Parag Batavia

I founded Neya Systems in 2009, bootstrapped it on government R&D contracts into a world leader in off-road autonomy, and sold it to Applied Research Associates in 2017.

Before that, a decade building autonomy stacks — perception, path planning, mission management — at Applied Perception and Carnegie Mellon’s National Robotics Engineering Center. I now work with boards and founders in autonomy and deep tech, teach at CMU, and mentor people earlier on the same road.

Summary

Founded: Neya Systems, 2009
Exit: Acquired by ARA, 2017
Funding: Non-dilutive, 100%
Domain: Off-road autonomy
Degree: Ph.D. Robotics, CMU
Based: Pittsburgh, PA

A collage of autonomous off-road vehicles: military ground vehicles, mining trucks, and construction equipment

What I enjoy

Board & advisory

Board seats, advisory roles, and technical diligence for autonomy, robotics, and defense-technology companies — especially those selling into government programs.

Teaching

Adjunct faculty at Carnegie Mellon, teaching Introduction to Robotics Business (16-697) and Creating a Robotics Startup (16-698) in the Master of Science in Robotic Systems Development program.

Mentorship

I’m currently an Entrepreneur in Residence at Innovation Works, supporting the Robotics Factory accelerator program. I enjoy engaging with early stage startups and working with new founders.

Track record

Period	Organization	Role & result
2009–18	Neya Systems	Founder & CEO. One employee to thirty with no outside equity. Acquired by Applied Research Associates in 2017; stayed on eighteen months to lead post-acquisition growth.
2003–09	Applied Perception QinetiQ North America, 2007–09	Research engineer to Director of Projects & Operations. Lead architect and principal author of a full autonomy stack — drivers, perception, path planning. Dozens of SBIR, BAA, and commercial proposals written and won.
1999–03	CMU NREC	Commercialization Specialist. Path tracking and obstacle detection for automated golf course fairway mowers at 2–3 cm precision.
1999	Carnegie Mellon University	Ph.D., Robotics. Driver-Adaptive Lane Departure Warning Systems.