Talent Nation Raises Pre-Seed to Train AI Engineers

In Short

Talent Nation has raised a pre-seed round co-led by Enza Capital and LocalGlobe. The startup says it plans to train, certify and place more than one million AI engineers from Africa with businesses around the world over the next decade.

What Happened

Talent Nation said it raised a pre-seed round co-led by Enza Capital and LocalGlobe. The company did not disclose the amount.

Other investors in the round include Future Africa, Kaleo Ventures, Ajim Capital, Solving.org and Accelerate Africa.

The startup is co-founded by Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, who helped build Andela, Flutterwave and Moove, and Kesiah Valkin, a South African-born lawyer who is the chief executive. Valkin previously co-founded 01 Founders, a London company that worked with clients such as Peloton and Faculty.ai.

Talent Nation says it is making a bet against the idea that AI will mainly cut jobs. The company argues that AI will create demand for more engineers because AI generated code still needs review, testing, and connection to reliable business systems.

“Talent is the final constraint to super intelligence,” Aboyeji said. He is the company’s executive chairman.

Why It Matters

Talent Nation says it is not starting from zero. Its training academy, Learn2Earn, has been running for 18 months.

In that period, Learn2Earn received more than 63,000 applications, assessed more than 32,000 people, grew to about 1,400 fellows, and opened nine campuses in six cities. The company says fewer than 3 percent of applicants get in, and fewer still pass final certification.

The company says applicants start with an online test that can be taken on a phone. Those who pass attend weekly in-person trials at the company’s centers in Nigeria, then move into client work or training programs lasting three, six or 12 months.

Talent Nation says it does not charge trainees upfront, and instead relies on businesses paying for engineers they hire to fund training for new cohorts.