Jide Akinyode is the COO and Co-founder of Persona AI, an embodied AI company building industrial-grade humanoid robots for skilled trades in heavy industry. With more than 20 years of experience in humanoid and heavy-duty robotic systems, he has led multinational manufacturing programs and $100M+ product commercialization efforts across space, subsea, and industrial domains.

Prior to Persona AI, Jide spent a decade at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, where he helped design and build multiple clean-sheet robotic platforms, including mobile rovers and humanoid systems such as Valkyrie and the Space Exploration Vehicle (SEV).

He later served as VP of Engineering at Nauticus Robotics, leading the development of Aquanaut—the first anthropomorphic underwater robot—from concept to production and helping guide the company to its IPO in 2022.

Jide holds an MSEE from the University of Southern California and a BSEE from the University of Cincinnati.

Outside of work, he enjoys soccer, basketball, and golf, and is passionate about mentoring students through internships, engineering competitions, and youth sports.