Meet the pioneer in automated yard operations in logistics hubs

Bob Hall, co-founder and COO of Outrider, was a finalist for Entrepreneur of 2021

Eric Peterson //August 2, 2021//

Meet the pioneer in automated yard operations in logistics hubs

Bob Hall, co-founder and COO of Outrider, was a finalist for Entrepreneur of 2021

Eric Peterson //August 2, 2021//

Entrepreneur Of Year Finalist Hall Bob

Bob Hall | Co-founder and COO, Outrider | Golden

Bob Hall founded Outrider in 2017 with CEO Andrew Smith, who was also his roommate and classmate at Dartmouth University’s Tuck School of Business.

“We’re the pioneer in automated yard operations in logistics hubs,” Hall says, noting that almost every bit of 10 billion tons of annual freight in the U.S. passes through such facilities at one point or another. “They’re usually pretty manually operated and inefficient – and overall produce risk in the supply chain.”

Hall and Smith connected with “a well-pedigreed group of senior robotics engineers” in Colorado and decided to launch the company from Golden. Now 140 employees, Outrider has landed nine Fortune 500 customers since it emerged from stealth mode in February 2020, including Georgia-Pacific, and has closed on $118 million in funding to date.

“The tech community here is great, and it’s very supportive,” says Hall, 47. “There’s a broad and deep talent pool here in Denver for both robotics and software and hardware engineers.”

He adds, “It’s not just who’s here today, but how appealing the Denver metro area and Colorado is to people who – especially post-COVID – might be considering a move from the coasts.”

 


This article is part of ColoradoBiz Magazine’s annual Entrepreneur of the Year feature. Read more about this year’s winner, Matanya Horowitz, and the other finalists:
TIMERI TOLNAY | ROBIN MCINTOSH | AARON YOUNG| JONI KLIPPERT | SHI-LONG LU | CHRIS MOTLEY