Andela, the global talent marketplace with Nigerian roots, has acquired Woven, a technical assessment platform that uses real-world simulations to vet engineers. While the price tag remains undisclosed, the goal is clear: Andela wants to be the primary source of “AI-native” engineers.
Woven’s technology, which simulates actual engineering work rather than just testing syntax, will be integrated with Qualified (another Andela acquisition). This combined engine will help Andela vet its over 150,000 professionals for specialised roles involving Large Language Models (LLMs) and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems.
Why it matters: As companies move from AI hype to actual deployment, the bottleneck is no longer the models, but the engineers who can build autonomous workflows and manage AI risk. For the African tech ecosystem, this acquisition signals a shift in what “global readiness” looks like. It’s no longer enough to be a standard full-stack dev, and Andela is betting that the next decade belongs to engineers who are fluent in AI-assisted development.
The big picture: Founded in Lagos in 2014, Andela has evolved from a training boot camp into a global unicorn. By bringing Woven’s CEO, Wes Winham, into the fold to lead AI assessment development, Andela is effectively “leapfrogging” traditional vetting methods. This move sharpens the company’s competitive edge against platforms like Toptal and Hired in the fight for the world’s most sophisticated technical talent.
