Business strategist Jeffrey Rayport and robotics lead Chris Hofmeister join HDS Global as the company scales operations. News provided by. HDS Global New executive hires and robotics lab expansion position HDS Global for accelerated growth and market-scale deployment of its RoboFS fulfillment platform PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ - HDS Global, a leading provider of next generation robotic fulfillment systems, today announced the addition of two seasoned leaders to its executive team: Jeffrey Rayport, a Harvard Business School professor and growth strategy expert, who will serve as Chief of Strategy, and Chris Hofmeister, formerly with Walmart Advanced Systems & Robotics (ASR), who joins as Senior Vice President of Robotics Engineering. The appointments come as HDS opens a new automation lab and prepares for scaled commercial deployment of its RoboFS platform. "We're excited to welcome Jeffrey and Chris to our team," said Louis Borders, Founder and CEO of HDS Global. "Jeffrey adds strategic insight and fast-scaling expertise, while Chris brings the engineering discipline and vision to take RoboFS to market at scale." RoboFS is HDS's patented, end-to-end, robotic fulfillment system designed to meet the complex needs of global manufacturers and distributors across e-commerce, automobiles, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and consumer goods. The system combines high throughput automation with AI-driven decisioning to deliver touchless, cost-efficient fulfillment. HDS counts Toyota and Ingram Micro among its early partners. Jeffrey Rayport joins as Chief of Strategy, guiding HDS's commercial strategy and scaling initiatives. Rayport is a Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School and a widely respected expert in growth-stage technology ventures. He previously served as an Operating Partner at Castanea Partners, a private equity firm specializing in retail and consumer brands, and a Senior Partner at Monitor Deloitte. Rayport holds an A.B. from Harvard College, an M.Phil. from the University of Cambridge, and an A.M. and Ph.D. from Harvard University. "RoboFS/HDS Global is addressing one of retail and fulfillment's longest-standing challenges - building an end-to-end, single stack solution that's elegant, flexible, and cost-effective while serving a wide range of use cases," said Rayport. "I'm thrilled to join a team that's poised to create outsized value for ecommerce players across a vast array of industries and brands." Chris Hofmeister joins as SVP Robotics Engineering, where he will lead product development and go-to-market strategy for RoboFS. Previously, he served as Senior Director at Walmart Advanced Systems & Robotics (formerly Alert Innovation, where Hofmeister served as Vice President of IP & New Technology Development prior to its acquisition by Walmart), and holds over 100 U.S. patents in robotics and other aspects of capital equipment. Hofmeister earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Penn State, an M.S. in Engineering from Northeastern University, and a J.D. from Massachusetts School of Law. "I'm energized to lead the HDS/RoboFS technical team to realize Louis' vision for a highly configurable, end-to-end automation solution for e-commerce and other fulfillment applications," said Hofmeister. To support its development efforts and customer onboarding, HDS has opened a new automation lab in Lowell, Massachusetts. The facility showcases RoboFS's proprietary tray storage and automated pick & pack technologies, offering customers a hands-on environment to test, refine, and innovate in partnership with the HDS team. For more information visit: www.hdsglobal.com or explore the technology that powers HDS at www.robofs.com. SOURCE HDS Global

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