Roby Stancel, a renowned innovator and strategist in design thinking and business, with over 25 years of experience, has built a reputation as a thought leader and frequent speaker on innovation, corporate transformation, and start-up connection. As a member of the small team that invented design thinking, Roby has worked with over a hundred clients across different industries, connecting design thinking and innovation.

With extensive expertise in cultural transformations, Roby has successfully transformed complex structures from corporations to national ecosystems, globally. Notably, he has worked on projects in South Africa, Canada, and the EU. Roby also works in venture capital, ensuring his client's needs align with disruptive tech startups that address them.

His interests also extend into the quantification of innovation value, including environmental, social, and moral value for services, processes, and products. With expertise in raw materials, energy, and mobility, Roby has developed technology and innovation roadmaps for resource companies with a market cap of over $500 bn.

Furthermore, working in the mining industry, he managed the direction, strategy, and network of the world's largest technology innovation consortium. Roby was the VP of product development and design at Nanosolar, a roll-printed solar cell start-up that was the best-funded startup of its time and an early unicorn with half a billion dollars in funding.

Roby's areas of expertise extend to automotive, digitalization, and hydrogen to name a few. He is a member of the Digital Advisory Board at Sibanye Stillwater and on the selection jury of the EU's EIT Raw Materials. He has taught at prestigious universities such as Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, CCA, and TU Munich.

Roby has over 70 patents applied for or granted, has won global awards in design, business, and manufacturing. He was a member of Harvard's LILA Learning Innovation Lab, Mensa, and Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes. Roby, with clients on all continents, commutes between Berlin, Johannesburg, Perth, and Palo Alto, having visited over 60 countries.