Nigerian Engineer Silas Adekunle Lands Apple Deal at 26

Silas Adekunle was just 26 when Apple agreed to sell his spider-like gaming robot in stores worldwide, a milestone that put the Nigerian-born engineer on the map as one of robotics' brightest young minds.

Born in Nigeria in the early 1990s, Adekunle moved to the United Kingdom as a teenager and threw himself into studying robotics. He graduated with a first-class degree from the University of the West of England, then immediately set out to build something the world had never seen.

In 2013, he co-founded Reach Robotics with a bold vision: merge gaming with advanced robotics technology. Three years later, he unveiled MekaMon, a four-legged robot that players could control through their smartphones while battling opponents in augmented reality.

The innovation was instant magic. The first 500 units sold out between late 2016 and early 2017, generating $7.5 million in revenue and catching the attention of major investors who poured over $10 million into the company.

Then came the breakthrough that changed everything. In November 2017, Apple signed an exclusive retail deal to stock MekaMon in its U.S. and UK stores at $299 per unit, a rare partnership that validated Adekunle's groundbreaking work.

Why This Inspires

Adekunle's story matters because it proves that world-changing innovation can emerge from anywhere. His success opened doors for countless young African engineers who saw themselves reflected in his achievements.

By 2018, Forbes named him to its 30 Under 30 Europe list in Technology. International media profiled him extensively, with some outlets calling him the highest-paid robotics engineer in the world at the time.

When Reach Robotics closed in 2019 amid broader consumer robotics market challenges, Adekunle didn't slow down. He pivoted to artificial intelligence, launching Reach Industries to develop Lumi, an AI-powered platform for scientific laboratories.

He also founded Awarri, a company building AI and frontier technologies specifically designed for African markets. His work continues to demonstrate that setbacks are simply setups for the next innovation.

Today, viral posts celebrating his achievements are introducing his story to millions of new admirers across social media. From Lagos to London to Silicon Valley, Silas Adekunle's journey shows that homegrown talent can compete on any global stage.