SA tech startup launches new recruitment platform for data scientists

A local tech startup synonymous as the first data science competition platform in Africa, Zindi, has launched a new recruitment platform.

Aimed at connecting various organisations with Africa’s data science talent, the new platform will match the right talent for the ideal job.

The recruitment platform was launched today at AI Expo Africa and aims to assist organisations around the world to connect with talented African data scientists. With access to a community of over 18 000 data scientists, Zindi’s new recruitment platform will match companies and organisations with the right talent for the job at hand.

Celina Lee, CEO of Zindi comments on the launch of the new online platform.

“Zindi has the largest community of data scientists in Africa, which makes us uniquely positioned to help organisations find the talent they are looking for. We are proud to be pioneering a data-driven, evidence-based approach to data science recruitment in Africa to ensure you get candidates with the proven skills you need.”

Zindi

Founded in 2018, the tech startup received funding from private investors to launch and create its data science competition platform. The tech startup has been founded by Celina Lee, Megan Yates, and Ekow Duker.

The launch of the new recruitment platform is aimed at bridging the gap between recruitment and organisations.

The platform has been created due to various organisations who have worked with Zindi, expressing that they have not been able to find the right talent in Africa to meet their needs.

Lee explains to Ventureburn that the main aim of Zindi is to address the high unemployment rates among the youth in South Africa while driving the use and education of artificial intelligence (AI).

“We created Zindi because young people across Africa face critical challenges including high unemployment rates and scarcity of accessible opportunities to upskill in fields like data science, machine learning, and AI. We also noted that companies in Africa often did not know where to start in finding data science talent or how to adopt more data-driven practices.”

In a press statement, Zindi claims that 55% of their users are actively searching for their next professional opportunity. These users cover a wide range of data science skills and languages, and 75% have a bachelor’s degree or higher qualification. Zindi added that many of these users are new to the data science field, but approximately half of them boast more than a year of data science experience.

“Zindi data scientists also have a demonstrated entrepreneurial, can-do mindset. More than 50% of our users are engaged in or thinking about creating a startup within the machine learning and AI space. This positions them uniquely as self-driven candidates keen to make a difference to the continent and to the organisation they are a part of, ” said the local tech startup

Nick Bradshaw, CEO of AI Media Group and co-founder of AI Expo Africa adds that Zindi is making a powerful impact for talented African data scientists.

“Zindi’s recruitment platform addresses the shortage of experienced data science talent faced by many organisations operating on the continent. With many organisations moving to become data-driven, the demand for these rare technical skills is increasing exponentially. This platform is set to make it easier for companies to recruit the best available African data scientists.”

Making an impact with Covid-19

Zindi has reportedly assisted several candidates with partnering organisation around the continent.

This includes the recruitment of a data scientist for a Covid-19 response project held in the Democratic Republic of Congo for GSMA.

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