Adewale Yusuf through his tech school AltSchool and TalentQL is empoering young Africans with tech skills in software engineering, data analysis, data science, product design and many others and connects them with reputable companies across the world.
Adewale Yusuf, co-founder and CEO of AltSchool and TalentQL, is a notable critical figure in the Nigerian startup sector. He is an advocate of employing innovations to enhance education. For this, he appears well equipped with an executive credential from HarvardX. In addition to this, Adewale holds a degree in Political Science and Economics from the University of Ibadan.
Starting Out WIth Techpoint.ng
Adewale has extensive experience in the technology field and has used his knowledge to grow Techpoint Africa into the reputable media platform it is today. He also has a strong background in developing tech startups, which has led him to play a vital role in Techpoint Build – Nigeria’s largest startup conference and exhibition. In addition, he also serves as the Chief Host of Techpoint Inspired – the country’s largest tech conference. His work continues to help illustrate how technology is changing the story of Nigeria for the better.
Changing Gear…
In November 2020, Adewale left his position as Techpoint Africa’s publisher, to help develop the Nigerian technology sector and cultivate more tech talent. This has led him to establish TalentQL, a remote talent management platform for multinational corporations designed to help with the QUIET location of talent.
Adewale is frequently aware of digital talent’s significance and worth in Nigeria and abroad. TalentQL has now eased one of his earlier worries: the concentration of most IT talent in Lagos. The startup’s primary goal is to develop talent outside of Lagos. TalentQL has successfully established connections between Nigerian developers and those in the UK, US, Dubai, and other countries since launching TalentQL a year ago.
Additionally, TalentQL has helped numerous African businesses find the top talent for their needs – whether it’s for web development, app design, or anything in between.
According to the co-founder and CEO of TalentQL, it is estimated that over 200 million people live in Nigeria – 60% of whom are young people under 25. Unfortunately, many of these young Nigerians face unemployment and illiteracy, with 35% and 34% unemployment rates.
400M+ Africans won't have access to post-secondary education just because they're born on the continent.https://t.co/6SNtILnViz pic.twitter.com/i3AtdxGfUe
— Adewale Yusuf (@AdewaleYusuf_) November 24, 2022
The TalentQL company thus helps multinational corporations recruit, develop, and manage remote talent. This allows businesses to create strong remote teams and a talent pipeline.
“We are confident that what we are doing at TalentQL will revolutionize the African talent landscape, and this pre-seed funding enables us to launch this goal,” Adewale says.
Funding For TalentQL
Zedcrest Capital led the way for the startup’s funding, recently raising $300,000 for TalentQL. This round of funding also included local investors and entrepreneurs Kola Aina and Prosper Otemuyiwa. Adedayo Amzat, CEO of Zedcrest, expressed his company’s excitement in supporting TalentQL. It became the 20th startup to join the company’s “Ventures at Zedcrest” initiative.
The talent pool of qualified African workers is competitive on a global scale, and TalentQL’s efforts will help to increase the number of talented workers available to boost further Africa’s participation in the global technology talent market, he said.
“It is a no-brainer to be betting on the team behind the TalentQL. They are entrepreneurs who have built successful businesses, and we have no doubt they will replicate the same success here.”
Learning From Andela
Adewale explained that his organization had looked at what went wrong for Andela and implemented systems to ensure they didn’t make the same mistakes.
“We have learned from Andela’s experience and are now decentralizing our development. We are helping African businesses invest in their talent because it is important.”
The Coming Of AltSchool
Adewale also founded AltSchool Africa alongside TalentQL in response to the growing demand for tech skills in the modern world of work. The firm has received $1 million in pre-seed funding to expand its operations, which aspire to give access to the market, to the in-demand skills in the market, and to have people that genuinely qualify to take up these positions.
AltSchool Africa offers software engineering diplomas that cover front-end, back-end, and cloud engineering. The startup is also preparing to launch the school of product and blockchain. Adewale plans to train ten million Africans in the next eight years through the AltSchool Africa project.
“At AltSchool, we not only help students develop essential tech skills, but we also guarantee that they will be able to find employment in the field after they graduate,” Adewale says.
“We are willing to invest in their education because we depend on them to achieve. The cost of tuition is 0 dollars. Therefore, there is no cost to the pupils in kobo. That would be handled,” he assures.
Growing Up
Growing up for Adewale is like the proverbial rags to riches story. Coming from a financially strained background, he had to work multiple odd jobs before someone suggested he learn to code. He took the advice and his life changed drastically.
Now, he wants to help others in similar situations by making “AltSchool” a place where people can learn about technology and coding. In this way, the CEO believes he can democratize access to these abilities.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution is fueled by artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and the internet of things (IoT). But, unfortunately, Africa and Nigeria need more next-generation engineers with these specialized skills. The startup is interested in pursuing these specialized skills and is looking to tap into the potential talent pool. The CEO explained: “that is why our campuses are far from the Noise.”
AltSchool Africa’s software engineering curriculum has received over 8000 applications from various African nations. Yusuf says that the startup has attracted many applications through word of mouth. Some well-known figures in music and technology are also funding students through the program, and others are writing cheques after seeing the startup’s potential.
“We must find a way to help people make money, provide for their families, and add value to the economy. That’s one of the reasons we launched AltSchool. By giving people the skills they need to be successful, we can solve some of the biggest problems in the market.”
