Aboyeji-backed AI engineering talent platform Talent Nation raises pre-seed funding

Nigerian AI engineering talent platform Talent Nation, co-founded by serial entrepreneur Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, has raised an undisclosed pre-seed funding round as it looks to train and deploy one million African AI engineers over the next decade.

Co-founded by Aboyeji, who was behind Andela, Flutterwave and Moove, and South Africa-born lawyer Kesiah Valkin, who previously co-founded London-based 01 Founders, Talent Nation trains, certifies and deploys AI engineers into organisations looking to build their own AI capability.

The startup is betting that AI will increase demand for engineering talent rather than reduce it. As AI models generate more code, it argues, businesses need more engineers who can review, test and integrate that code into reliable systems.

“Talent is the final constraint to super intelligence. Engineers who can implement AI solutions are some of the most expensive talent to recruit anywhere. Talent Nation puts certified AI engineering talent within the reach of any organisation for a fraction of the cost of frontier labs and traditional consulting firms,” said Aboyeji, who serves as executive chairman.

The undisclosed round of funding was co-led by Enza Capital and UK-based LocalGlobe, with participation from Future Africa, Kaleo Ventures, Ajim Capital, Solving.org and Accelerate Africa.

Talent Nation’s academy, Learn2Earn, has received more than 63,000 applications in 18 months, assessed over 32,000 people, and now has around 1,400 fellows training across nine campuses in six cities. Fewer than three per cent of applicants are admitted.

Applicants first complete an online test on their phones, before progressing to weekly in-person trials at the company’s centres across Nigeria. Experienced engineers who meet the startup’s standards move straight to deployment, while others go through three-, six- or 12-month training programmes that include internships and practical work experience. Training is peer-led and project-based, with intensive build-athons held across its campuses.

Training carries no upfront fees. Revenue from enterprise clients is reinvested into developing more engineers, who in turn contribute towards future cohorts once employed. Its engineers are already working with clients including IHS Towers, and organisations can engage them on defined projects, as direct hires, or in embedded teams.

“The benefits of AI should extend far beyond the companies with the resources to develop and deploy it today. But technological breakthroughs alone will not deliver widespread adoption. That requires a fundamental shift in the cost and availability of AI engineering talent,” said Valkin, who is CEO.

Sir John Lazar, general partner at Enza Capital and president of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said engineering talent was a crucial bedrock of innovation.

“Enza is proud to co-lead this investment into Talent Nation because we believe the company’s remarkable founders can identify this talent, build pathways for African engineers into valuable work, not just in Lagos but in London, and hold their engineers to a global standard of excellence,” he said.

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