Josh Kelly
| Josh Kelly | |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur, robotics engineer |
|---|---|
| Known for | Co-founder of Pave Robotics |
Josh Kelly is an American entrepreneur and co-founder of Pave Robotics, a robotics company that builds autonomous machines designed to repair roads. The company's primary product, the "Tracer," is a robot that identifies and seals cracks in asphalt, serving municipalities and paving companies. Kelly co-founded Pave Robotics alongside Mason Landon Smith.[1]
Career
Kelly and Smith founded Pave Robotics to address inefficiencies in pavement maintenance. The company develops robotic systems that autonomously detect and seal cracks in asphalt on roads and parking lots. According to the company, its robots are capable of operating around the clock and deliver higher-quality results compared to manual methods, helping paving companies reduce costs and improve turnaround times.[2]
The company's flagship product, the Tracer, performs autonomous crack sealing and also provides municipalities with surface condition data, enabling more informed decisions about pavement infrastructure maintenance.
Pave Robotics participated in Y Combinator's Winter 2025 batch.[3] As of early 2026, the company had raised $5.5 million in funding.
In 2026, Kelly and Smith were named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the Manufacturing & Industry category for their work at Pave Robotics.[4]
The company positions its technology as a response to the growing challenge of road maintenance in the United States, where aging infrastructure and labor shortages have increased demand for automated solutions. By combining robotics with data collection capabilities, Pave Robotics aims to shift pavement maintenance from reactive repair toward proactive, data-driven management. The company's stated long-term goal is to create infrastructure that can, in effect, maintain itself through the deployment of smart robotic systems.
References
- ↑ "Pave Robotics – Forbes Profile". 'Forbes}'. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
- ↑ "Pave Robotics". 'Pave Robotics}'. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
- ↑ "Pave Robotics – Y Combinator". 'Y Combinator}'. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
- ↑ "Pave Robotics – Forbes Profile". 'Forbes}'. Retrieved 2026-03-19.