Talent Nation pairs Learn2Earn training with AI engineering work

Iyinoluwa Aboyeji and Kesiah Valkin lead Talent Nation, a business that says it develops AI-focused engineers and puts them to work inside organizations building their own AI systems. Its workforce model spans project delivery, embedded teams, direct hiring and paid internships.

Talent Nation identifies Aboyeji as co-founder and executive chairman, while Valkin is co-founder and CEO. The company says it develops and certifies engineers before deploying them to client organizations, rather than relying only on the existing pool of experienced AI workers.

The training pathway runs through Learn2Earn, which Talent Nation describes as its engineering academy and talent-development pipeline. Learn2Earn’s published journey begins with a selection game and a five-day in-person trial. That is followed by one year of full-time training and another year focused on AI specialization and internships. The program says it charges no upfront tuition and gives graduates access to paid work through Talent Nation, though its pages conflict on how long that work stage lasts.

Talent Nation reports more than 63,000 applicants and more than 32,000 assessments. It says fewer than 3% of applicants have been selected and about 1,400 fellows are currently in training. Those figures have not been independently audited. The opened official pages do not provide an aggregate placement rate or named placement outcomes.

The Talent Nation homepage lists Future Africa, Kaleo Ventures, LocalGlobe, Enza Capital, Accelerate Africa and Ajim Capital as backers. The homepage does not disclose the amount, date, instrument or terms of any financing.