Nicholas Nadeau
Role: Scientist
Sites: CDL-London, CDL-Montreal
Streams: Healthcare Robotics, Supply Chain
Dr. Nicholas Nadeau is an engineer and builder focused on developing systems that respect human agency and enhance intelligence, whether deploying humanoid robots, designing biomedical devices for cognitive neuroscience, or building privacy-first AI that evolves with user data.
His career spans robotics, AI, and hard tech. At AON3D (YC W17), he helped scale industrial 3D printers used by aerospace and defence organizations, with printed parts now on the ISS and the Moon. As CTO of 1X, he led the development of humanoid robots for real-world collaboration, B2C, and security use cases.
He later founded Nadeau Innovations, a fractional CTO consultancy acquired by SmartOne.ai, where he served as CTO during a period of rapid AI/LLM adoption, leading efforts in agentic data transformation and AI infrastructure for enterprise clients.
Nicholas is currently the Co-Founder and CTO of a stealth startup building Personal Intelligence™. The platform combines sovereign architecture and edge-native performance to give individuals control over their digital lives.
He also co-founded AI Salon Montréal, a community initiative that connects Québec’s AI startups with global investors and ecosystem leaders. He serves on the board of Garage&Co, a Canadian innovation hub supporting hardtech founders across design, prototyping, and commercialization. Nicholas actively mentors through Creative Destruction Lab, Next AI, and Startupfest, working with early-stage founders in AI, robotics, and emerging tech.
He holds a Ph.D. in robotics and artificial intelligence. His work is grounded in the belief that intelligent systems should serve people, clearly, securely, and on their own terms.