Carrol Chang, previously the global leader for drivers at Uber, has taken the helm at Andela, a startup founded by Jeremy Johnson to facilitate the connection between companies and remote workers in emerging markets like Africa and Latin America. Initially, Andela experienced significant growth, reaching a valuation of $1.5 billion after a successful Series E funding round led by SoftBank. However, following the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and changing economic conditions, Andela’s growth stalled in 2022.
Johnson believes that Andela’s future is bright, with a 15% increase in sales in the current fiscal year. He is optimistic about the long-term need for flexible talent and the potential for growth driven by the generative AI boom. With more than half of the funding round still available, Johnson sees the possibility for Andela to become a global player in the talent marketplace space. Amidst this potential for growth, Andela has appointed Carrol Chang as its new chief executive to lead the company into its next phase of development.
Chang, who previously led Uber’s efforts to bring drivers back onto the platform after the pandemic shutdowns, is excited about the opportunity to work at Andela. She plans to implement a similar strategy to engage Andela’s customers and contractors, utilizing her experience in improving product features, marketing, and user experience. Andela’s customers include major companies like Cloudflare, Goldman Sachs, and ViacomCBS, with a pool of around 150,000 contractors globally.
Andela initially started as a talent accelerator and staffing provider but has now evolved into a marketplace connecting talent with corporate customers. The company focuses on providing software to manage the performance of contractors over the contract term. The average worker placed through Andela stays 18 months on a project, achieving significant time savings and efficiency improvements compared to traditional staffing models. Andela aims to leverage AI to enhance its matching process and provide more qualified candidates for specific skill gaps.
Despite some controversy around its historical take rate, Andela has shifted its model to pass along a larger share of proceeds to its contractors. Both Johnson and Chang emphasize Andela’s mission to create opportunities for qualified individuals globally, connecting them with competitively priced work they might not otherwise find. Andela’s impact has been recognized by key backers like the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, whose managing partner, Vivian Wu, expressed excitement for Andela’s next phase under Chang’s leadership.
While Johnson will continue to support Andela as a board member, he will no longer have a full-time executive role in the company. Looking ahead, Johnson remains open to the possibility of working on a third startup, although he acknowledges the concerns of those around him who hope he doesn’t undertake another intense entrepreneurial endeavor. As Chang leads Andela into its next chapter, the company remains poised for growth and impact in the global marketplace for remote talent.
