# Amar Hanspal

> Amar Hanspal is the co-founder and CEO of Motif, a cloud-native AI-first design collaboration platform challenging Autodesk's Revit dominance in the AEC (Architecture, Engineering, Construction) industry. A veteran of three decades in design software, he previously served as Co-CEO of Autodesk - where he helped triple the company's market cap from $8B to $24B - and as founding CEO of robotics startup Bright Machines. With Motif, backed by $46M from CapitalG and Redpoint Ventures and named to Forbes' Next Billion-Dollar Startups list for 2025, Hanspal is building what he describes as 'Figma for architects': a browser-based, real-time collaborative workspace for the world's built environment.

- **Role:** Co-founder & CEO at Motif
- **Organizations:** Motif, Autodesk, Bright Machines
- **From:** India
- **Nationality:** American (Indian-born)
- **Education:** Bachelor of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, University of Bombay, Master of Science, Mechanical Engineering, Stony Brook University
- **Known for:** Co-CEO of Autodesk during its transformation from perpetual license to cloud/SaaS model, Helped triple Autodesk's market cap from $8B to $24B, Managed 100+ products and 10,000+ employees at Autodesk

## Career timeline

- **1987** — Joined Autodesk in customer support and project management
- **1987-1999** — 12-year first stint at Autodesk, rising through product and business roles
- **2002** — Rejoined Autodesk in senior executive capacity
- **2002-2017** — Senior VP Platform Solutions, Chief Product Officer, and Co-CEO of Autodesk; tripled market cap from $8B to $24B
- **2017** — Departed Autodesk as Andrew Anagnost became sole CEO
- **2018** — Co-founded Bright Machines (AI-driven manufacturing robotics); raised $200M+
- **2021** — Stepped down as CEO of Bright Machines, transitioned to advisory role
- **2023** — Co-founded Motif with Brian Mathews (former Autodesk CTO and Revit team member); operated in stealth under codename 'AmBr'
- **2025-01** — Motif announces $46M in seed and Series A funding (CapitalG led Series A, Redpoint led seed)
- **2025-02** — Motif publicly launches cloud-native BIM collaboration platform
- **2025** — Named to Forbes' Next Billion-Dollar Startups list; selected for AI Disruptors 60 List
- **2025** — Motif launches single-click AI rendering feature for architectural visualizations

## Achievements

- Co-CEO of Autodesk during its transformation from perpetual license to cloud/SaaS model
- Helped triple Autodesk's market cap from $8B to $24B
- Managed 100+ products and 10,000+ employees at Autodesk
- Led 50+ acquisitions and integrations at Autodesk
- Scaled Bright Machines to $30M+ revenue in 2 years with $200M+ raised
- Raised $46M for Motif from CapitalG (Alphabet) and Redpoint Ventures
- Motif named to Forbes' Next Billion-Dollar Startups 2025 list
- Motif selected for 2025 AI Disruptors 60 List
- Speaker at Milken Institute Global Conference 2021
- Contributor to World Economic Forum agenda

## Latest updates

- **2025-05** — Motif continues to scale post-Series A; AI rendering feature live with single-click generation from sketches and physical models
- **2025-02** — Motif publicly launched after two-year stealth period; platform available to architecture and AEC firms globally
- **2025-01** — Announced $46M in combined seed and Series A funding; Series A led by CapitalG (Alphabet's independent growth fund)
- **2025-01** — Named to Forbes' Next Billion-Dollar Startups 2025 list
- **2025** — Selected for AI Disruptors 60 List

## Links

- Website: https://motif.io
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amarhanspal
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/amarhanspal

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/amar-hanspal
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-13