I’m sure the name Silas Adekunle does not automatically ring a bell to most people, in Nigeria and Africa. However, Silas Adekunle is a brilliant innovator and entrepreneur, who is a global figure and the co-founder and former CEO of Reach Robotics, and has made a significant mark in the tech world by combining gaming with education.
Though he was born in Nigeria, Silas moved to the UK at 12 and went on to earn a first-class robotics degree and an honorary Doctor of Technology degree from the University of the West of England, Bristol. Silas co-founded and led Reach Robotics, a UK-based company that combined augmented reality gaming with STEM education. Silas’ standout creation, MekaMon, is a four-legged robot that moves like a real creature, it wasn’t just a toy, it brought video games to life through robotics and augmented reality. An app that was developed alongside MekaMon, allowed users to control the robot and enjoy an even richer gaming experience and even more digital fun.
During his time at Reach Robotics, Adekunle raised $12 million in funding, growing the company to about 65 employees. A major highlight also came in 2018, when he secured a deal with Apple, making MekaMon available in the U.S. and UK markets. This success earned him the title of one of the highest-paid engineers in robotics, recognized for creating the world’s first gaming robot.
However, despite its early success, Reach Robotics eventually shut down in 2019. The company was later revived in 2022 by Blueprint Lab. Silas Adekunle’s contributions in the tech industry have been so engrossing, that they have not gone unnoticed.
In 2018, he was recognized as one of the Financial Times’ “Top 100 Minority Ethnic Leaders in Technology”, and featured on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Europe: Technology list, celebrating his influence and innovation in the tech industry. Having achieved these milestones outside the continent, Silas decided to venture into the African territory. He refused to be discouraged by the negative news around the continent but turned his attention to robotics education in Africa.
He founded Awarri, a research lab startup company focused on spreading AI and robotics technology across the continent, using MekaMon to inspire young tech enthusiasts. Silas was able to start it with his partner, Eniola Edun, and they aim to ensure Africans have representation in the rapidly evolving field of AI.
Awarri was born out of the need to democratize access to AI and robotics technology across the continent. The startup uses MekaMon, an innovative gaming robot, as a tool to inspire young tech enthusiasts and spark interest in STEM fields. MekaMon is a four-legged robot that moves like a real creature, bringing video games to life through robotics and augmented reality. An app developed alongside MekaMon allowed users to control the robot and enjoy an even richer gaming experience. Last year, Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s Minister of Information, Communication, and Digital Economy, announced a partnership between Nigeria and Awarri to build Nigeria’s large language model (LLM). “Awarri, along with nonprofit Data.org and two government bodies, will build an LLM trained in five low-resource languages and accented English,” the minister stated. Before founding Awarri, Adekunle, and Edun were more prominent in the gaming industry.
Edun had launched Gamr Africa, a startup aimed at advancing gaming culture in Lagos, while Adekunle gained international recognition through Reach Robotics. Reach Robotics achieved a major milestone when it signed a deal with Apple for the distribution of MekaMon. Awarri later acquired the rights to MekaMon, integrating the robot into Nigerian schools to teach children computer science and coding skills. “MekaMon has been a powerful tool in introducing students to technology in a hands-on and engaging way,” Edun noted. Continuing its mission of fostering AI talent, Awarri launched a data annotation lab in Ikorodu, Lagos, in November 2023.
The lab is designed to serve as an AI talent development hub, particularly for the densely populated suburban area. In the same year, it launched LangEasy, a platform that allows anyone with a smartphone to help train the model through voice and text inputs. LangEasy gives users sentences to read aloud and asks them to save the audio on the app. The app will help crowdsource data for Awarri’s LLM. In 2020, Silas Adekunle also co-founded R.I., a company that helps developers manage robots and industrial systems remotely using cloud technology.