Andela set out to train African software developers and place them with global companies.
Co-founded in 2014 by Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, Andela grew into a company backed by Spark Capital, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Google Ventures and SoftBank.
Andela is a global job placement network for software developers, co-founded in 2014 by Iyinoluwa Aboyeji. The idea was to find talented people, train them, and connect them with employers around the world.
The company attracted top global investors, including Spark Capital, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Google Ventures and SoftBank, and is described as a billion-dollar business. As of September 2025 it was counted among Africa’s unicorns.
A Lagos story
Andela is among the companies that helped make Yaba a technology centre in Lagos, alongside Hotels.ng and CcHUB. It is one of the seven tech unicorns of Africa cited in coverage of the district.
Aboyeji later co-founded Flutterwave in 2016 and Future Africa, a platform that provides capital, coaching and community for mission-driven innovators. Andela remains the clearest example of his central idea: that talent in Africa is abundant, and what it needs is training, access and a path to global work.
