Global talent accelerator Andela, which finds talented young Africans and trains them to become top developers for global firms, has received more than 10,000 applications since it launched in September last year.
The goal of Andela is to produce world-class remote developers and connect them with top employers. The company is backed by investors including Steve Case, Omidyar Network, Founder Collective, Rothenberg Ventures, Learn Capital, Melo7 Tech Partners, Chris Hughes and Susa Ventures, and has offices in the United States (US) and Nigeria.
Chief executive officer (CEO) Jeremy Johnson said the size of Andela’s application pool was evidence word about what it is doing has spread across Nigeria and beyond.
“Applications have been received from South Africa, Botswana, Ghana and Kenya, a signal that there is demand for Andela in other parts of the continent,” he said.
“The increasing size of our applicant pool is the latest in a series of signs that we are tapping into both a growing market need and a hunger for opportunity. While it’s still early, the data is showing that we can recruit brilliant young people, train them with the best education technology in the world, and place them with companies where they – and the teams they work on – thrive.”
Johnson said to date no client has ever dropped an Andela developer, while 80 per cent of clients have asked for additional services within the first six months.
The company is selective in terms of taking on developers, with an acceptance rate of just 0.6 per cent, while its team has grown to over 80 people.
“Of course, we have a lot of work to do, but our early progress reflects the strength of the intellect, character and work ethic of Andela developers, and I couldn’t be prouder to share it,” Johnson said.
