company // our story

Our Story.

Founded by Fan Tan Smith in 2024, smAiT was shaped by real-world experience.

As we built, ran, and supported our own robots across enterprise environments, each pilot revealed the same thing. Successful robotics adoption requires far more than intelligent machines—it requires the intelligence, infrastructure, enterprise integration, lifecycle management, and commercial ecosystem needed to deliver lasting value.

Those lessons shaped the evolution of smAiT.

Building robots taught us what the market was actually missing, and it was not another robot. Today, smAiT provides the operational intelligence that enables robotic workforces to be onboarded, adopted, deployed, operated, managed, secured, supported, and continuously improved throughout their lifecycle.

Our Vision

A future in which millions of robots work meaningfully alongside people — across businesses, communities, and homes.

smAiT aims to become the intelligent operator behind that future: connecting, coordinating, managing, and continuously improving robotic workforces across manufacturers, industries, and use cases.

Leadership & advisors

The humans building smAiT.

Led by builders, technologists, and robotics visionaries.

Leadership

Fan Tan Smith

Founder & CEO

With over 30 years of leadership in international trade and as the founder of five companies, Fan Tan Smith brings a strategic global mindset and a proven entrepreneurial track record. She focuses on solving real-world problems through scalable, sustainable solutions that bridge the gap between human needs and technological possibility.

A committed humanitarian, she funds schools, orphanages, and clean water systems across Africa and Asia, has served fifteen years on the boards of three organizations, and is a member of Rotary International.

Leadership

Harreynish Gowtham Sarav

Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer

Harreynish leads smAiT's physical AI platform and the development of smAiT OS, across both software and hardware production. He holds an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from San José State University, with deep expertise in AI, robotics, human-robot interaction, and intelligent systems design.

A driving force behind smAiT, he turns the company's vision into reality, architecting AI-driven robotics solutions with speed and rigorous technical execution.

Board of Directors

Daniel Flaherty

Board of Directors

Bringing over two decades of experience in engineering and leadership, Daniel Flaherty leverages a diverse background in complex system engineering, quality control, government contracting, and mission-critical infrastructure. As Department Head for Facilities Engineering at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, he drives innovation and operational excellence in “Big Science” initiatives.

He offers strategic guidance on moving AI and robotics initiatives into production in complex, regulated environments.

Board of Advisors

Erik Norden

AI & Computer Architect · Former AI Platform Architect at Google, Apple & NVIDIA

Erik Norden is a computer architect and AI systems leader whose career spans Google, Apple, and NVIDIA. He helped pioneer modern neural processing and AI acceleration by spearheading the invention of the Apple Neural Engine and has led innovations in large-scale AI platforms and autonomous systems. Previously CTO of Zyphra, Erik now leads the company's AI Technology & Strategy.

As an advisor to smAiT, he provides guidance on scalable AI architectures, autonomous systems, AI data flywheels, and long-term technology strategy.

Board of Advisors

Jack McCauley

Co-Founder, Oculus · Professor & Innovator in Residence, UC Berkeley

Jack McCauley is a co-founder of Oculus and a veteran hardware and systems engineer who helped bring breakthrough consumer technology to market. He serves as Innovator in Residence at the Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation at UC Berkeley, where he is also a professor.

He advises smAiT on hardware systems engineering, complex product architecture, and scaling advanced technology platforms.

Join Our Journey

The Robotics Workforce Platform continues to evolve through innovation, collaboration, and Robotics Workforce Onboarding.

Whether you're an enterprise, robotics company, developer, strategic partner, or future team member, we invite you to help shape the future of intelligent robotic workforces.

Explore Careers →