Samantha Payne MBE

Entrepreneur. Co-Founder of Open Bionics; an award-winning healthcare company delivering revolutionary low-cost bionic hands that look and feel good, for amputees or those born without a hand. Samantha, recently named as one of the top 25 women in robotics you need to know about by Robohub and Marie Claire's Top Women In Tech, co-founded Open Bionics with Joel Gibbard in 2014, and focuses on building Open Bionics’​ profile, business model, network, and raising rounds. Samantha and Joel pitched the company at the Finals of Intel's Global 'Make It Wearable’​ Challenge in 2014 and took home the $250,000 cash prize for 2nd Place from among over 400 entrants in the Challenge. Samantha has been named 'Entrepreneur of The Year,' 'The Hottest Founder in Europe' via The Europas, and was awarded an MBE. The startup has also won multiple awards for innovation, including being named one of the top 50 robotics businesses in the world alongside Google and Amazon. Samantha's extensive business and leadership training has come from high profile mentors such as Philip Kongsgaard Døssing, Senior Concept Designer at Lego group, Pixar's Ralph Guggenheim, former Apple marketer Guy Kawasaki, and she completed an intensive 3-month hands-on training program in Lean Startup principles with UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business. Samantha has been a guest speaker and panelist at the UKTI Brazil Wearables Conference 2015, UKTI Brazil Women in Technology 2015, a guest speaker and panelist at Geek Picnic Technology Conference Russia 2015, guest speaker at Smart Nation Singapore 2015, guest of Founders Forum Singapore 2015, guest of 3D Print Show's Medical Conference Berlin 2015, and a Girl Geek speaker in 2014.