like Meraki from millions to billions of dollars in revenue is a testament to his ability to lead and scale a complex organization. As Chairman, I look forward to supporting Chris as he embarks on his work. I am confident that he will elevate Bright Machines to new heights and help fulfill the company's mission to rethink manufacturing at a critical time for the industry and its customers."

This appointment comes on the heels of the company's recent $126M Series C fundraise led by investment from funds and accounts managed by BlackRock and with participation from NVIDIA, Microsoft, Eclipse, and others. Earlier this year the company also announced a partnership with Microsoft Azure to deliver a full-stack environment for all stages of the manufacturing life cycle. Building on this momentum, Stori will focus on furthering Bright Machines' mission to radically transform the manufacturing industry through software and automation by driving customer growth and deepening partnerships with key industry players like Nvidia and Microsoft.

For more information on Bright Machines and its services, see here.