Silas Adekunle (born c. July 1991 in Ibadan, Nigeria) is a Nigerian-British inventor, robotics engineer, and technology entrepreneur.[1,2,15] He moved to the United Kingdom at the age of 12 and studied at the University of the West of England. Adekunle is the co-founder and former CEO of Reach Robotics and is known for developing MekaMon, the world's first intelligent artificial intelligence gaming robot, which was later sold through stores.[1,2] In 2025, he made history as the world's highest-paid robotic engineer.[2]
Early life and education
Adekunle was born in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria and moved to the United Kingdom when he was 12 years old. He earned a first-class degree in robotics and an honorary Doctor of Technology degree from the University of the West of England, Bristol.[4,3] In an interview with Punch Nigeria, Adekunle stated that Africa can compete globally through science and technology.[3]
Career
Adekunle co-founded and served as CEO of Reach Robotics, a UK-based augmented reality gaming company that created robots for gaming and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education.[6,7] The startup developed a four-legged robotic creature with realistic, lifelike movements called MekaMon. More than just a toy, the system brought video games to life by combining robotics, augmented reality wearable technology, and computer graphics to transform digital gaming into an interactive real-world experience. Reach Robotics also developed a companion mobile app and software that controlled MekaMon, acting as a portal to digital content and unlocking additional gaming features. Adekunle raised $12 million from investors, including London Venture Partners, allowing the company to expand to around 65 full-time employees at its peak.[8] In 2018, Adekunle partnered with Apple, signing an exclusive distribution agreement to sell his products in both the United States and Britain.[9,14] Reach Robotics shut down on September 2, 2019, owing to inherent challenges in the consumer robotics sector.[10,14] In July 2022, the robot manufacturing company Blueprint Lab adopted the name 'Reach Robotics'.[10]
Adekunle is now focused on using MekaMon to develop the robotics education ecosystem and curriculum across Africa, as well as cloud infrastructure for industrial automation in the UK. He founded the company Awarri, which aims to drive and enable the development, adoption, and integration of advanced AI and robotics technology in Africa.[12] As of January 2020, Adekunle is also the co-founder and CEO of (R.I). The company aims to help developers quickly and securely implement and accelerate the cloud infrastructure needed to remotely monitor, manage, and control their robots, industrial automation, and IoT devices.
Works
Silas Adekunle is a Nigerian-British entrepreneur and robotic engineer, well known for founding Reach Robotics, a company responsible for creating augmented reality gaming experiences with robots. Born in Nigeria, Adekunle moved to the UK when he was 11 years old, where he began to develop a passion for engineering and robotics. He went on to study robotics at the University of the West of England, Bristol, where he earned his degree.
After graduating, Adekunle founded Reach Robotics in 2013 to develop innovative toys that would inspire children to pursue STEM subjects. The company's flagship product was MekaMon, a four-legged robot that can be controlled using a smartphone app and features augmented reality gameplay. In 2018, Reach Robotics secured $7.5 million in funding from investors, including London Venture Partners and Qualcomm Ventures. Adekunle has been recognized for his achievements through multiple awards, including being named to Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe in 2018.
Honours
In November 2018, Adekunle was named to the Financial Times' list of the "Top 100 minority ethnic leaders in technology".[13] In the same year, he was selected for the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe 2018: Technology list.[8]
External links
External links include game reviews. Associated categories include living people, 1991 births, artificial intelligence researchers, Nigerian inventors, alumni of the University of the West of England, Bristol, and Nigerian people stubs.