Silas Adekunle

Did You Know?

• Adekunle earned an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Technology from the University of the West of England, Bristol.
• In an interview with Punch Nigeria, Adekunle said that Africa can compete globally through science and technology.
• In November 2018, he was named to the Financial Times' list of the Top 100 minority ethnic leaders in technology.

Career

Silas Adekunle led Reach Robotics, a UK company that built robots for gaming and education, as its co-founder and CEO. The startup created MekaMon, a four-legged robot that moved like a living creature. This system brought video games to life by merging robotics with augmented reality. A companion app let users control MekaMon and served as a gateway to digital experiences. Adekunle raised $12 million from backers such as London Venture Partners, which helped the company grow to roughly 65 full-time staff at its largest. In 2018, he struck an exclusive deal with Apple to sell MekaMon in the United States and Britain. Reach Robotics closed on 2 September 2019, citing the difficulties of the consumer robotics market. Another firm, Blueprint Lab, took on the Reach Robotics name in July 2022. Today, Adekunle is applying MekaMon to build a robotics education network across Africa and to develop cloud infrastructure for industrial automation in the UK. He started Awarri, a company focused on bringing advanced AI and robotics to Africa. Since January 2020, he has also been co-founder and CEO of (R.I), which helps developers set up cloud systems to remotely monitor and control robots, industrial gear, and IoT devices.