UK Startup Helps Small Factories Decide What to Automate

Small factory owners have faced an impossible choice for years: spend thousands on consultants to figure out automation, or wing it and hope the investment pays off.

Akọ AI, launched in the UK on Christmas Day 2024, is building a platform that changes that equation entirely. The Edinburgh-based startup gives small and medium manufacturers something they've never had: affordable, expert-level analysis of whether automation makes sense for their specific operations.

The company's approach flips the usual script. Most automation vendors start by selling equipment. Akọ AI starts by asking whether a robot is even the right answer.

"Anyone can tell a manufacturer to buy a robot," said founder Izunna Isaac Agupusi. "The more valuable service is telling them whether a robot is actually the answer to their problem."

Agupusi knows what he's talking about. He holds degrees in industrial engineering and artificial intelligence, and currently leads embedded AI projects at the University of Edinburgh's Roslin Institute. His work earned him Employee of the Year at Raygonal Ltd in 2025 and the Africa Illustrious Award in Technology.

Why This Inspires

The timing couldn't be better. When Apple acquired Drishti Technologies in 2023, it removed one of the few companies helping smaller manufacturers think strategically about automation. That left a gap serving the 10 to 250 employee factories that make up a huge chunk of UK manufacturing but lack in-house engineering experts.

These businesses face real pressure. UK manufacturers lag behind European competitors in productivity, and the path forward often feels unclear. Akọ AI's platform applies rigorous industrial engineering methods to identify what's actually causing inefficiency, then evaluates all the options, automation or otherwise.

The company spent over a year building its technical foundation before officially launching. It's already earned recognition as a member of ScotlandIS, Scotland's digital tech industry body, and received training funding plus a Cyber Essentials grant.

For Agupusi, this work connects directly to research he presented as an undergraduate on how human and system factors interact in industrial processes. That philosophy, putting evidence before assumptions, now drives every recommendation the platform makes.

The initial focus is UK factories, but Akọ AI has international ambitions. The goal is partnerships with system integrators and automation suppliers who want to offer clients something more valuable than a sales pitch: honest answers about what will actually move their business forward.

Sometimes the smartest investment isn't the newest technology but understanding your real problems first.