We built the layer we kept wishing existed
Sancho started in 2025 after our founders ran the same integration project a third time. Different vendors, same problem, same 14 weeks. That repetition was the signal.
The integration ceiling is a solved problem
Before Sancho, our co-founders spent years commissioning automation cells across factory floors. FANUC arms on one line, KUKA arms on another, Siemens S7 PLCs governing the conveyor between them. Every time a new vendor appeared in the cell, the same project kicked off: map the protocol, write the event translation layer, debug the timing at 3am when handoffs drifted.
The trigger was a 12-arm EV battery cell in 2025: FANUC, ABB, and a Siemens S7-1500, all needing to share a single job queue. Getting the three systems onto a common event bus took 14 weeks. Most of that time was pure protocol translation, the kind of work that should not require custom code on every deployment.
So we wrote Sancho. Not as a demo or a research project, but as the thing we actually needed running on a production floor. Built from direct experience with the protocols, the edge hardware constraints, and the environments where 50ms latency means a sequencing fault.
We are bootstrapped and based in San Jose. We focus on one problem: making the vendor mix of your cell a procurement decision, not an engineering constraint.
The people behind the platform
Chao Cao
CEO and Co-founder
Background in controls engineering and mixed-vendor automation commissioning, spanning automotive and electronics production environments. Originated the protocol normalization approach that became Sancho's connector layer.
Rafael Moreno
CTO and Co-founder
Industrial communication protocols and embedded systems engineering background, focused on real-time control and edge computing for factory environments. Designed Sancho's sub-10ms translation engine and connector architecture.
Ingrid Svensson
Head of Customer Engineering
Field commissioning and automation systems integration background, with experience deploying production workcells and leading customer-facing technical programs. Leads all Sancho pilot engagements from initial cell mapping through production sign-off.
Join the early-access program
We work closely with each pilot partner. Small number of cells per quarter, high support. If your facility runs a mixed-vendor cell, tell us your vendor mix and we will confirm coverage within 48 hours.