Kiva Systems → Amazon Robotics
Ishan was an early member of Kiva Systems, which was acquired by Amazon and became Amazon Robotics — the Roomba-like robots that pick boxes in Amazon warehouses.
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Apr 28, 2026
Where this was said
Ishan's Founder Journey: From MIT to ROX
At 0:52 · chapter starts 0:32
Ishan Mukherjee grew up in India as a robotics major before moving to the United States in 2009 and graduating from MIT. He joined Kiva Systems as an early employee — a company that would eventually become Amazon Robotics, the Roomba-like warehouse robot fleet that powers Amazon's fulfillment operations. [1] — Ishan Mukherjee "Pixie Labs acquired by New Relic in 2020: Ishan's Kubernetes infrastructure company Pixie Labs was acquired by software monitoring company …" 01:40 After Amazon's acquisition, he relocated to the Bay Area in 2013 and joined the early team that built what became Apple's knowledge graph — the system that answers factual queries like 'How old is Steph Curry?' on Apple devices. His first independent venture was Pixie Labs, a Kubernetes infrastructure company that was acquired by software monitoring firm New Relic in 2020. He then served as Chief Growth Officer at New Relic, overseeing product-led growth, marketing, and high-velocity sales, until that company was sold to private equity in 2023. On Valentine's Day 2024, he and co-founder Sriram launched ROX — the company that now sits at the center of this conversation.
From Amazon Robotics to ROX: Ishan's Founder Journey
Ishan Mukherjee has been building companies since before 'AI founder' was a job title. His path runs from MIT through Amazon Robotics and Apple's knowledge graph to two exits — and now ROX, the company he started on Valentine's Day 2024.
Pixie Labs acquired by New Relic in 2020
Ishan's Kubernetes infrastructure company Pixie Labs was acquired by software monitoring company New Relic in 2020.
Founded on Valentine's Day 2024
ROX was founded on Valentine's Day 2024, making it roughly 2 years old at the time of this recording.
What ROX Actually Does
ROX isn't a CRM upgrade — it's a replacement. Its AI agents autonomously handle customer research, outreach, engagement, and contracts, doing everything a human would have done inside a CRM without human input.
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