In a small workshop lined with circuit boards, wires, and half-assembled machines, Suhail’s teenage years were unlike most of ours. He spent his time dismantling usual household electronics. There were no engineering textbooks or college degrees marking his journey, only years of self-directed learning that began at home.

Homeschooled through his formative years, he chose not to pursue a conventional college degree after Class 12 exams. Instead, he turned to self-learning early on, training himself to be a polymath; fundamentals of physics, computer science, psychology, and even literature and writing. All through his new laptop and a telecom internet dongle as far back as 2013.

Today, a google search of Mohammed Suhail Chinya Salimpasha brings out a long list of achievements in the field of science and technology and a video of his TEDex talk, and his contributions to the making of robots (physical AI), humanoids rather.

At 25, he is currently the Chief of Staff at Unbox Robotics, a startup founded by his friend in Pune, where he is working towards building robots to ease the supply chain’s sorting chores (a logistic process). Unbox Robotics engineers intelligent robotics and AI-driven software to transform warehouse sortation.

Indian talent

Suhail is among the many young and geeky populating the cutting edge of robotics as applied in manufacturing, logistics, and sectors like healthcare, education, supply chain, etc. They seek to fill the void in hardware, research and global competitiveness that India suffers from despite its strong engineering talent and a rising startup base. Globally, robotics adoption is increasing but remains lower in India than in countries such as Japan, the United States, and China.

Suhail’s trajectory in the ecosystem, shaped by self-directed learning and hands-on engagement, reflects a field that is opening up to diverse pathways. His professional journey though has been anything but linear. Over the past decade, he has moved across multiple startups and sectors, driven less by convention and more by curiosity.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, he founded WavePay, marking one of his early entrepreneurial stints. He later became part of Lightspeed’s Extreme Entrepreneurs Program, followed by a role as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Uni Cards.

His trajectory then shifted towards investment banking, where he was involved in equity transactions, before taking on an advisory role at Mukka Proteins. Throughout these transitions, Suhail kept moving in and out of Unbox.

At just 13, he earned his first paycheck in 2014 by creating small websites, a modest beginning that would eventually shape his approach to work and entrepreneurship.

Now, at a time when artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics are poised to define the next decade, Suhail has chosen to commit to Unbox full-time.

His unconventional path has often drawn criticism, he says, particularly the idea that he should have focused on one pursuit for a longer period. But for him, moving across domains has not been a lack of direction, but a deliberate process of experimentation — a way to understand problems, industries, and possibilities more deeply.

His early work earned national and international recognition, including the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar in 2019 for his contributions to addressing protein-energy malnutrition, and a second Grand Award at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in 2018. A minor planet — Mohammedsuhail (34491) — was also named in his honour by the MIT Lincoln Laboratory under the Ceres Connection programme.

The ladder he climbed

“One of the interesting things I realised very early in life is that I can teach myself a lot of things very quickly. I had a laptop and internet access, and everything was available online. I kept learning whatever I could get my hands on and there were no boundaries.”

But Suhail’s learning did not rely on YouTube videos or coaching class materials. Instead, he turned to resources made available by top foreign universities - exam papers, class notes, and academic discussions. At the age of 13, he started learning the university curriculum, approaching it as though he were sitting in a classroom.

Suhail’s parents decided to homeschool him after Class 7, following a period of cycling seven schools in seven years. Despite being a favourite among teachers, the frequent transitions created uncertainty.

The decision to step away from formal schooling was not without hesitation; in the early days, his parents were unsure whether it was the right choice and how he would navigate the future if it did not work out. The family went through phases of doubt and concern. But Suhail topped his grades even when homeschooling and simultaneously working his knowledge. research and projects outside his curriculum, even par his peers.

“Once you learn computer science and electronics, you begin to see the world differently. After Class 12, working in a lab or publishing papers was not really my thing. Startups felt like a calling, I moved in that direction, and have been part of this space for a decade.”

While most teenagers his age were navigating school life, worrying about grades or experiencing their first crush, Suhail’s priorities, lifestyle and social circle looked very different. At 16, many he call friends were the people he had met through award functions, other competitive circles, TEDx talks, or through the various industries he explored.

“There is a part of me that still wants to be a 15-year-old, to have random fun, bunk school or college, and not be caught up in corporate work or award-driven pursuits…today, it is often difficult for me to relate to people my age. I find it easier to have conversations with someone in their 40s. The topics, naturally, are very different from those that people my age engage in.”

‘Risk feels like home’

Suhail, speaking about his journey, said he faced two choices after Class 12. While many of his friends were heading to some of the world’s leading universities abroad, he, too, felt drawn to that path. He briefly moved to the United States, spending about six to eight months for a short course at the University of Michigan.

However, the experience did not resonate with him. “The idea of being in the U.S. did not feel like home. What felt more natural was taking risks, more than I had assumed was okay, this is the last thing my parents would have wanted for me, they would like to see me as a doctor maybe, but I decided to give the world of business a shot, telling myself that I would figure it out, my parents trusted me and kept saying yes to everything I wanted to do” he said.

Suhail entered the world of entrepreneurship as a “risk and interest” and as a “why not.”