# Josh Matthews

> Josh Matthews is the Australian-born, Baltimore-based co-founder and CEO of Apkudo, a connected-device lifecycle company he started with fellow University of New South Wales alumnus Ben Leslie in 2011. Trained as an embedded operating systems engineer, Matthews has led Apkudo from Android performance testing into a broader platform that uses software, AI, and robotics to assess, route, repair, resell, and recycle devices. He won the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024 Mid-Atlantic Award, and Apkudo has appeared on the Inc. 5000 for four consecutive years through 2026.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at Apkudo
- **Organizations:** Apkudo, Application Developers Alliance, Open Kernel Labs
- **Nationality:** Australian
- **Education:** Bachelor of Engineering, University of New South Wales
- **Known for:** EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024 Mid-Atlantic Award winner., Co-founded Apkudo and led its evolution from Android testing to a global connected-device lifecycle platform., Named inventor on patents covering mobile app field testing and robotic mobile-device inspection and testing.

## Career timeline

- **Before 2011** — Worked in embedded systems and mobile virtualization, including as Field Engineering Director at Open Kernel Labs.
- **2011** — Co-founded Apkudo with Ben Leslie after the pair met at the University of New South Wales.
- **2012** — Joined the founding leadership of the Application Developers Alliance and served on its board.
- **2013** — Led Apkudo's early expansion from Android app and device testing into accessory testing and broader device-quality analysis.
- **2016** — Named as an inventor on a granted patent for robotic mobile-device testing that emulates human movements.
- **2020** — Apkudo raised a $14 million Series B to deepen its connected-device supply-chain automation platform.
- **2023** — Apkudo raised a $37.5 million Series C to expand engineering, go-to-market operations, and its international presence.
- **2024** — Won the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Mid-Atlantic Award; Apkudo also acquired Mobile reCell.
- **2025** — Publicly emphasized Apkudo's identity as a device-intelligence company and the role of human judgment in automated grading.
- **2026** — Apkudo appeared on the Inc. 5000 for a fourth consecutive year, ranking No. 3,677.

## Achievements

- EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024 Mid-Atlantic Award winner.
- Co-founded Apkudo and led its evolution from Android testing to a global connected-device lifecycle platform.
- Named inventor on patents covering mobile app field testing and robotic mobile-device inspection and testing.
- Led Apkudo through a $37.5 million Series C in 2023, bringing reported total funding at the time to $75 million.
- Led Apkudo during four consecutive appearances on the Inc. 5000 from 2023 through 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Apkudo was named to the Inc. 5000 for the fourth consecutive year, ranking No. 3,677 with 73% three-year growth.
- **2026-08** — Matthews highlighted Apkudo's new RSA automation system for foldables, tablets, and flip devices and its integration with Device Passport.
- **2026-08** — Matthews promoted Apkudo's participation in a GSMA device-homologation pilot powered by its Device Passport technology.
- **2026-05** — Matthews served as a judge for the 2026 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Mid-Atlantic program.
- **2026-05** — Apkudo reported 17.6 million devices processed, $3.96 billion in resale value generated, and 6,082 tons of e-waste diverted in its 2025 impact reporting.

## Links

- Website: https://www.apkudo.com/people/josh-matthews
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jshmthws

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/josh-matthews
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-28