BERKELEY, Calif. —Grabango, a checkout-free technology service provider to convenience-store chains and grocers, has appointed Ryan Smith as vice president of product and engineering. Smith has experience in artificial intelligence (AI), computer vision and distributed systems.
“I am impressed by Ryan’s passion to enhance people’s lives through technology,” said Will Glaser, Grabango CEO and founder. “Ryan’s leadership will further enable Grabango’s team to deliver advanced products that serve our customers’ diverse business needs and transform everyday shoppers’ checkout experiences.”
Smith began his career at Amgen, a multinational biopharmaceutical company, and led a team of engineers in developing and deploying robotics and novel vision algorithms for pharmaceutical applications. Most recently, Ryan was the vice president of product and engineering for Sight Machine, a company that enables many of the world’s largest original equipment manufacturers to leverage AI and stream processing for automation. Smith oversaw the initial product creation through the scaling of Sight Machine’s first 10 international markets.
“I am excited to join Grabango at such a key moment in the retail tech evolution,” Smith said. “Innovation continues to play an increasing role in enhancing people's shopping experience. I look forward to advancing Grabango’s leadership position in the checkout-free technology industry.”
Smith will lead a growing team of engineers, developers and designers at Grabango. A primary focus of his will be completing commercial deployments at Giant Eagle and Grabango’s three other grocery and c-store clients. Smith will further refine product deliverables and commercial services by working closely with Grabango’s expanding customer base.
Berkeley, Calif.-based Grabango’s frictionless checkout system is optimized for large-scale stores but is viable for almost any retail format, the company said.
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