WHO WE ARE

Founded in 2010, Motivo was inspired by the philosophy of race car engineering teams that often work on custom cars end to end. By applying the same vertically integrated mindset to other domains of innovation engineering, Motivo pioneered the concept of agile for hardware, bringing depth and breadth to every project.

Our team has been carefully selected for extremely diverse skills, a penchant for problem solving, and world-class heart. We do not like the word “impossible.” We begin each day by challenging traditional thinking and pushing boundaries.

OUR LEADERSHIP

Praveen Penmetsa

Founder/Chairman

Praveen loves the creative energy that permeates the product engineering lifecycle, especially on seemingly "impossible" projects. His firm belief that "it's not just what we do, it's how we do it" is the drive behind Motivo. Praveen brings over two decades of hands-on experience in translating creative visions into products. Outside of Motivo, you will find him at the local race track with his vintage BMW.

Birgit Snodgrass

Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Birgit brings more than 35 years of diverse financial expertise and analysis as well as a keen sense of business acumen to the Motivo team. In her free time, you can find Birgit spending time with family and friends, sipping a good glass of wine, hiking the local mountains and canyons, visiting museums, and creating art.

Daniel Samarin

Electrical/Software Engineering Manager

Daniel has a penchant for the development of leading edge technology. He has been a key player in several startups over the course of his career. His focus in managing the Electrical and Software teams at Motivo is on individual and team growth. Other passions include 3D printing, fine leather crafting, digital security, and homebrewing beer.

Nehal Shahin

Continuous Improvement Manager

Nehal oversees Admin and IT while connecting dots and bridging gaps between all of Motivo’s functions. Using collaborative, holistic problem-solving, her passion for people is at the pith of her approach. Her pleasures include perusing podcasts, experiencing eateries, appreciating alliteration, and immersing herself in music.

Allen Goad

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Allen’s passion for championing growth in complex, high-performance companies has led to 25 years of experience leading high profile public and private organizations in the aerospace, defense, advanced robotics, service, and industrial markets. Allen enjoys time with his family, 4x4 off-roading, riding motorcycles, and building, driving, and racing high performance cars.

Chris Dunham

Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO)

Chris helps foster the development of Motivo’s diverse product engineering teams that include managers, PhD’s, engineers, hackers, and tinkerers by drawing on over 10 years of people-focused roles. He is an avid learner, reader, and dreamer - qualities he and his wife hope to pass on to their three young boys.

Julius Klein

Mechanical Engineering Manager

Julius’ main research field was Mechanism Design, Robotics and Control Systems, as well as robotics, nonlinear control, advanced SolidWorks, CAD and CAM modeling and simulation, fabrication processes, and motor learning. Apart from designing, building and fixing stuff, he enjoys surfing, hiking, mountain biking, and skiing.

Ryan Epstein

Product Director

Ryan loves helping clients achieve results. A listener and strong communicator, he’s known for breaking down complex problems and guiding teams through ambiguity. Ryan joined Motivo after launching new business operations in Dubai and brings a decade of diverse project experience. Outside of work Ryan enjoys exploring new technologies, hiking, and spending time with his family.

Damon Pipenberg

Chief Technology Officer (CTO)

Damon guides Motivo's product development teams as a senior technical advisor. He is passionate about making development of novel products possible by leveraging the latest technologies. He relishes the outdoors through mountain biking and skiing and personal projects including home audio, CNC machining, and working on an older Subaru.

Michael Konig

Chief Business Officer (CBO)

Michael brings 20 years of diverse

experience, from engineering to race car

development to fine dining management.

His focus is growing the business model

with a vigilant eye on Motivo's North Star:

client success. Outside of work, you may

find him riding motorcycles, sleuthing car

auctions, or traversing his yard at top

speed in his tractor.

Even Garcia

Fabrication Manager

Even started his career in mobility product development working on everything from custom electric bikes, to show bucks and suspension systems. His personal interests largely derive from the work he has done here and in his time off he can be found tinkering, working on cars, and fishing the coast.

Christian Dommell

Product Director

Christian has spent 15+ years helping companies innovate, from designing giant space-based solar arrays to running large R&D projects to partnering with startups at a corporate Venture Capital fund. He brings all of that experience to Motivo to ensure client success. Outside of that, he’s generally sharing his love of STEM, the outdoors, and random pop culture with his kids and the broader community.

OUR CLIENTS LOVE US
BECAUSE WE ARE...

Ridiculously Fast

Our mission is to deliver better products, faster. Motivo is vertically integrated with highly skilled designers, electrical, mechanical and software engineers, and fabricators working together in tightly knit teams under the same roof - resulting in development timelines that are often 3x faster than other product development companies.

Diversely Skilled

Our team has been carefully selected to bring extremely diverse skills to each project, allowing us to bring depth and breadth to each challenge. We brainstorm, architect, design, engineer, wire, code, print, sew, weld, machine, assemble, and test the first prototype and support the transition to full-volume production.

Constantly Creative