Andela

Global talent marketplace: 175K+ senior engineers, designers, PMs, and data scientists across 135+ countries matched to enterprise clients. Last valued at $1.5B (2021 SoftBank Series E).

Services Talent Marketplace / Global Remote Engineering
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Remote-First (Global, 135+ countries) HQ
500 employees
2014 founded

What is Andela?

Andela is a global talent marketplace that matches senior technologists to enterprise clients on long-term remote engagements. Founded in 2014 in Lagos by a team including Jeremy Johnson (CEO), Christina Sass, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, Nadayar Enegesi, Brice Nkengsa, and Ian Carnevale, the company started as a bold experiment: train promising African software engineers for four years and place them at Silicon Valley companies as full-time remote contractors. That model brought Andela into the global conversation on remote work and drew investment from Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Spark Capital, and Al Gore's Generation Investment Management. In 2019, Andela laid off roughly 400 junior engineers and repositioned as a senior-only marketplace, arguing the market rewarded experience more than pipeline. In 2021, the company opened up beyond Africa and became fully global, adding engineers, designers, product managers, and data scientists from any country. The talent network now numbers approximately 175,000 technologists across 135+ countries. In September 2021 Andela closed a $200M Series E led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2 at a $1.5B valuation, bringing total funding to roughly $381M. Corporate operations are lean by design (approximately 500 full-time employees) supporting the marketplace, matching, engineering assessments, client success, and platform infrastructure. Client engagements typically run six months to two years and pay Andelans (the talent side) in USD at senior-market rates, with Andela taking a marketplace margin. The company acquired the Qualified.io technical-assessment platform in 2022 to power the vetting funnel.

Mission & values

Connect brilliance with opportunity by giving companies access to the world's best distributed engineering talent, and giving that talent the borderless career the internet made possible.

Qualifications

Two distinct engagement paths. (1) Talent network (the main path most people mean when they say "getting hired by Andela"). Apply at andela.com. Andela vets engineers, designers, product managers, and data scientists through a multi-stage process (application → skills assessment → technical interview → live coding or portfolio review → English proficiency check). Approved talent join the network and get matched to client engagements that fit their skills, availability, and rates. Emphasis is on senior candidates: 4+ years professional experience is the practical floor, and staff+ candidates in AI, ML, data engineering, cloud, and modern frontend stacks are heavily prioritized. Once matched, engagements are typically 40 hours per week for six months to two years. Pay is USD, negotiated per role, and typically lands at senior-market rates for the client's country. (2) Corporate FTE roles (matching, engineering, product, sales, client success, ops, G&A) are listed at andela.com/careers and are almost entirely remote across Andela's legal-entity footprint. Corporate roles are a much smaller pool than the talent network.

Leadership

J

Jeremy Johnson

Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Co-founded Andela in 2014 and has served as CEO throughout the company's major model pivots. Previously co-founded 2U, a public online-education company.

C

Christina Sass

Co-Founder & Former President

Co-founded Andela in 2014. Long-time public face of Andela in Africa and in policy conversations on global remote work.

I

Iyinoluwa Aboyeji

Co-Founder (departed)

Co-founded Andela in 2014. Later co-founded Flutterwave and founded Future Africa, a venture fund investing in African startups.

N

Nadayar Enegesi

Co-Founder (departed)

Co-founded Andela in 2014. Later founded Eden Life, a Lagos-based domestic-services startup.

Hiring process

  1. 1

    Apply at andela.com

    Create a talent profile with your skills, experience, target role, and availability. Corporate roles apply separately at andela.com/careers.

  2. 2

    Skills assessment

    Automated technical assessment scoped to your primary skills. Powered by the Qualified.io platform Andela acquired in 2022.

    About 3 days

  3. 3

    Technical interview

    Live technical interview with a senior Andela engineer or subject-matter expert. Covers coding, systems design (or portfolio review for design and PM tracks), and problem-solving.

    About 7 days

  4. 4

    English proficiency and communication check

    Client engagements require strong async and sync communication. This step confirms working English proficiency and remote-collaboration readiness.

    About 3 days

  5. 5

    Approval and client matching

    On approval you join the network. The matching team pairs you with client engagements that fit your skills, rate, and availability. Matching timeline varies by demand for your skill set; specialist and staff+ profiles typically match faster.

    About 30 days

Funding

StageSeries C+
Total raised$381,000,000
Investors
SoftBank Vision Fund 2 Generation Investment Management Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Spark Capital CRE Venture Capital Whale Rock Capital

Awards & recognition

  • Series E at $1.5B valuation led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2 · 2021

    Andela

  • Opened talent network globally beyond Africa · 2021

    Andela

  • Acquired Qualified.io technical-assessment platform · 2022

    Andela

Company information

Frequently asked questions

Is Andela open to engineers outside Africa?
Yes, since 2021. Andela is now fully global and accepts talent from any country, with the network spanning 135+ countries.
What experience level does Andela hire?
Practical floor is 4+ years of professional experience. Andela is a senior-and-above marketplace since the 2019 pivot; junior candidates without significant work history typically will not pass vetting.
How much does Andela pay?
Talent pay is per-engagement in USD at senior-market rates. Typical bands: 25 to 60 USD per hour for mid-senior engineers, 60 to 120 for staff+, and 80 to 150+ for specialist AI, ML, and data engineering roles.
Who founded Andela?
Jeremy Johnson (CEO), Christina Sass, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, Nadayar Enegesi, Brice Nkengsa, and Ian Carnevale in 2014 in Lagos. Iyinoluwa later co-founded Flutterwave and founded Future Africa; Nadayar founded Eden Life.
How much has Andela raised?
Approximately $381M across Series A through E. The most recent round, a $200M Series E in September 2021 led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2, set the valuation at $1.5B.
What kinds of engagements does Andela offer?
Long-term remote engagements with global clients, typically 40 hours per week for six months to two years. Skill focus spans software engineering, product management, product design, and data science, with heavy specialist demand in AI, ML, cloud, and modern frontend stacks.
How does Andela differ from Upwork or Toptal?
Andela focuses on longer engagements (six months to two years, typically full-time equivalent) with senior technologists rather than short-term gigs. Vetting is more selective and matching is white-glove rather than open-marketplace.

Stay in the loop.

One email per week, 5 hand-picked roles.