Based in California’s Silicon Valley, Neato Robotics was founded on the idea that it’s possible to create robots that can perform household chores as intelligently as humans. In the Neato Lab, our engineers work tirelessly to build robotic vacuums that aren’t gadgets, but powerful cleaning machines.

Neato robots don’t just work harder, they work smarter. They’ll do the dirty work, so you won’t have to. In fact, you won’t even have to be at home.

Our goal is to free everyone from the chore of household cleaning. Because we all have better things to do with our time.

It all started in the classroom.

Joe Augenbraun enrolled in Stanford University’s Master’s Degree program with an engineering background and an eye on starting a robot company. He didn’t have a specific product or market in mind and was still looking for that “great idea” when he met Neato co-founders JB Gomez and Linda Hirschhorn Pouliot.

JB had a background in business development and sales and, like Joe, had an interest in robotics. Linda was looking to leverage her manufacturing and product experience to create a start-up focused on products for women.

The three entered Stanford’s annual Entrepreneur’s Challenge (E-Challenge), which required them to develop a complete business plan for a new business. After months of research, they decided to take a look at the new industry of floor cleaning robots.

What they saw, they didn’t like. Most of the robots on the market used software algorithms that made them move almost randomly, taking far too long to clean. The three knew that they could develop a better solution – one with an intelligent navigation system using lasers and cameras.

The first Neato was released in 2010. Today, the concept of an intelligent laser guidance system is the heart of every Neato robotic vacuum. And all over the world, Joe and his classmates’ project is working hard so people can have a little bit more free time.