Three proven innovators in robotics, artificial intelligence, and finance have joined the Snorble® Advisory Board, becoming the first group of dynamic entrepreneurs to add their expertise to the development of the interactive children’s companion. Further Advisory Board members from diverse backgrounds will be announced in the coming weeks.
“It takes a village to build a business and if we tap into the wisdom and experience of these great minds, we are gaining valuable intel and advice as we navigate through the ongoing phases of funding and development,” said Mike Rizkalla, CEO and Co-Founder of Snorble.
Joining the Snorble Advisory Board are:
Steve Chambers, an experienced high-tech CEO, who has led start-ups and large tech company operations, including Jibo, the world’s first social robot.
Bob Christopher, an entrepreneur renowned for his pioneering in robotics with the creation of Pleo, the first life-like robot using the LifeOS AI platform.
David Saab, former managing director at JPM and the co-founder of Aperture Investors, who is a successful serial entrepreneur with extensive experience in the financial industry.
Snorble encourages the adoption of healthy habits through learning and fun playtime activities, and then, at the end of each day, supports the development of positive customized bedtime routines for children. Snorble is the brainchild of a team that has extensive backgrounds in education, kid’s entertainment, children’s health and wellness, and consumer products, and includes a former Walt Disney Imagineer. Currently, Snorble can be preordered through Backerkit.
“The spirit of play is fundamental to what we do, and with just these first announcements, our Advisory Board already includes true innovators who can help spearhead what we believe is the next great opportunity for play among parents and children,” added Rizkalla.
Snorble Advisory Board Bios
Steve Chambers, with 25+ years of high-tech CEO, sales, and marketing experience, has led both start-ups and large tech company operations. He currently serves as CMO of Sense, Inc., named by VentureBeat in 2019 as one of the world’s top 100 artificial intelligence companies.
Previously, he served as CEO of Jibo, Inc., building the world’s first consumer social robot for the home, having closed approximately $87m in funding from various venture and strategic capital sources. Prior to Jibo, he served as President of Nuance Communications, the global leader in voice recognition and artificial intelligence solutions. In that capacity, Steve led a $2.1b revenue operation and negotiated deals with Apple, Samsung, Google, Amazon, Mercedes, Ford, Toyota, Bank of America, Federal Express, and Verizon, as well as other leading global organizations.
Steve has been SVP for worldwide sales for SpeechWorks, one of the top IPOs in Massachusetts’ history, and served as General Manager and CMO of Polycom Corporation (formerly PictureTel), the global leader in video, voice, and content collaboration, leading operating activities in more than 35 countries across 22 product lines.
“I believe the team at Snorble has figured out the magic formula in this competitive field that seeks to employ AI, robotics, and advanced technology to assist parents in developing a healthy lifestyle for their child,” said Mr. Chambers, who is currently an Ed.L.D. doctoral candidate at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education.
Bob Christopher is an entrepreneur renowned for his pioneering in robotics with the creation of Pleo, the first life-like robot using the LifeOS AI platform. Bob also co-founded Anybots, the first telepresence robot for virtual meetings, and Jibo, the social robot for the home developed by Cynthia Breazeal from MIT Media Labs.
As a hardware entrepreneur, Bob utilizes his product development experience with visionary know-how as a mentor at Highway 1 (a PCH company), StartX (Stanford accelerator), and Qualcomm’s robot accelerator.
Today, Bob leads innovation and investing on behalf of Mitsubishi Chemical Company at Diamond Edge Ventures where he actively engages startups in IoT, robotics, sensors, and sustainable materials for the circular economy. Before Diamond Edge Ventures, Bob headed up innovation for Panasonic in North America where he led Panasonic’s robot strategy and development for commercial markets.
“Snorble provides a wonderful opportunity for families to introduce a lovable character into their home to inspire fun and healthy habits through innovation,” said Mr. Christopher. “I am excited to advise Team Snorble as we move forward.”
David Saab is a successful serial entrepreneur and has extensive experience in the financial industry. He was managing director at JPM and co-founded Aperture Investors with Generali committing a $4 billion seed round. Aperture was a new asset manager aiming to disrupt the financial market by aligning fees paid by the clients to performance generated by portfolio managers.
More recently, he set up Alumia, a platform that helps asset managers raise assets in the international market. David acts as an advisor to a large number of institutional investors and family offices around the world and is the co-founder and director of several financial companies, including UFP Jump Start.
David worked for Rothschild & Co. in multi-asset solutions, managing portfolios for international institutional clients and ultra high networth clients. He was elected Fixed Income personality of the year in 2017.
“I am excited to help the success of a disruptive family tech firm and take innovation to new markets,” said Mr. Saab.
