John Robison

Okay, so here’s the story on John Robison. This guy’s the real deal, straight up. He’s part of the YC S24 batch, and he’s already making waves with his new startup, Bits to Atoms. But the story’s way deeper than just another founder jumping into the scene.

So, John’s background? He’s no stranger to the tech and industrial world. Before jumping into startup land, he worked at Palantir – you know, that massive data company that’s all about making sense of chaos? Yeah, him and his buddy Shaashwat Sharma, who he teamed up with at Palantir, founded Bits to Atoms in 2024. These guys get their hands dirty in the industrial chemicals and manufacturing verticals, which honestly, is some super niche shit but also critical. They saw a huge problem: American manufacturing is kinda lagging behind cause they’re missing out on operational knowledge, and that’s holding back growth and innovation.

What’s dope is that John’s experience at Palantir showed him how risky and messy the data side of manufacturing is. He saw firsthand how this operational data – the stuff that’s supposed to make factories run smoother – often gets lost or wasted. That’s a huge problem, especially if you care about making America’s factory game strong again. So, instead of just talking about problems, John and Shaashwat jumped into the deep end and built Bits to Atoms. Their mission? Help manufacturers capture, organize, and use all that operational know-how. Basically, they’re trying to turn factories into smarter, more competitive powerhouses.

What does all this say about him? Man, it’s clear John’s driven by a real desire to fix shit at the root. He’s not just in tech for the hype. He’s got a clear vision to rebuild and power up American manufacturing – something that’s been struggling for years. His time at Palantir gave him the insight and guts to spot the risks, and now he’s using that to actually make a difference. It’s about more than just making money; he’s out here creating something that truly matters and can flip the entire game.

Bottom line? John Robison is that guy who saw a huge gap, jumped into it with both feet, and is now pushing hard to make American manufacturing smarter and more resilient. He’s the kind of founder who’s not afraid to get his hands dirty, learn from real-world problems, and build something that’s the real deal. No Cap. That’s why he’s important – he’s not just another startup founder, he’s someone who’s trying to fix the core of how things work in one of the most critical industries out there.