Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, co-founder of Andela and Flutterwave, has launched Talent Nation, a startup that aims to train and place 1 million African AI engineers with companies worldwide over the next decade.
The company has raised an undisclosed pre-seed round co-led by Enza Capital and London-based LocalGlobe, with participation from Future Africa, Kaleo Ventures, Ajim Capital, Solving.org and Accelerate Africa.
“Talent is the final constraint to super intelligence,” said Aboyeji, Talent Nation’s executive chairman. The company’s pitch is to make certified AI engineers available at a fraction of what businesses would pay frontier AI labs or consulting firms — “AI for the rest of us,” aimed at companies that can’t compete for engineers in San Francisco or London.
Built on Learn2Earn
Talent Nation grows out of Learn2Earn, a zero-tuition training academy Aboyeji founded. It says it has received more than 63,000 applications, assessed more than 32,000 candidates and admitted about 1,400 fellows — under 3% of applicants — across nine campuses in six cities.
Candidates sit an online test, then in-person trials. The strongest are placed with clients immediately; others go through three-, six- or 12-month programmes mixing projects, internships and work experience.
Trainees pay nothing upfront. Companies pay for the engineers they hire, that revenue funds new trainees, and employed engineers later contribute to the cost of training the next cohorts. IHS Towers is among its clients.
“Technological breakthroughs alone will not deliver widespread adoption,” said chief executive Kesiah Valkin, a South African-born entrepreneur who co-founded London coding school 01 Founders.
Sir John Lazar, a general partner at Enza Capital and president of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said the firm backed the founders’ record in finding engineering talent and placing African professionals in well-paid work.
The Andela playbook, again
The model echoes Aboyeji’s first company. He co-founded Andela in 2014 to train African developers and place them with global tech firms; it went on to a valuation above $1 billion. He co-founded Flutterwave in 2016 and helped build vehicle-financing company Moove, and now runs venture firm Future Africa, one of Talent Nation’s backers.
He also sits on the advisory committee of Nigeria’s 3 Million Technical Talent programme. In February, Learn2Earn partnered with the Digital Bridge Institute to train 1 million AI engineers in support of it.
Talent Nation has not published a timetable for its own million — a target that works out to roughly 100,000 engineers a year, against 1,400 fellows admitted so far.
Based on reporting by Semafor, via Billionaires.Africa.
