And no, it has nothing to do with Paul Rudd aging backwards or hair growing in weird places….
By Jon Quick, CEO, Launchpad
This week, we welcomed our 40th teammate to Launchpad. That’s a milestone I’m genuinely proud of – not because of the number itself, but because of what it represents: momentum, belief, and a growing group of world-class people choosing to build something meaningful together.
At 40 people, we’re no longer a scrappy experiment – but we’re not “corporate” either. We have real scale now. Real customers. Real pressure. And real responsibility. What hasn’t changed is our “why”: to reimagine manufacturing by getting the human-robot relationship right – so that robots in manufacturing can go from theoretical to real.
We’ve learned a lot getting here. Startups are supposed to be uncomfortable, and it has been. To steal a line from Edmond Dantès,
“Life is a storm, my young friend. You will bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next. What makes you is what you do when the storm comes. You must look into the storm and shout ‘do your worst, for I will do mine!’”
You try, you fail, you try again. That constant loop of experimentation is ingrained into our DNA – and as we move toward 2026, it matters more than ever.
The macro environment is still tough: the global economy is fragile, geopolitics are tense, and capital is cautious. But one thing is crystal clear – Manufacturing is the backbone of economic strength and the countries and companies that modernize it fastest will win.
We believe – deeply – that reimagining manufacturing doesn’t just help companies. It revitalizes local economies. It creates gravity that leads to better jobs. It restores industrial leadership. It ensures economic independence, and when done right gives people leverage through technology.
From aerospace and defense to heavy industry to food & beverage, we’re seeing the same truth everywhere: when humans and robots work together the right way, output goes up – and so do opportunities. Cost-effective, flexible, AI-driven automation changes the equation.
At Launchpad, we’re earning a reputation for pushing the edges of what autonomous manufacturing can do – making factories faster, safer, and dramatically more adaptable. Hitting 40 teammates isn’t a victory lap. It’s a signal that we’re doing what we said we’d do when we raised our Series A and doubling down on the values that got us here: ambition, execution, humility, and relentless curiosity.
As we head into the holiday season, there’s real energy inside the company. While many businesses are slowing down, we’re gearing up. 2026 is lining up to be a breakout year – and we are laying the foundation for it today.
The best part?
We’re still just getting started, and according to Victor Hugo still young…
“Forty is the old age of youth; fifty is the youth of old age.”
