Stephanie Bonk is the co-founder and president of Overland AI, a startup using robotics, machine learning and AI to reshape how humans and machines operate together on the ground for defense. The company is a tech spin-out of the University of Washington, where Bonk previously was employed as the director of strategic initiatives at the Robot Learning Library. She and her co-founders are on a mission to help the U.S. Department of Defense and partner nations modernize by augmenting troops with robotic systems to save soldiers' lives. Overland AI's core technology, OverDrive, is an autonomy software stack that performs tactical movements and maneuvers in contested environments without relying on maps or GPS.

As president, Bonk is directly accountable for sales, program and product management, and business operations. Her team has raised over $42 million from top-tier private capital investors. The company also won DARPA RACER, a multi-year competition for high-speed off-road autonomy for unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), competing with formidable academic and industry entities. Overland's performance during the competition was instrumental in accelerating the U.S. Army's requirement for UGVs in natural and degraded terrain.

Bonk's career in commercial software leadership also includes roles at Apple and PROS Holdings, Inc. She appreciates the work ethic and level of confidence she developed at Purdue, leading her to believe she could achieve just about anything if she put in the work. "I see many parallels between the rigorous undergrad engineering studies at Purdue starting a company in an emerging technology area, especially in a customer-facing capacity."