Hivebotics: Redefining the Future of Work with AI and Robotics

Hivebotics is a pioneering tech startup revolutionising the sanitation industry with AI-powered facilities management robots. Under the leadership of co-founder and CEO Rishab Patwari, the company is pushing the boundaries of innovation to deliver efficient and scalable solutions using the power of AI and robotics. In this edition of Thought Leaders in Tech, Rishab takes us through his personal journey, his approach to startups and the tech behind Hivebotics’ flagship "Abluo" robot.

Who Are You and What's Your Story?

My name is Rishab Patwari and I’m the Co-Founder and CEO of Hivebotics, a cutting-edge robotics startup revolutionizing hygiene and sanitation with AI-powered facilities management robots. At Hivebotics, we combine advanced robotics, artificial intelligence, and state-of-the-art engineering to tackle one of the most pressing yet overlooked challenges in the sanitation industry.

Business runs in my family. My uncle founded a company in India 30 years ago, which became a multi-billion-dollar unicorn without any external funding. His journey is incredibly inspiring to me but also daunting, as I’ve had to chart my own path, particularly in tech—a field my family hasn't ventured into. When I was in the army, I also met other people my age who were making a fair amount of money as entrepreneurs of small businesses from e-commerce to content creation. However, I was more interested in startups because I'm the kind of person who likes to work on big ideas with world-changing potential; I need to be excited by the thing I'm working on.

From my first day at NUS (National University of Singapore), I was determined to pursue a tech-related business. My rationale was simple: tech has global potential, and to create something impactful, I needed to immerse myself in the ecosystem. Early on, I interned at a startup in my first year of university, which unfortunately turned out to be extremely toxic. I experienced blatant religious discrimination from a founder who leveraged fear to control his employees. This whole experience solidified my resolve to build a better kind of company.

I applied for the NOC (NUS Overseas Colleges) program, aiming for the Silicon Valley cohort due to its reputation for fostering serious entrepreneurs. Getting in felt like a breakthrough. The experience there was transformative—I met inspiring professors, immersed myself in tech culture, and worked with people who expanded my thinking. I was exposed to a culture that taught me to value the technology I built as a work of art in itself, a delicate craft to be admired and relentlessly perfected. I also took a class in global entrepreneurial marketing at Stanford, which was the partner university for the NOC Silicon Valley program. I met all kinds of people at Stanford, many of whom were much older and more experienced than me in the world of technology and entrepreneurship. There were even members of foreign royal families in my batch! Although I initially lacked confidence in myself, being the youngest student in the cohort, I ended up topping that class while leading my team for a group project. This solidified my confidence and taught me that I was able to lead a team and innovate on a global scale.

Back in Singapore, I co-founded a med-tech startup focusing on elderly medication adherence. Securing a VIP grant from NUS kickstarted our journey. I also developed a university attendance and temperature-tracking platform during COVID, which later evolved into an official tool. These early ventures honed my technical and entrepreneurial skills even further, although they didn't quite take off.

My passion eventually led me to robotics. While others advised me to pivot towards more conventional paths, I felt compelled to explore uncharted territory—creating autonomous systems that address real-world gaps. The idea for Hivebotics came about when I heard from an acquiantance that he was having trouble with scheduling toilet-cleaning staff along with the associated costs of cleaning maintenance. I interviewed more people and realised that this problem was large enough to warrant a solution. With limited resources, I put together an early prototype of a toilet-cleaning robot using just a robotic arm kit I bought from Arduino and a toilet brush. Innovation doesn’t require perfect conditions, just persistence and creativity.

This journey has been anything but straightforward. It’s been marked by moments of doubt, rejection, and resilience. But each challenge has reinforced my commitment to building impactful solutions through my startup, Hivebotics.

(1) Ideation and Validation

Problem-Market-Solution Framework

I like to think of startup ideation and validation using this framework:

1. Problem– What exactly are you solving?
   1. Observation– How you identify a problem to work on
   2. User Research– How you further understand that problem
2. Market– Is there a large enough market for solving this problem?
   1. Size– How many people experience this same problem?
   2. Demand– How many of those people are willing to pay for the solution?
3. Solution– Your answer to the problem
   1. Desirability– Whether people actually want your solution
   2. Feasibility– Whether building the solution is practical and realistic
   3. Viability– Whether your solution can generate revenue

Problem

You always need to start problem-first, which is something that was really drilled into me during my time at Stanford. Too often, founders rush to build solutions first—apps or products they find exciting—without confirming whether there's any real demand for it. The first step is always to identify a specific problem, then further understand its scale, urgency and further details by talking to potential users.

• Observation– To find problems, observation is key. People may not even realise the inefficiencies in their processes until you point them out. That’s why interviews and field research are so important. There are problems all around us, so it's simply a matter of going out, paying attention and being attuned to them as they occur.
• User Research– To further understand the problem, conducting user research by interviewing potential customers is essential. Personally, I like to use the "Mom Test" when I conduct interviews to avoid biased and generic feedback. Don’t just ask theoretical questions and avoid being too specific—observe how your potential users work, ask about pain points, and use broad, open-ended questions to ensure you aren't leading them to a specific answer.

Market

Once you've found an actual problem and talked to enough potential users to really understand its specific pain points, the next step is to determine the market size and demand for a solution.

• Size– Determining the market size is essential because it determines whether or not it's commercially worthwhile to pursue the problem and develop a solution for it. You need to determine if there are enough potential customers out there experiencing this problem to gauge the market size. There's no secret strategy for this; you have to interview as many potential users as possible to confirm that it's a widespread problem in the industry.
• Demand– Make sure that you're working on a problem that people will gladly pay to have solved. Even if the problem is large enough, you have to make sure it's painful enough to warrant a paid solution. If many people experience the same problem, but aren't willing to pay for a solution, then you don't have a market and should look for a different problem to validate. Another way of looking at it is that your true market size is the number of potential customers actually willing to pay for the solution to the problem, not the number of people simply experiencing the same problem.

Solution

When validating a potential solution to the problem, I would look at the 3 factors of desirability, feasibility and viability.

• Desirability– the degree to which a solution appeals to people and fulfills their wants and needs. Without strong desirability, even the most technically advanced or economically practical product is unlikely to succeed. The best way to test this is to secure financial commitments early on during the proof-of-concept stage. Most people are polite, so they may simply tell you that your startup's product is good even if it's not. However, if they're actually willing to pay for the solution, this is actual evidence of your product's desirability. Don't just ask people if they would pay for it; actually see whether they will pay for it.
• Feasibility– whether a product can be built using existing technical capabilities. A lack of feasibility makes it challenging or impossible to develop the product, no matter how appealing it might be to users or how promising its financial prospects are. This is just a matter of conducting initial research and actually trying to build a prototype, which will inform you whether the fully-realised product is truly feasible.
• Viability– the product's ability to generate sustainable financial returns. Without financial viability, the business supporting the product cannot endure, even if the product is highly appealing to users and technically achievable. Here, you need to look at your unit economics, development costs and other expenses to determine the viability of your solution.

(2) Building and Product Development

Market Your POC for Early Product Validation

A key insight I gained from observing Chinese companies was the value of early marketing using your Proof-of-Concept (POC). Many big tech founders underestimate marketing, but it can be a powerful tool. Early on, I didn't have the resources to build a full robot, but I had enough to create a video. This video showcased the concept of the product and demonstrated its potential, even though it wasn't an actual working robot yet. With just $600, I created a video and showed it to potential customers, and that helped me secure initial interest and resources.

Build the MVP Quickly

When building a product, one of the most crucial lessons I learned early on was the importance of creating a minimum viable product (MVP) quickly. Convincing my co-founders was challenging, but it's essential to launch with something that demonstrates the core concept, even if it's a basic version. I've seen companies with plenty of funding who spent too much time in the lab, trying to perfect the product before releasing it, and that approach doesn't work. You need to put something out there, even if it's a rough prototype or a demo that isn't fully functional yet, to get validation and attract the next round of resources.

As we moved forward after gaining interest with my POC, we built an MVP prototype. It wasn’t perfect; it used off-the-shelf components like a $100 steamer, but it was functional enough to demonstrate the core features. I did most of the coding myself, and the hardware was built by my co-founder. We also worked with an external development agency for some specialized components, spending about $10,000 to get the hardware right. Even though the prototype wasn't perfect, it was functional enough to showcase to potential customers.

Secure Customer Commitments Early On

At this point, I didn't focus on perfecting the product—I focused on showing customers that it could work. This stage was about building interest and securing commitments. We collected letters of intent (LOIs) from potential customers who were interested but needed to see a working prototype before committing to purchase. The goal at this stage was to get funding to move forward.

Iterate using Customer Feedback and Sales Validation

Once we secured pre-seed funding, we developed a more refined prototype and continued to show it to potential customers. I didn’t have enough resources to develop a fully functional product yet, but the feedback from customers was invaluable. We were still in the pre-seed stage, which means we were just getting to the point where we could build the prototype. With seed funding, we planned to refine the prototype and prepare it for commercialization.

We moved from proof of concept to an actual working prototype by integrating an industrial-grade steaming system. While the robot wasn't yet stable enough for full deployment, it could perform basic cleaning tasks, and we were able to demonstrate this to customers. By getting early feedback, we were able to iterate on the product and make improvements quickly. We focused on solving the most critical problems first, and prioritized based on customer feedback.

One important lesson here is that product validation comes through sales validation. You need to determine whether the solution you've built is actually commercially valuable, which you validate through securing early sales commitments like LOIs (i.e real-world proof that the customer would be willing to pay for your solution). At this stage, our robot could clean, and that was enough to secure some early orders. The key was to prove the value to the customer, even if the product wasn’t perfect. We kept iterating based on their feedback, which helped us to define and develop other features the product needed.

The key point here is that the development process isn’t just about building the perfect product; it’s about showing enough to get customer interest, validating that interest through commitments, and then using that to secure the resources needed to move forward. Early customers helped us define the MVP, and their feedback guided us through the iterative process of refining the product.

(3) Business Model and Monetisation

Tailor Your Business Model to the Market

Currently, our business model is something that’s always evolving. A business model requires constant testing, and we’ve conducted tests in multiple markets. I personally traveled to different countries, including Europe, the Middle East, and the United States, to understand their unique requirements. Each market is different.

The most important point here is that your startup's business models should adapt to the specific requirements of each market. My advice here for adapting your business model would be:

1. Adapt to Market Needs: A one-size-fits-all business model doesn’t work. Tailor your approach to the unique drivers of each region.
2. Focus on Immediate Value: Identify and prioritize markets where the value proposition is clear and compelling.
3. Iterative Development using Testbeds: In markets where your business' value proposition is less clear or applicable, use those as testbeds to refine both product and pricing strategies in other markets where the value proposition is clearer.

Through this iterative and customer-focused approach, we’ve built a business model that evolves with our understanding of global market needs while positioning us for long-term success.

Example 1: The Middle East – A Showcase-Driven Market

For example, in the Middle East, labour costs are not an issue. Labour there is so cheap—around $500 to $600 per month—that our robots cannot compete in terms of labor cost savings. Instead, customers in the Middle East purchase robots for strategic marketing to showcase that they’ve modernized and robotified their operations. In the highly competitive tenders in the Middle East, differentiation is key, and inclusion of new technologies, even if they are not necessarily cost effective, can make the difference.

In this type of market, the only viable business model is selling robots outright. Other models, like "robotics-as-a-service," just wouldn’t work there. Customers simply want to own the robots, have them operational, and display them to others. This mindset is unique to the Middle East, where the demand is driven by government mandates to embrace innovation through robotics and AI. These governments are transitioning away from oil-based economies and positioning themselves as technological innovators. Their agencies and institutions are required to adopt and deploy robots to familiarize people with this technology.

Example 2: Singapore – Labour Shortages and Rising Costs = Strategic Testbed

In Singapore, the situation is very different. The government has introduced a progressive wage model, which means cleaner salaries will increase from SGD 1,600 to SGD 3,000 by 2028—a nearly 50% increase. Additionally, the quota for Malaysian workers is being reduced, creating significant labour shortages. Local cleaners are also unwilling to take up the work, which increasingly makes robots a necessity. However, customers in Singapore face tight cost constraints. They need affordable solutions but struggle to justify the high upfront cost of a robot priced at $70,000 to $100,000 USD. I can’t price the robot below its cost, so I’ve had to create a roadmap to make the robots more feasible for this market in the long-term.

This led me to question whether Singapore is even the right market for us, a realization that has shaped our business strategy. In Singapore, we’re no longer focusing on maximizing sales. Instead, we use the market as a testing ground to refine our product. While we do have customers here, our focus is on learning and improving rather than generating high margins. When the cost of the robots decreases over time, we’ll be able to scale more effectively in Singapore. In the meantime, we target early adopters willing to pay a premium for innovation.

Example 3: Europe – High Labour Costs, Lower Capital Constraints = Clear Value Proposition

In Europe, the value proposition is completely different. Customers there immediately see the cost-saving potential of robots, which makes our offerings much more attractive. These differences between markets have informed both our go-to-market strategy and our business models. For instance, in Switzerland, the total wages cost of hiring cleaners including taxes can be as high as Euro 85,000 annually. In such a market, even a $100,000 robot that can work multiple shifts becomes a no-brainer. Moreover, businesses in Europe tend to have more capital available to make a large upfront purchase, unlike in Singapore, which makes selling robots a viable business model in Europe

Consider Financial Constraints

For our current business model, another reason that we mainly focus on selling robots outright is because we don’t yet have the financing to offer alternative models like leasing or subscription services. Selling outright generates immediate revenue, which is critical for our cash flow. Once we secure sufficient funding, we plan to transition to a “robotics-as-a-service” model. Under this model, we would fund the robot purchases through bank loans, while customers pay for the robots on a monthly or yearly basis. This approach would allow us to generate recurring revenue while covering loan repayments and earning a profit.

(4) Sales and Marketing

Relational Sales

Sales success often comes down to building strong relationships, particularly in B2B businesses where relational sales are key. It is essential to travel, meet people, and build trust, as remote interactions alone rarely close deals. From my experience, online meetings simply don't have the same ability to build warm, lasting connections as face-to-face interactions. For example, I built a partnership with a distributor in Dubai who now handles sales and local customers over there for me. We connected over dinners, during which I shared my vision and inspired him to collaborate without any formal agreement initially. Building relationships with procurement managers and middle management is critical for securing deals in large organizations.

Network Building

Your network is your most valuable resource, and every connection has the potential to open up additional opportunities. Many of my close collaborators and clients were introduced by mutual connections or discovered through networking events. Leveraging your background can help establish trust; for instance, I often connect with Indian and Chinese communities abroad because we share similar cultural roots, creating instant rapport. A strong and large enough network can also provide alternative income streams, such as earning commissions for making introductions between startups and VCs.

Organising the Sales Process

Staying organized is critical for founders, particularly when managing complex sales processes. I use tools like ClickUp to track every conversation, document shared, and relationship status (i.e whether that person is an investor, partner, or potential collaborator). Before meetings, I always review my notes to ensure continuity and professionalism. Writing follow-up emails or summaries after conversations solidifies relationships and ensures that no important details are overlooked.

Marketing Channels

In my experience, LinkedIn is the most powerful free marketing tool for B2B sales. Posting videos and updates about progress allows for reaching a wide audience, with partners and accelerators often amplifying posts for even greater visibility. SEO optimization ensures that customers and investors can easily find the business, and the website should clearly target its audience with straightforward navigation and relevant information. Participating in industry events and accelerators generates exposure and credibility while offering opportunities for direct engagement with potential partners and investors.

We're also currently exploring social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, though they are less critical for meeting our current demand. YouTube, however, has been particularly effective for showcasing our journey and milestones of product development through videos showcasing the several iterations our toilet-cleaning robot has gone through. This helps build credibility and serves as a portfolio for potential investors to look at, while also building awareness of our brand to potential customers. The primary objective of marketing is not just visibility but also credibility; having a consistent online presence demonstrates reliability and showcases capabilities to both investors and customers.

Warm Introductions > Cold Outreach

Warm introductions are essential for connecting with investors, as knowing someone who can vouch for you significantly increases the likelihood of success. Cold outreach tends to yield poor results, emphasizing the importance of leveraging networks for effective relationship-building.

Cultural and Strategic Adaptation

Tailoring your approach to the geography and audience is critical. In the Middle East, trust and personal relationships are prioritized over formal agreements, whereas in Silicon Valley, presenting yourself as hardworking and determined resonates more effectively. Even seemingly minor factors, such as shared cultural backgrounds, can significantly enhance relationship-building efforts.

Learn From Your Competitors

Learning from competitors is an excellent starting point for crafting effective marketing strategies. By studying how they market and communicate, you can adapt their methods to suit your context.

(5) Fundraising and Growth

Understand Your Ecosystem

In Singapore where I'm currently based, the startup ecosystem presents unique challenges that founders must acknowledge. The ecosystem is not structured to support high-growth startups in the same way as Silicon Valley. With a small population and an economy centered around finance and stability, Singapore is better suited for SMEs and traditional industries, not groundbreaking innovations or rapid-scaling startups. The government focuses on sectors like high-end manufacturing, med tech, and aerospace, which align with the country's strengths but leave little room for startups outside these niches.

The concept of product-market fit, often emphasized in Western startup literature, does not translate well to Singapore or Southeast Asia. Unlike the U.S., where scaling from 100 users to 100,000 is feasible due to consistent market conditions and a large homogenous market, Southeast Asia is highly fragmented. Each country—and often regions within countries—has unique regulations, customer behaviors, and market dynamics, making scaling in Southeast Asia far more complex and nuanced. Unlike in the U.S, talking about product-market fit in a small region like Singapore is not enough to convince investors because the Singapore market is simply too small to sustain a high-growth startup on its own.

Bootstrapping

Bootstrapping works best for startups with low initial costs, such as software companies or service-oriented businesses. For product companies, particularly hardware startups, bootstrapping is far more challenging due to the high capital expenditure required. To successfully bootstrap:

• Focus on industries where you can keep costs minimal while developing your minimum viable product (MVP).
• Prioritize proving unit economics early. For example, if your product costs $2 to manufacture, you need to sell it for at least $3 and have a clear plan to reduce costs further as you scale.

For example, Hivebotics was funded by our families initially putting up more than $100,000. However, this level of bootstrapping is not accessible to everyone. For founders without such resources, the best strategy is to keep costs low, focus on high-margin products or services, and secure early sales to prove viability before approaching investors.

Grants

In my country, Singapore, grants present a challenging paradox for startup founders. While the government offers a variety of grants aimed at fostering innovation and entrepreneurship, their accessibility is often limited, creating a barrier for many young startups. Founders need to be aware of the realities behind these grants:

• Availability vs. Accessibility: Many grants exist on paper but are difficult to access in practice. The application process is often bureaucratic and time-consuming, and the eligibility criteria can be restrictive. This makes it challenging for early-stage startups, particularly those without established networks or prior success, to secure funding.
• Bias towards Established Players and Government Priorities: Grants often favor established companies or startups in specific industries aligned with government priorities, such as med tech, high-end manufacturing, and aerospace. This focus leaves many startups outside these niches struggling to find government support.

Founders relying on grants as part of their bootstrapping strategy must exercise caution since they are unreliable as a cornerstone of funding. Startups should focus on creating a lean, self-sufficient model where grants serve as supplemental funding rather than a primary resource.

Venture Capital

For startups aiming to raise venture capital (VC), founders must tailor their approach based on geographic realities. VCs in Singapore often look for startups that align with the country’s strengths or have a clear plan to scale outside the region. Founders should:

• Be realistic about the scalability of their concept within your region.
• Highlight international expansion potential, particularly into larger markets like the U.S., China, or Europe, where product-market fit and scaling are more straightforward.

Pitch Deck

Here's a link to the pitch deck we use when trying to secure new investors:

https://hivebotics.docsend.com/view/4xjfpkattzekj7wj

Growth Strategy

Most successful startups in Singapore eventually move operations or focus to larger markets. This strategy allows them to overcome the limitations of the local ecosystem and access more funding opportunities. Startups like Razor and PatSnap illustrate this trend, as they have effectively become U.S.-based companies to thrive globally.

For growth and scaling, I would generally advise founders to:

1. Be realistic about the limitations of your local startup ecosystem and align your strategy accordingly.
2. Tailor your startup to the country’s strengths, such as med tech, aerospace, or finance, if staying local.
3. If pursuing VC funding, have a clear roadmap for international expansion.
4. Focus on proving unit economics and achieving early traction to validate your business model before seeking investment.
5. Be prepared to pivot or even relocate to more favorable markets if your concept demands scaling beyond what your base country can support.

(6) Team-Building and Leadership

Finding Co-Founders

Clearly-Defined Selection Criteria

When I was looking for a co-founder, I was very selective, and my process was quite rigorous. I knew from the start that I was the main founder, and I was driving the business, so I needed someone who was aligned with my vision and commitment for the long run. I wasn’t just looking for anyone; I wanted someone who could handle the demands of a startup, especially during the tough early stages. Expectations had to be set from day one. I was clear that work-life balance wasn’t going to be a priority initially. We needed to focus on making the business work, and that meant we would have to work hard and sacrifice. If someone wasn’t willing to do that, then they weren’t the right fit.

Trial by Collaboration

The way I approached this was by working with potential co-founders on academic projects first, which gave me a chance to test them in a real, high-pressure environment. For example, my co-founder and I worked together on a Final Year Project (FYP) for four people. I made it clear from the start that whoever performed best during the project would be considered for a co-founder role. This was a bit of a competition, in a sense, and the pressure revealed who was truly committed and aligned with the vision. Throughout this process, I was pushing them hard because I wanted to succeed, and I didn’t care about anything other than getting the best possible results. Some of the other participants couldn’t handle the intensity or didn’t put in the effort, and they started to lose interest. But one person stood out: my co-founder. He matched my drive and put in the same level of effort, and that was when I knew he was the right person for the job.

Background and Connections Matter

It wasn’t just about performance during the project, though. I also looked closely at my co-founder’s background and family situation. My co-founder came from a business family in Vietnam and had a strong operational background. His family owned a public company that manufactures airplanes, which gave him critical manufacturing knowledge and access to networks that I could leverage. He also had connections to wealthy individuals and understood how to think like someone who’s financially successful. I won’t sugarcoat it—some might call it privileged, but I see it as logical reasoning. His family background and connections gave him unique advantages, and I knew that would benefit the business.

In the end, my decision wasn’t just about who worked the hardest or who shared the same vision. It was also about who had the right background and networks to help drive the company forward. The startup world is tough, and having someone with the right experience and connections can make a huge difference.

Working with your Co-Founder

Conflict Isn't Always a Bad Thing

In our case, we don’t have a lot of disputes, which might seem ideal at first, but I actually view it as a potential problem. In a co-founder relationship, not having enough conflict can sometimes signal a lack of constructive challenge and feedback. My co-founder’s personality tends to be more of a supportive role, while I am more of a challenger, pushing for new ideas and solutions. This dynamic means that conflicts are minimized, but it also leads to situations where there isn’t enough independent thinking or disagreement to push us forward.

One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced with my co-founder is pushing him to think critically and not just outsource decision-making to me. My role involves inducing conflict, where I try to challenge him to think more deeply about issues, take more initiative, and ultimately own decisions. The lack of conflict in our relationship is something I’ve had to address, as it can sometimes hold us back from the tough conversations we need to have to grow as a business and as leaders.

Accountability and Responsibility

A key part of managing our relationship is ensuring accountability. We have clear expectations about our roles and the outcomes we need to achieve. If my co-founder is unable to meet his commitments, he needs to provide a valid reason for it, along with the actions he took to try and meet the goal. If these aren’t met, we have what I call a "parking session," where we sit down and assess what went wrong. This is essential for maintaining accountability and ensuring that both of us are aligned in our work ethic and expectations.

Initially, I had to push harder to create this level of accountability, as I had given my co-founder more equity than the norm in Singapore, with the belief that this would motivate him to stay long-term. The idea was simple: As a co-founder, I expect you to be incentivized by the business's early success, not salary.

Hiring Employees

Attitude and Character

When it comes to hiring employees, my main focus is on attitude and character. Due to budget constraints, we aren’t always able to hire top talent in terms of experience or qualifications, especially at the beginning stages. Many of our employees are relatively young and less experienced, and they know they are not considered top talent. However, what they bring to the table is their attitude. We look for people who are hungry, eager to prove themselves, and have the right mindset to grow with the company.

Cultural Fit and Speed

An essential part of our hiring process is ensuring that employees can move at the pace of the team. If someone is not able to keep up or if they slow down the team’s momentum, they won’t be able to stay with us. In fact, we've had to fire people before because they couldn’t meet the expectations or align with the pace we were setting. This can be tough, but it's necessary for the success of the team and the company. Cultural fit is everything—if someone’s presence in the team impacts the energy and speed, it disrupts everything. Our employees need to understand that efficiency and speed are crucial.

Attract Self-Motivated People

I’m not focused solely on hiring experienced professionals right now. Instead, I aim to attract people who want to prove themselves and are willing to invest in the company’s success. They need to show they want to be leaders in the future—whether it’s leading a large team, becoming the best engineer in the industry, or contributing in a meaningful way to the company’s growth.

Our employees are expected to strive for excellence in everything they do. If you don’t have that mentality, then you’re not going to thrive at Hivebotics. It’s about building a culture of high standards and expecting everyone to give their best, even in challenging times.

Use a Test Project in the Hiring Process

When it comes to hiring, especially for engineering positions, I place a strong emphasis on proving capability and motivation. All engineers, especially fresh grads, need to complete a test project. The test project typically takes one week to complete and is a challenging task meant to assess their technical ability and drive.

The test project serves two primary purposes:

1. Technical Capability: I don’t just evaluate the code they write but focus on how they approach the task, their problem-solving skills, and how they explain their process. This is crucial because I want engineers who can hit the ground running, not ones who need extensive training.
2. Motivation: If an applicant can’t dedicate 2–3 hours over the course of a week to demonstrate their skills for Hivebotics, they won’t be a good fit. Commitment is key—this test helps me gauge whether a candidate is serious about contributing to the company or if they are just interested in the opportunity but not fully dedicated.

I’ve had candidates who have submitted work that takes 8–10 hours of effort, and that’s a good sign of commitment. However, some have taken a week to complete the project, and in these cases, I immediately question their ability to move fast and deliver under pressure. We also had some candidates, who got back saying that they think the project would take a month to complete.  This made it immediately evident on who is committed and able and who is not.

In summary, I look for engineers who can balance technical excellence with drive. I need them to be highly self-motivated, willing to put in the work, and show initiative from day one. If they can't even complete a small test project in a timely manner, they won’t fit in with the fast-paced culture we are trying to build.

Expectations of Work Ethic

A key part of the culture we’re trying to build is that everyone is willing to go above and beyond without needing to be told. This is not just about working long hours, but about having the drive to succeed. For example, during tough times, our team has been putting in extra hours on their own—whether it’s working weekends or staying late to meet a deadline. In fact, we have to chase them out of the office sometimes so they get the adequate rest. Work-life balance is important and we as employers make up for it by compensating with extra offs in lower pressure periods. However, what keeps us strong is that, when the going gets tough, the team puts in sacrifice to make the company succeed.

In fact, this aligns with the Silicon Valley mindset. If you go to companies in San Francisco, for instance, employees work long hours, often until 2 or 3 AM, and they do it willingly. No one has to push them to do it—it’s about the culture of excellence and drive. If an employee isn’t ready to put in that kind of effort, they won’t be a good fit for our company.

Team Management and Operations

Organisational Structure

At our early stage, our organizational structure is quite fluid and lean. Most of our team is focused on development, particularly software development, as we don’t yet have a dedicated hardware team. Instead, hardware oversight is managed by my co-founder and our head of engineering, who work closely with external contractors to monitor the hardware status. This allows us to focus on our core competency while outsourcing hardware production to specialized contractors.

Within the software team, we have a senior engineer (with about 2 years of experience) and two junior engineers. As we're still in the early stages, the software team is relatively small, but we are in the process of bringing on a CTO to help scale and structure the team as we grow.

Roles and Responsibilities

In this early phase, I personally handle many of the core leadership responsibilities, including:

• Marketing: I oversee all marketing efforts to drive visibility and engagement.
• Investor Relations: I manage relationships with investors and ensure they are updated on our progress.
• Team Oversight: I review the performance and progress of the team, making sure we’re aligned with our objectives.

I also work closely with the interns we bring on board, including a marketing intern from Dubai, to support various business functions. These interns are typically evaluated based on their ability to prove themselves and demonstrate results.

The structure is currently flexible, with the main focus on developing the software while outsourcing more complicated hardware tasks. As we grow, we plan to solidify our internal roles, bringing on a CTO and other key personnel to help scale operations.

(7) Tools and Apps

At Hivebotics, we are using different automation tools to exponentially boost our productivity. Each has a different strength which has allowed us to create highly workflows that empowers a small team to manage massive amounts of information:

• ClickUp– Our main project management platform. It is super flexible and it is amazing as it integrates well with Github, and also has a decent sprint planne
• HubSpot– Really love the email integration in Hubspot. Currently we have connected it to our online forms to manage our inbound leads as well as using it to do investor tracking and status management. This has boosted productivity significantly and ensures inbound leads are not missed. I can quickly reply to an inbound customer directly through Hubspot without having to open Gmail separately. I also use it for sending our investor and client updates which is awesome, as I can even integrate inbound customers/customers to our mailing list, and never have to think about it again.
• Calendly– Game changer. Especially when travelling. The different links are easy for any inbound contact to use, and I can provide different links based on the different timezones I am in.
• Dropbox DocSend– Game changing platform. Allows easy sharing of data room to investors and allows us to see how engaged different investors are.
• PandaDoc– Our choice e-signing platform. The templates are really awesome, and creates a workflow where we can perform error-free and easy sharing of documents for e-signing. Plus everything gets organised into folders nicely. Probably want to do some integration with clickup and hubspot so our NDA and other files are reflected automatically there.
• Xero– Really love Xero as all our acccounting reconcillation and also quote/invoice management can be done from the same platform. I saw that our accountants use its automatic Financial Report generation feature alot which is super cool.

Our flagship product is our AI-powered autonomous cleaning robot, “Abluo” (meaning “to wash” in Latin). It comprises of a robot arm and a mobile base and integrates a high pressure, steaming, vacuuming and chemical wash system.

The robot has advanced AI capabilities to navigate autonomously to restrooms and scan the environment. It learns the layout of the restroom and plans how to clean each fixture using our patent pending Scan and Plan algorithms.

The 3 key pillars of technology in our system are:

1. AI Scan and Plan Algorithm
2. Computer Vision Cleaning Quality Validation
3. Customized Hardware Design

What is Abluo?

Abluo is a cleaning robot built specifically for sanitation. It features:

• A robotic arm and a mobile base: The robotic arm cleans various fixtures, and the mobile base lets it move around autonomously.
• A versatile cleaning system: It uses high-pressure spraying, steaming, vacuuming, and chemical washes to ensure surfaces are cleaned thoroughly.

How Abluo Works

Abluo relies on advanced AI technology to clean restrooms. Its process can be broken down into three key steps:

Step 1: Scan and Plan

Abluo starts by scanning its surroundings and planning the best way to clean. This involves:

1. Capturing a 3D “point cloud”: Abluo collects a detailed 3D representation of the restroom fixture in real-time. A 3D point cloud is essentially a set of data points in a 3D coordinate system, representing the entire external surface of an object.
2. Identifying the fixture parts: Using its pre-trained database of toilet fixtures, Abluo recognises different parts of the scanned fixture (e.g., toilet seat, bowl, urinal, or lid).
3. Planning the cleaning path: Abluo’s AI generates cleaning paths based on the scanned data. These paths are modular, meaning they can be adjusted or extended to handle different use cases.

Step 2: Cleaning the Fixture

Once the plan is ready:

• Abluo autonomously moves to the fixture.
• It uses the appropriate cleaning tools (e.g., high-pressure spray, steamer, vacuum, or chemical wash) for each part of the fixture.
• The robot cleans systematically, ensuring all identified parts of the fixture are addressed.

Step 3: Quality Validation

After cleaning:

• Abluo uses computer vision to assess the quality of its work.
• If it finds any spots that weren’t cleaned properly, it adjusts and cleans those areas again.

What Makes Abluo Unique?

Abluo’s AI Scan and Plan algorithm is its standout feature. It:

• Is modular and extendable: This means Abluo can easily adapt to new cleaning tasks. For example, it could clean walls, door handles, railings, or other surfaces accessible with its robotic arm.The system is designed to be trained and configured for new use cases quickly.
• Combines custom hardware and software seamlessly: Abluo’s customised design ensures its tools and AI work together for optimal performance.

Abluo and the Future of AI + Robotics

To summarise, Abluo is a cleaning robot that:

• Scans restrooms with high-detail 3D mapping.
• Plans the cleaning process by identifying fixtures and generating cleaning paths.
• Cleans effectively using a variety of tools.
• Validates its results with computer vision to ensure high-quality cleaning.

Its modular and adaptable design means it’s not limited to just toilets—it’s ready to tackle a wide range of cleaning tasks with minimal configuration. Abluo simplifies and improves restroom cleaning with cutting-edge AI and robotics technology.