Robots & Pencils, an AI-first, global digital innovation firm specializing in cloud-native mobile, web, and app modernization, today announced the appointment of Tony Antonelli as its new Chief Financial Officer. Known for his sharp financial acumen, pragmatic leadership, and deep experience across SaaS, consulting, and manufacturing, Antonelli takes on this expanded role as the company enters a bold new chapter of expansion and AI-first innovation. 

The appointment comes on the heels of a leadership shift at Robots & Pencils, with tech entrepreneur and scale-up veteran Leonard Pagon Jr. stepping in as CEO. Pagon is also the founder of Next Sparc, a Cleveland-based private investment firm focused on scaling high-potential businesses. Over the years, Antonelli has held key finance leadership roles within several of Next Sparc’s portfolio companies — including Tiger Pistol, where he continues to serve as CFO, Revel Bikes, and now Robots & Pencils, making this a reunion built on deep trust and shared momentum.  

“Tony is a powerhouse. He brings the right mix of focus, agility, and strategic thinking to help us scale smartly in this era of explosive AI opportunity,” said Pagon. “Over the years, I’ve trusted him to navigate complex challenges. He brings a rare ability to combine financial discipline with operational speed, exactly what we need as we accelerate into this next phase of growth. He’s not just a CFO. He’s a thoughtful business partner.”  

Antonelli brings two decades of experience to the CFO seat. In addition to his ongoing role at Tiger Pistol, he previously served as CFO of Revel Bikes and began his career in public accounting at Skoda Minotti (now Marcum), rising to manager before moving into audit and FP&A at Scott Fetzer. He’s known for translating financial strategy into results, optimizing capital structures, and leading high-performing teams that support rapid, sustainable growth.  

“I’ve watched Robots & Pencils grow from a mobile pioneer into a world-class digital innovation firm,” said Antonelli. “What excites me is the team’s unique ability to move fast, think differently, and deliver meaningful business results through technology. We’re not just embracing AI; we’re doing it the right way — with human-centered, AI-enabled solutions that are grounded in real-world impact. I’m here to help scale that success with focus and financial discipline.”   

Antonelli holds BBA degrees in Accounting and Business Law from Ohio University and is a licensed CPA. In 2022, he was named to Crain’s Cleveland Business Notables in Finance. He also serves as Treasurer and Board Member for the Kidney Foundation of Ohio. His appointment reinforces Robots & Pencils’ commitment to pairing bold innovation with operational excellence.  

Robots & Pencils, an AI-first digital innovation firm specializing in cloud-native mobile, web, and app modernization, today announced the appointment of Scott Young as Executive Vice President of Growth and Strategic Alliances. A veteran of the consulting industry with over 20 years of revenue growth leadership, Young rejoins the company to lead the expansion of strategic partnerships and accelerate client transformation efforts across its global delivery footprint. 

Young brings decades of experience developing technology alliances, creating long-term client strategies, and driving platform-based value. His career spans roles at Deloitte, EY, Publicis Sapient, and Zilker Technology, with deep specialization in building and scaling partner ecosystems. Notably, he previously served as SVP of Business Development at Robots & Pencils, making this a return marked by renewed opportunity and momentum. 

“Scott’s talent has always been a growth accelerator,” said Leonard Pagon, CEO of Robots & Pencils. “Across ventures, from Brulant to Rosetta to Robots & Pencils, Scott and I have built transformative technology businesses together. He knows how to scale. He knows how to partner. And most importantly, he knows how to connect clients with the right strategies and platforms to win.  He is the best I have ever worked with and now we are back together!” 

Robots & Pencils integrates the capabilities of wicked smart engineers and UX professionals to seamlessly deliver globally across centers of excellence in Canada, the U.S., Eastern Europe, and Latin America. Young’s return coincides with the company’s focused push to deepen partnerships with industry leaders including AWS, Salesforce, and Databricks, and to help clients modernize applications with AI-infused cloud native strategies. 

“From the moment I reconnected with the team, I could feel the energy and see the innovation,” said Young. “Robots & Pencils offers the ideal ‘Goldilocks’ size for clients.  We have significant horsepower to rapidly deliver innovative scalable solutions, and the kind of nimbleness and focused ‘navy seal’ teams that can land on the client and rapidly make an impact that you just don’t find at traditional systems integrators. I’m beyond excited to be back and to be working again with one of the most talented teams in the business.” 

Young has a long-standing working relationship with Pagon, having helped scale Brulant from 25 to 500 employees in just five years before its successful sale to Rosetta. His return marks a strategic inflection point as Robots & Pencils advances its mission to leverage an AI-first Cloud native approach to disrupt the mega-sized Global Systems Integrators targeting Financial Services, Health Tech, Education, Consumer, Energy, and Technology sectors. 

Young holds a BS in Computer Science from Allegheny College, and both an MS in Computer Science and an MBA in Finance from the University of Pittsburgh. 

Robots & Pencils, an AI-first digital innovation firm specializing in cloud-native mobile, web, and app modernization, today announced Leonard Pagon Jr. as its new Chief Executive Officer. A proven entrepreneur, tech visionary, and scale-up veteran, Pagon’s return to the C-suite marks a turning point for Robots & Pencils. The firm is sharpening its edge and setting its sights on outpacing traditional global systems integrators with speed, precision, and a challenger’s mindset.

Pagon is no stranger to building transformative companies. As founder and former CEO of Brulant, he scaled the business into the third-largest privately held interactive agency in North America, leading its merger with Rosetta and eventual sale to Publicis. Since then, he has focused on backing and scaling high-growth businesses through his family office, Next Sparc Growth Partners.

In 2017, Next Sparc acquired Robots & Pencils. As Chairman, Pagon has spent the last eight years watching the firm evolve from an early mobile pioneer into a full-stack consulting disruptor. Now, after 17 years away from the CEO seat, he’s stepping back in to lead the company into its most exciting phase yet.

“I was compelled to step into the CEO role because of the amazing UX and engineering talent we have, as well as the generational opportunity in front of us to become an AI-first consulting leader,” said Pagon. “Next Sparc acquired Robots & Pencils eight years ago, so I’ve had a front-row seat to the incredible work this team has done. We were building mobile apps back when the iPhone launched. We were early adopters of machine learning, blockchain, and the cloud. Now, I believe we’re uniquely positioned to help clients capitalize on AI, the most disruptive wave yet.”

With global centers of excellence across North America, Latin America, and Eastern Europe, and deep partnerships with AWS, Salesforce, and Databricks, Robots & Pencils blends elite engineering talent with intuitive UX design. The firm deploys focused, high-impact teams to accelerate results in Financial Services, Health Tech, Education, Energy, and Consumer industries.

“I’m hearing the same thing from CEOs everywhere: they’re struggling to move fast enough to experiment with and exploit these breakthrough technologies,” Pagon added. “Robots & Pencils can scratch that itch. Our teams operate like Navy SEALs – nimble, deeply skilled, and designed to deliver real business value quickly. I’m excited by the challenge ahead and fired up to lead this next phase of growth.”

Under Pagon’s leadership, Robots & Pencils is doubling down on its mission: to help clients modernize legacy systems, experiment and activate AI, and build digital experiences that scale – without the bus loads of consultants, high rates, or sluggish delivery cycles of legacy consultancies.

In addition to his new role as CEO of Robots & Pencils, Pagon will continue to serve as Chairman of Next Sparc. Outside the boardroom, Pagon is deeply committed to philanthropy and wellness. He serves on the steering committee for VeloSano, is Vice Chair of YPO’s global Health and Wellness network, and is a trustee of the Pagon Family Foundation.