Duollance, a new HR-mediated freelance platform founded by Alamu Ayomide Adetola and her team is emerging with a mission to rebuild the foundations of trust, quality, and access in the continent’s digital work ecosystem.
Rather than joining the crowded freelance platforms, Duollance is attempting something more fundamental. It serves as the “trust layer” connecting global businesses to African talent, blending AI-driven matching with human oversight to eliminate the uncertainty that dominates conventional gig platforms.
In this edition of Techparley’s DRIVE100, we spotlight Duollance, the talent platform using AI and human-led vetting to eliminate the chaos of traditional freelancing and connect global companies with Africa’s best creatives and technical professionals.
“We are solving major pain points—oversaturation of jobs, the hassle of talent search, and inflexible payment systems. Our model removes the stress for clients and eliminates chaotic bidding for freelancers,” Ayomide told Techparley.
Duollance’s Solution
Duollance addresses these gaps by implementing a two-layer system:
- AI-Driven HR Matching: Intelligent tools assess project requirements, identify suitable freelancers, and automate early filtering.
- Human-Led Vetting: An internal HR team ensures all freelancers are pre-vetted for skill, professionalism, and communication.
This structure, the startup says, ensures that businesses no longer need to navigate hundreds of unverified profiles. Instead, they receive curated matches. Feedback loops, communication support, and quality assurance are built into the system.
According to Ayomide, Duollance isn’t simply a marketplace, it is a managed talent experience.
Standing Out in a Crowded Market
Duollance enters a competitive space with major global players like Upwork, Fiverr, Toptal, and Andela. Yet, the startup insists its approach is unique.
Where Upwork and Fiverr rely on open bidding, and Toptal or Andela prioritise elite networks with limited African penetration, Duollance blends the strengths of both models while avoiding their weaknesses.
Its unique value proposition is clear:
- Verified African talent for global clients
- AI + HR mediation instead of unrestricted bidding
- Built-in trust mechanisms for quality and accountability
- Crypto and fiat payments for smooth cross-border transactions
It intends to become the go-to platform for businesses seeking reliable African talent without guesswork.
Before even launching its full platform, Duollance has already tested and validated its model.
Using a fully manual HR-mediated process, the team says it has matched over 40 freelancers to paid client projects. This manual validation phase, Ayomide says, was intentional.
“Building trust without a platform was difficult, but necessary. By manually matching freelancers to real projects, we proved both the demand and the viability of what we’re building.”
This early traction shows a clear market appetite for curated freelance solutions rather than open-ended marketplaces.
Meet the Team Building Duollance
Duollance’s founding team combines technical expertise, product strategy, and real experience navigating Africa’s freelance challenges.
1. Ayomide Alamu – Co-Founder & CEO
Technical writer, business strategist, and content manager with deep insight into the continent’s freelance realities.
2. Progress Alani – Co-Founder & COO
Product strategist, operations lead, and systems architect responsible for growth and workflow design.
3. Akinsokeji Kehinde – Product Designer
UX designer and brand strategist ensuring Duollance is intuitive, elegant, and accessible.
4. Awe Darasimi – Technical Lead
Full-stack developer and engineering manager overseeing backend architecture and platform reliability.
5. Giwa John – Marketing Lead
Campaign manager and growth strategist building the community and brand awareness.
Overcoming Challenges
Building a platform before gaining user trust would have been risky. So the team reversed the timeline, to build trust first, then platform second.
Duollance responded with a lean MVP approach, redesigned onboarding, third-party verified payment gateways, and guidance from legal advisers to ensure compliance from the outset.
“These early hurdles have strengthened our strategy,” Ayomide notes, “and proved that the problem we’re solving is urgent.”
Duollance plans to launch its web-based MVP, onboard 2,000+ freelancers and 200+ paying businesses, secure 3–5 B2B partnerships, integrate crypto + fiat payments, and begin automating skills assessments and AI-led matching.
It also wants to expand across Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, and South Africa, build full AI-led talent assessment engines, reach 100,000 freelancers and 10,000 business clients, and expand recruitment services into MENA, Europe, and the U.S.
Talking Points
Duollance presents an innovative approach to Africa’s freelance ecosystem by combining AI-driven matching with HR-mediated vetting, addressing one of the biggest pain points in digital work today.
By eliminating chaotic bidding and unverified talent pools, the platform offers a more predictable and professional experience for both freelancers and clients. This shift alone positions Duollance as a practical, solutions-driven alternative to the traditional gig marketplace.
At Techparley, we see how a curated freelance model like this can significantly raise the quality bar in Africa’s digital workforce, enabling more global companies to confidently hire African talent without the common fears of skill mismatch and project failure.
As Duollance prepares for full launch, strategic partnerships with accelerators, businesses, and financial institutions could accelerate onboarding and deepen trust across multiple markets.
With the right execution, Duollance has the potential to become the continent’s leading trust infrastructure for digital work, empowering African talent to compete confidently on the global stage.
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