For decades, aerospace innovation has been constrained not by imagination, but by manufacturing. While designs for rockets, satellites, and advanced aircraft have grown increasingly sophisticated, the processes used to build them have remained slow, rigid, and heavily dependent on human intervention. Oluseun Taiwo, a Nigerian-American engineer and entrepreneur, is working to dismantle those limitations.
As the Founder and CEO of Solideon, Taiwo is leading a new generation of manufacturing, one where autonomous systems, machine learning, robotics, and advanced fabrication converge to make hardware development as fast and flexible as modern software. His work has positioned Solideon as one of the most ambitious aerospace manufacturing companies operating today and earned him a place on the 2024 Forbes 30 Under 30 list.
Nigerian Roots and an Engineer’s Curiosity
Taiwo’s journey reflects a blend of Nigerian heritage and frontier engineering culture. Rooted in values of discipline, resilience, and problem-solving, his background mirrors a broader tradition of Nigerian excellence in technical fields across the diaspora. That foundation would later prove critical in an industry where progress depends on precision, experimentation, and persistence.
From University Labs to the Edge of Space
Taiwo’s technical foundation was shaped at Northern Illinois University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Manufacturing Engineering Technology. There, he gained early exposure to metal additive manufacturing, design optimization, and advanced fabrication techniques. His academic training emphasized hands-on engineering, combining CAD design, automation, and manufacturing systems, which later became central to his professional work.
That path led him to Rocket Lab USA, where he played a pioneering role in aerospace manufacturing. As one of the company’s early engineers, Taiwo contributed to the development of 3D-printed rocket engines, becoming part of the team that launched the first 3D-printed rocket engine to reach orbit in 2017 - a landmark moment in aerospace history.
He would go on to spearhead advanced manufacturing and 3D-printing initiatives at Argonne National Laboratory, Virgin Orbit, and 3D Systems, gaining rare insight into the strengths and deep inefficiencies of traditional aerospace supply chains.
The Birth of Solideon
These experiences revealed a persistent industry problem: aerospace manufacturing was slow, tooling-heavy, and overly dependent on manual processes. Taiwo founded Solideon, originally Additive Space Technologies, to address this gap at its root.
Solideon’s vision is bold: to become the premier end-to-end platform for bespoke manufacturing and assembly, capable of building any aerospace vehicle at scale. The company positions itself as a rare blend of advanced engineering and practical execution, venture-backed, but built with a blue-collar manufacturing mindset.
Autonomous Factories and Intelligent Manufacturing
At the heart of Solideon’s innovation is the concept of autonomous, deployable factories, manufacturing systems that can build complex hardware anytime, anywhere, with minimal human involvement. These systems integrate AI-driven design, robotic fabrication, real-time inspection, and intelligent assembly, allowing hardware development to operate at unprecedented speed.
Traditional aerospace tooling can take four months or more to produce. Solideon’s approach eliminates the need for conventional tooling altogether, significantly shortening development timelines. By automating and optimizing production, the company aims to remove more than 90% of the human intervention typically required in manufacturing.
The results are substantial: lighter structures, faster production cycles, and improved consistency, factors that directly impact performance and cost in aerospace systems.
Strengthening Critical Supply Chains
Beyond speed, Solideon’s model addresses one of the aerospace industry’s most pressing challenges: supply chain fragility. Its manufacturing systems are designed to coexist with existing infrastructure while enhancing it, improving lead times, increasing predictability, and reducing reliance on scarce or exotic materials.
By embedding intelligence into robotic fleets and using AI to generatively design optimized structures, Solideon creates manufacturing processes that are not only faster, but more adaptable and resilient. In a world where geopolitical and logistical disruptions are increasingly common, such flexibility is becoming essential.
Recognition and Global Impact
Taiwo’s inclusion in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 reflects his consistent role in pushing the boundaries of aerospace manufacturing, from his early work on orbital rocket engines to his leadership at Solideon. It also highlights a broader shift: the rise of engineers who combine deep technical expertise with entrepreneurial execution in hard technology sectors.
For Nigeria, Taiwo’s journey reinforces an often-overlooked truth. Nigerian innovators are not only shaping software and finance, they are increasingly building the physical systems that underpin global technological progress.
Looking Ahead
With operations scaling in the United States and its autonomous manufacturing systems advancing, Solideon is positioning itself for wider deployment across aerospace and beyond. As missions grow more complex and timelines more compressed, the demand for intelligent, flexible manufacturing will only intensify.
For Oluseun Taiwo, the mission is clear: to redefine how aerospace hardware is built, ensuring that manufacturing evolves at the same pace as human ambition.
In doing so, he stands as a powerful example of how Nigerian heritage, engineering excellence, and bold vision can converge to reshape the future of global industry.
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