# Damion Shelton

> Damion Shelton is a roboticist and entrepreneur who co-founded Agility Robotics and served as CEO from 2015 to 2024. He remains its chairman and, since August 2026, is associate vice president and executive director of Carnegie Mellon University’s Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship. Earlier, he co-founded threeRivers 3D. His work connects robotics research, product development, commercialization and founder mentoring.

- **Role:** Associate Vice President and Executive Director of the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon University; Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board at Agility Robotics
- **Organizations:** Agility Robotics, Carnegie Mellon University, Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship, threeRivers 3D, University of Pittsburgh
- **Education:** BS in Bioengineering and BA in History and Philosophy of Science, University of Pittsburgh, MS in Robotics, Carnegie Mellon University, PhD in Robotics, Carnegie Mellon University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Agility Robotics and led it as CEO from 2015 to 2024., Led Agility during development and commercialization of its Cassie and Digit robots and its 2022 $150 million Series B., Co-founded threeRivers 3D, which was acquired in 2012.

## Career timeline

- **2001** — Graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with degrees in bioengineering and history and philosophy of science.
- **2004** — Earned a master’s degree in robotics at Carnegie Mellon.
- **2007** — Earned a PhD in robotics at Carnegie Mellon; subsequently built threeRivers 3D as co-founder and CTO.
- **2012** — threeRivers 3D was acquired.
- **2015** — Co-founded Agility Robotics, a spinout of Oregon State University research, and became CEO.
- **2019** — Agility announced a Ford partnership to explore autonomous last-mile delivery using Digit.
- **2020** — Agility announced a $20 million investment and reported Digit customer shipments beginning that July.
- **2022** — Agility raised a $150 million Series B while Shelton was CEO.
- **2023** — Agility announced its RoboFab manufacturing facility in Salem, Oregon.
- **2024-03** — Became president when Peggy Johnson succeeded him as CEO on March 4.
- **2024-12** — Agility announced his appointment as chief engagement officer.
- **2025** — Named University of Pittsburgh Distinguished Alumnus in Bioengineering; later public biographies identify him as Agility chairman.
- **2026-03** — Testified before a U.S. Senate Commerce subcommittee on AI and robotics.
- **2026-08** — Joined Carnegie Mellon as associate vice president and executive director of the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship on August 17, while remaining Agility chairman.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Agility Robotics and led it as CEO from 2015 to 2024.
- Led Agility during development and commercialization of its Cassie and Digit robots and its 2022 $150 million Series B.
- Co-founded threeRivers 3D, which was acquired in 2012.
- Recognized as the University of Pittsburgh’s 2025 Distinguished Alumnus in Bioengineering.
- Appointed to lead Carnegie Mellon’s Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship in August 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — Discussed robotics commercialization and founder mentoring in an IEEE Robotics and Automation Society interview published October 19.
- **2026-09** — Agility announced Digit 5, with early access expected in the first half of 2027 and general availability expected by the end of 2027.
- **2026-08** — Began leading CMU’s Swartz Center on August 17; remains Agility co-founder and chairman.
- **2026-06** — Agility announced a proposed business combination with Churchill Capital Corp XI, subject to approvals and closing conditions.
- **2026-03** — Delivered prepared testimony to a Senate Commerce subcommittee on March 3.

## Links

- Website: https://tepper.pantheon.cmu.edu/index.php/tepper/faculty-and-research/faculty-profiles/damion-shelton
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damion-shelton

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/damion-shelton
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Last updated: 2026-10-27