> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.africainvestorreview.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Talent Nation Secures Pre-Seed Funding Led by Enza Capital and LocalGlobe to Scale AI Talent Platform - URL: https://www.africainvestorreview.com/talent-nation-exits-stealth-with-pre-seed-funding-led-by-enza-capital-and-localglobe/ - Published: 2026-10-28T15:55:46.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-28T16:20:34.000Z - Description: The global AI engineering talent platform secures multi-investor backing to scale Learn2Earn NG across 9 campuses in Nigeria, aiming to deploy 1 million African AI engineers over the next decade. - Author: Charles S. - Tags: Venture Capital, West Africa **LAGOS & LONDON** — [**Talent Nation**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/talentnation-ai/home/?ref=africainvestorreview.com), a global talent platform designed to train, certify, and deploy artificial intelligence engineers from Africa into international enterprises, has completed a pre-seed financing round following 18 months of stealth operations. The round was co-led by Africa-focused venture capital firm [**Enza Capital**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/enza-capital/home/?ref=africainvestorreview.com) and London-headquartered fund [**LocalGlobe**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/localglobe/home/?ref=africainvestorreview.com). The syndicate featured participation from [**Future Africa**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/anafricanfuture/home/?ref=africainvestorreview.com), [**Kaleo Ventures**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/kaleo-ventures/home/?ref=africainvestorreview.com), [**Ajim Capital**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/ajimcapital/home/?ref=africainvestorreview.com), [**Solving the World's Greatest Problems**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/solvingorg/home/?ref=africainvestorreview.com), and [**Accelerate Africa**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/accelerate-africa63/home/?ref=africainvestorreview.com). Key individual backers include [**Sir John Lazar**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-lazar-3015372/?ref=africainvestorreview.com) (President of the [Royal Academy of Engineering](https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-royal-academy-of-engineering/home/?ref=africainvestorreview.com)) and [**Saul Klein**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/saulklein/?ref=africainvestorreview.com) (Co-founder and Managing Partner at LocalGlobe). Co-founded by serial tech entrepreneur [**Iyinoluwa Aboyeji**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/eaboyeji/?ref=africainvestorreview.com) (co-founder of unicorns [**Flutterwave**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/flutterwave/home/?ref=africainvestorreview.com) and [**Andela**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/andela/home/?ref=africainvestorreview.com), and early investor in [**Moove**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/moove-io/home/?ref=africainvestorreview.com)) alongside Chief Executive Officer [**Kesiah Valkin**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kesiah-valkin-4312a931/?ref=africainvestorreview.com), Talent Nation addresses the global structural deficit in specialized AI engineering talent. ## The Daily Brief We deliver daily breakdown of dealmaking, capital flows, and market insights across Africa. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. 100% free. Unsubscribe anytime. ## Operational Footprint & Academy Metrics Talent Nation operates its training infrastructure through its dedicated academy arm, **Learn2Earn NG**: - **10-Year Mandate:** Targets training, certifying, and placing **1.0 million AI engineers over the next decade** into global enterprise tech stacks.JPG - **Application Selectivity:** The Learn2Earn NG academy has received **over 63,000 applications** to date and assessed **more than 32,000 candidates**. - **Active Fellow Pipeline:** Currently trains **approximately 1,400 active fellows** across **9 physical campuses in Nigeria**. - **Model Economics:** Operates on a tuition-free model for developers, monetizing by connecting certified, job-ready AI talent directly to multinational firms. ## Macro Context & Talent Deficit While venture funding in the global AI sector remains heavily concentrated in frontier model labs and compute infrastructure, human engineering capital remains a primary bottleneck: - **Global Workforce Supply:** According to Boston Consulting Group (BCG) data, Africa currently houses approximately **62,000 AI specialists**, representing **5% of the global AI workforce**. - **Regional Compute Expansion:** The platform's roll-out coincides with expanding digital infrastructure across Africa, including Cassava Technologies' launch of South Africa's first specialized **AI factory** in Cape Town, as well as formal national AI strategies in Nigeria and Kenya. ## Executive Statements > "We want to change the economics of who gets to build with AI. The benefits of this technology should not be confined to frontier labs and corporations that can afford the world's most expensive engineering talent. They should be within reach of far more organisations, wherever they operate, and talented people should have a pathway into this industry regardless of where they happen to have been born," stated [**Kesiah Valkin**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kesiah-valkin-4312a931/?ref=africainvestorreview.com), Co-Founder & CEO of Talent Nation. > "We’ve got a goal of a million AI engineers over the next 10 years," added [**Iyinoluwa Aboyeji**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/eaboyeji/?ref=africainvestorreview.com), Co-Founder of Talent Nation. "Developing talent at scale is an extraordinarily complex undertaking. It is easy for us to say that Africa has enormous talent, but what's really hard is building the infrastructure to actually find that talent and develop them to globally competitive standards." --- ### The Intelligence Engine for African Private Capital Access complete transaction breakdowns, fund strategy updates, and market commentary directly on our platform. [Become a member](#/portal/signup)