F2F TEKWOMEN Female Founder Series: Amanda Ducrou

Building what comes next: AI, robotics and the future of food systems

There’s a particular kind of builder who sits at the edge of what’s next. Not chasing noise, but focused on how things actually work. How systems connect. How ideas become real Amanda Ducrou is one of those people. With a background spanning a PhD in health informatics, four years at Amazon in Seattle, and over a decade at Expedia Group where she moved from software engineer through to principal architect, Amanda has spent her career operating at scale. Complex systems. Global platforms. High stakes infrastructure.

Today, her work looks very different. Closer to the ground. More experimental. And in many ways, more urgent.

From global systems to real world problems

After more than a decade in corporate technology, Amanda made a deliberate shift. Declining a relocation opportunity overseas, she chose to stay in Australia and explore what was next, driven by a desire to contribute locally and ensure the Australian workforce is not left behind as AI capabilities accelerate globally. That path led her into AI through her work with Scope&Go, alongside co-founders Alexander Cohen, a business focused on helping organisations understand and apply AI in practical ways. “We had this idea of AI for good,” she explains. “Helping people actually use it, not just talk about it.” At Scope&Go, that work often starts with something simple. Helping businesses make sense of where AI fits. Not as hype. Not as a replacement for people. But as a way to remove friction. "The biggest use cases we see are replacing repetitive workflows and fixing data discrepancies,” Amanda says. “Freeing people up from tedious tasks so they can focus on the work that actually matters.” It is a grounded view of AI. One that cuts through the noise. And it is also what laid the foundation for what came next.

Stepping into the physical world

While AI has transformed software, Amanda and Alexander began asking a different question. What happens when AI moves into the physical world? That question led to the creation of Three Hat Robotics, alongside co-founders Richard Ousby and Robert Whitby with their first proof of concept, an intelligent robotic kitchen. Together, the founding team brings a powerful combination of expertise. Alexander Cohen, Director of the QLD AI Hub Brisbane chapter, brings deep experience in AI strategy and commercialisation. Amanda Ducrou leads the technical architecture and orchestration platform underpinning the system. Richard Ousby, a three hat trained chef with experience in world class kitchens including The Waterside Inn and Quay, ensures the food itself is grounded in culinary excellence.

At first glance, it is a striking idea. A robotic system capable of preparing and serving meals. But underneath, it is solving something very real. “We saw hospitality as a space with major staffing challenges,” Amanda explains. “Particularly in remote areas, on mine sites, or in environments where consistent staffing is difficult.” For the AgriFood-Tech sector, especially across regional, rural and remote communities, this challenge is well understood. Workforce shortages, long supply chains and the need for consistent delivery in complex environments. The opportunity is not about replacing people. It is about enabling systems to work differently. “Everyone still needs to eat,” she says. “This is about where there isn’t always a person available.”

Building the intelligence layer

What makes Three Hat Robotics particularly interesting is not just the hardware. It is the software layer Amanda is building on top. The current system uses a robotic arm and kitchen equipment to prepare food. But rather than operating as a fixed, scripted machine, Amanda’s focus has been on developing an AI driven orchestration layer.

One that can think in tasks. Across multiple recipes. Multiple steps. Multiple timings. “Instead of doing one thing at a time, the system can decide what tasks to do across different recipes,” she explains. “Fetching ingredients, waiting for cooking, serving. It becomes much more dynamic.” It is a shift from automation to intelligence. And notably, it is something Amanda and the team have been able to develop quickly, in part because of how they are using AI themselves.

AI as a builder, not just a tool

For Amanda, AI is not just something she applies to products. It is something she uses to build them. “We wouldn’t have been able to move this quickly without it,” she says. In the case of Three Hat Robotics, AI has been used as a learning layer as much as a development tool. From understanding unfamiliar robotics systems to interpreting low level code, AI has effectively acted as a real time tutor. “You can take the code and ask it to explain what it’s doing. Ask basic questions. Learn as you go,” she says. “A lot of people don’t think about using it like that.” This is where her perspective becomes particularly relevant for founders. Because while AI has opened the door for non technical builders, it has also introduced complexity. Too many tools. Too many approaches. Too much noise.

Amanda’s view is pragmatic. “If you’re early stage and you just have an idea, you can absolutely use AI to build something quickly,” she says. “You don’t need to wait.” But she is also clear on the limits. “For larger, more complex systems, you still need strong engineering thinking. It’s not about replacing that, it’s about speeding it up.”

Designing for what comes next

Today, Three Hat Robotics is still in its early stages. A working MVP being tested, refined and learned from in real time. But the ambition is much bigger. Over the next five years, the vision is to design and build fully modular kitchens, not adapted for humans, but purpose built for robotics. Equipment redesigned. Workflows reimagined. Entire systems optimised for a different kind of operation. “We’re currently using equipment designed for humans,” Amanda says. “But if a human never needs to enter the kitchen, what would you do differently?”

It is a question that sits at the heart of innovation. And one that feels particularly relevant as food and agriculture systems face increasing pressure, from climate variability to labour shortages and the need for more resilient infrastructure.

An evolving future of work

Like many working at the intersection of AI and industry, Amanda is also thinking about what all of this means more broadly. Not just for technology, but for people. “There’s a lot of concern about AI taking jobs,” she says. “But I think we’ll see new roles emerge that we haven’t even thought of yet.” At its best, AI has the potential to remove the most repetitive and draining parts of work. Creating space for more meaningful, creative and challenging roles. Although, she adds, there is always a risk we simply fill that space with more work. “It’s hard to predict exactly where it will go,” she says. “But it’s definitely an exciting time.”

As the team continues to develop and refine the platform, they are also beginning to explore pathways to market. This includes raising capital and partnering with early customers who are keen to be part of shaping the future of this technology. For those operating in hospitality, food systems or remote environments, it presents an opportunity to engage early with a solution designed to address some of the sector’s most persistent challenges.

What this means for founders

For the F2F TEKWOMEN community, Amanda’s journey offers something important. Not just inspiration, but permission. To start before everything is perfect. To use AI as a way to learn, not just build.To focus on real problems, not just technology. And to recognise that some of the most impactful ideas sit at the intersection of disciplines.

Software and food.

AI and physical systems.

Global experience and local challenges.

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If you’d like to hear more from Amanda, join us for our next F2F TEKWOMEN Lunch and Learn

Amanda Ducrou and Alexander Cohen, will be joining us for a virtual TEKWOMEN Lunch and Learn on Monday 27 April. Together, they’ll share practical insights from building Scope&Go and Three Hat Robotics, exploring how founders can use AI to move from idea to MVP faster. Expect a grounded and honest conversation on what it really looks like to build with AI today.If you’re exploring how AI can support your business or idea, this session will offer practical perspectives and real examples.

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