# Divya Thakur (Founder, Yardbot)

- Show: [Just Gonna Send It](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/just-gonna-send-it)
- Published: 2026-05-06
- Length: 46m
- Episode: 15
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/just-gonna-send-it/2026-05-06-divya-thakur-founder-yardbot

## Summary

Divya Thakur, founder of Yardbot, explains how he pivoted from a failed Bitcoin startup and a career at Cruise (General Motors) to building a hybrid landscaping business in Huntsville, Alabama. He details the five generations of robot iterations, highlighting mechanical failures in drivetrains and decks, and the strategic decision to combine human crews with autonomous mowing robots rather than pursuing full automation. Thakur also discusses using LLMs for training blue-collar workers and computer vision for obstacle detection, while outlining plans to expand the model to other Sun Belt cities.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/just-gonna-send-it/2026-05-06-divya-thakur-founder-yardbot#t=0) Introduction and Yardbot Overview
- [2:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/just-gonna-send-it/2026-05-06-divya-thakur-founder-yardbot#t=157) The Hybrid Business Model and Customer Insight
- [8:23](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/just-gonna-send-it/2026-05-06-divya-thakur-founder-yardbot#t=503) Robot Iterations and Mechanical Failures
- [13:39](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/just-gonna-send-it/2026-05-06-divya-thakur-founder-yardbot#t=819) From San Francisco to Huntsville: Cost of Living
- [21:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/just-gonna-send-it/2026-05-06-divya-thakur-founder-yardbot#t=1270) Career History: Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, and Bitcoin
- [27:49](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/just-gonna-send-it/2026-05-06-divya-thakur-founder-yardbot#t=1669) Managing Blue-Collar Teams and Hiring
- [34:50](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/just-gonna-send-it/2026-05-06-divya-thakur-founder-yardbot#t=2090) Using AI and LLMs for Training and Operations
- [40:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/just-gonna-send-it/2026-05-06-divya-thakur-founder-yardbot#t=2424) Expansion Strategy and Future Challenges

## Topics

- [Mechanical engineering](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/mechanical-engineering)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Hiring & workforce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/hiring-and-workforce)
- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Yardbot (company)
- Cruise (company)
- General Motors (company)
- Goldman Sachs (company)
- Microsoft (company)
- SendCutSend (company)
- Mt. Gox (company)
- Butterfly Labs (company)
- Dogecoin (product)
- LLMs (tool)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Maintaining Green Space Sustainably: Jack Morrison on the Impact of Scythe Robotics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2024-08-15-maintaining-green-space-sustainably-jack-morrison-on-the-impact-of-scythe-roboti) (Hardware to Save a Planet)
- [Tertill CEO Helen Greiner; Can Aurora catch Waymo?](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2021-02-12-tertill-ceo-helen-greiner-can-aurora-catch-waymo) (The Robot Report Podcast)
- [Cutting Edge: AI-Powered Landscaping with Electric Sheep](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2024-03-08-cutting-edge-ai-powered-landscaping-with-electric-sheep) (The Robot Report Podcast)
- [Willy Pell from Blue River Technology brings AI to the farm](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2022-04-15-willy-pell-from-blue-river-technology-brings-ai-to-the-farm) (The Robot Report Podcast)
- [Inside the Bossa Nova-Walmart fallout; autonomous yard trucks with Outrider](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2020-11-04-inside-the-bossa-nova-walmart-fallout-autonomous-yard-trucks-with-outrider) (The Robot Report Podcast)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/just-gonna-send-it/2026-05-06-divya-thakur-founder-yardbot. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Just Gonna Send It.