Robotics Product Leader · Educator · Speaker · Community Builder · Mentor

Building the future of robotics — through products, people and community.

I work at the intersection of robotics, product management, commercialization and responsible innovation — building products, teaching future leaders, supporting the robotics community and mentoring people shaping the next generation of technology.

BUILD
→ TEACH
→ SPEAK
→ CONNECT
→ MENTOR
Kateryna Portmann examining a robotic arm in a robotics lab, wearing a yellow blazer

Robotics is more than a technology challenge.

It is a product challenge. A business challenge. A people challenge. And ultimately, a human challenge.

A successful robotics product needs more than impressive technology. It needs a real customer problem, a viable business case, thoughtful product decisions, responsible development and people who are ready to adopt it.

That's where my work sits.


What I do

Robotics Product Leadership is the center. Everything else — teaching, speaking, community, mentoring — grows from building real robotics products.

01 — I BUILD

Robotics Product Management

Building robotics products that solve real problems and can scale beyond the prototype. This is the core — everything else follows from it.

Explore Product Management →
  • Product strategy
  • Product discovery
  • Product-market fit
  • Roadmaps & prioritization
  • Pilot-to-platform scaling
  • Commercialization
  • Product leadership
  • Responsible product development
02 — I TEACH

Teaching

Bringing real-world technology into the classroom — for students, professionals and executives.

I bring real-world robotics experience into the classroom, connecting emerging technology with the product and business decisions people actually face.

Explore Teaching →
  • HWZ — CAS Women Leading Digital
  • HWZ — CAS Future Tech
  • HWZ — CAS AI Innovation
  • FHAW — CAS Robotics & Physical AI
  • Fast Future Executives
03 — I SPEAK

Speaking

Making robotics, AI and product leadership practical for global audiences.

Speaking →
  • ICRA
  • WiDS Zurich
  • Dublin Tech Summit
  • AI House Davos
  • PROFIBUS Get Together for Robotics
04 — I CONNECT

Women in Robotics & Community

Building the people and communities behind the technology.

Community & Mentoring →
  • Women in Robotics Switzerland
  • Talks & meetups
  • Shared knowledge
05 — I MENTOR

Mentoring

You don't have to figure it all out alone.

Mentoring →
  • Robotics
  • Product Management
  • DeepTech
  • Leadership & Career
Kateryna Portmann speaking to the Women in Robotics community in a red dress, presenting in front of a screen
Women in Robotics Switzerland — community session Zürich

Recognition & Media

One place where the credibility signals — industry, recognition, teaching, speaking and community — come together.

Industry
Senior Product Manager
ANYbotics
Recognition
Top 10 Women in Robotics 2025
International Federation of Robotics
Read the IFR announcement →
Teaching
Executive Education
HWZ · FHAW · Fast Future Executives
Community
Women in Robotics Switzerland
Co-Lead, Swiss chapter
Speaking
Selected Speaking Engagements
ICRA · WiDS Zurich · Dublin Tech Summit · AI House Davos · PROFIBUS
Newsletter
On LinkedIn

Featured conversations

Interviews and podcast appearances, gathered in one place.

Video · Robotics.Scaled

What Stops Robotics Pilots From Becoming Real Production Deployments

Why successful robotics pilots don't automatically become successful production deployments — and what organizations need to change to scale robotics.

Watch
  • InterviewSilicon Republic — "8 Women to Watch in AI, Robotics and Automation." Read →
  • InterviewSilicon Republic — "Past the 'wow phase' of robotics, delivery and safety are paramount." Read →
  • InterviewSilicon Republic — on inclusivity in robotics and building diverse teams. Read →
  • PodcastTech Inspired — Shaping Robotics, Building Communities, and Thriving in Tech. Listen →
  • PodcastTechRadio Ireland — on automation, AI and new directions in robotics. Listen →
  • PodcastThe Techne Connect — Women in Robotics, Physical AI, and Building a More Inclusive Engineering Future. Listen →
  • ProfileFast Future Executive — lecturer & thought leadership profile. View →
  • PublicationInnovation-Sandbox für Künstliche Intelligenz — "Build & Share" — co-authored contribution to the Kanton Zürich report on AI innovation sandboxes and regulatory learning. Read →
  • WhitepaperGreater Zurich Area — "Europe's Leading Robotics Hub" — featured as one of four expert contributors alongside ZHAW, EY-Parthenon and the ETH Robotics Club. Read →

The Robotics Product Leadership Framework

From idea to impact.

01DEFINE

Define

  • Customer problem
  • Market
  • Value proposition
02DESIGN

Design

  • Product strategy
  • Responsible innovation
  • Stakeholders
03ADOPT

Adopt

  • Pilots
  • User feedback
  • Organizational readiness
04SCALE

Scale

  • Business case
  • Product organization
  • Repeatable deployment

"Don't scale the technology before you understand what you're scaling."

Kateryna Portmann walking alongside a quadruped robot on a street in Davos
Robotics in the field — Davos Switzerland

Thinking at the intersection of robotics, product and people.

All insights →
  • ScalingWhy Robotics Projects Fail at Scale — And What to Do About It
  • PlaybookFrom Pilot to Platform: The Robotics Scaling Playbook
  • FrameworkHow to Evaluate a Robotics Product Idea: The 3-Question Framework

Let's build what comes next.