Ethan Walko '21, '22 MS

Ethan Walko '21, '22 MS the COO and co-founder of rStream. With his background in mechanical engineering, he leads the company’s product vision and strategy, aligning hardware and software integration with customer needs. He also oversees business and technical operations, including product scaling, quality control, and forward deployments, as well as financial planning and management, with a focus on business growth, sorting system unit economics, and grant management and reporting. Ethan has designed multiple generations of rStream’s sorting platforms, including the rTrailer and Mini-MRF systems, integrating hardware subsystems, software, and vision systems to create high-throughput deployable field units. His experience includes advanced robotics engineering, system design for reliability in harsh environments, and leading multidisciplinary engineering teams. Previously, Ethan led the company’s engineering organization and product development across robotics and AI teams, ensuring that each generation of the platform met performance requirements. Ethan is an Activate Fellow and the PI for rStream’s SBIR awards from the NSF.