Andela bolsters AI talent marketplace with Woven acquisition

Andela, the global engineering talent outsourcing unicorn, has acquired Woven, a human-powered technical assessment company that simulates real engineering work, for an undisclosed amount.

As companies go from experimenting with artificial intelligence (AI) to deploying it at scale, the company says demand is rising for distinct AI-native engineers who create AI components such as Large Language Model (LLM) and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems, connect models and tools into autonomous workflows, and ensure AI systems run reliably while managing governance and risk. 

With Woven’s technology, Andela, which boasts over 150,000 technology professionals in its global marketplace, aims to better assess and match engineers to each of these roles.

“To power the AI ecosystem at scale, the world needs AI-native, enterprise-ready engineering talent en masse. Andela plus Woven equals the best technical assessment engine in the world to ensure AI fluency and real-world job success,” said Carrol Chang, CEO of Andela.

The acquisition positions Andela to deploy its strong talent pool against the engineers best equipped to turn advanced AI models into dependable, real-world solutions, sharpening the company’s edge in the AI talent race

As part of the deal, Woven’s founder and CEO, Wes Winham Winler, will join Andela to lead the development of next-generation assessments focused on AI-assisted software development and AI system creation. 

“Andela already had a world-class industry reputation, talent network, and upskilling DNA,” Winler said. “Together, we’re building the most accurate and scalable way to measure real-world engineering performance in the AI era.”

Andela will integrate Woven’s library of real-world scenarios and AI-enabled evaluation capabilities. This technology will be built on Qualified, another assessment platform that the unicorn acquired in 2023, creating what the company describes as a unified foundation for AI-powered engineering assessments.

Founded in Nigeria in 2014, Andela started as a company focused on training and connecting software developers from Africa to global technology companies. Over the past decade, it has evolved into one of the world’s largest marketplaces for technical talent. 

The company says its acquisition of Woven accelerates its ambition to become an AI-native talent platform that reliably assesses an engineer’s ability to succeed in real jobs.

“With Woven, Andela is leapfrogging the development of world-class assessments for both AI fluency and engineering fundamentals,” said Barun Singh, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Andela.