At NanoMuscle, Rod MacGregor made a case for tiny motors. At GlassPoint, he is making one for industrial solar steam. Between the two lies a career spent turning unfamiliar engineering into something a customer can use.

From Aberdeen classrooms to Revolut’s fire hose and a $40 million New York startup, Swan has built his career around one stubborn idea: software should clear the desk so people can do the human work.