As numerous tech companies are instructing their employees to return to their offices and focusing on building in-person teams, they are simultaneously seeking developer talent in Latin America, particularly for training AI models after their initial development.

Revelo, a comprehensive platform offering vetted developers in Latin America, has experienced a significant increase in demand for engineers skilled in post-training Large Language Models (LLMs), according to Revelo co-founder and CEO Lucas Mendes, in an interview with TechCrunch. With over 400,000 developers on its platform, Revelo facilitates the hiring and payment process for its U.S. clients.

Mendes attributed this recent surge in demand for Revelo’s talent to the next phase of the AI revolution, which involves post-training LLMs. He noted that there is a growing need for expert human data to enhance the performance of LLMs in specific, high-value tasks, such as coding.

“The current landscape is characterized by a intense competition for data, especially high-quality human data, that can improve the capabilities of LLMs in tasks that require expertise,” Mendes explained. “Last year, we witnessed a surge in demand from companies developing foundational models seeking engineers who can provide the necessary human data to improve their LLMs’ coding abilities.”

Notably, LLM training hires accounted for 22% of Revelo’s revenue in 2024, underscoring the growing importance of this area.

Mendes added that this demand often manifests as companies approaching Revelo to find experts in specific coding languages to address gaps in their ongoing post-training efforts.

Revelo supplies workers to prominent U.S. enterprises, including Intuit, Oracle, and Dell, as well as “nearly every major hyperscale AI provider.”

Revelo is not alone in its efforts to connect U.S. companies with programmers in Latin America, as other companies like Terminal, Tecla, and Near share similar objectives.

The demand for developers skilled in post-training LLMs represents the latest hiring trend that Revelo has been able to capitalize on since its founding in late 2014.

Mendes launched Revelo alongside co-founder Lachlan de Crespigny in response to the intense competition for talent at the time, with the goal of creating a network of vetted talent in Brazil to meet the needs of companies.

The demand for Revelo’s services was strong, and the company went on to secure over $48 million in venture funding from firms including Social Capital, FJ Labs, and Valor Capital Group, while expanding its operations beyond Brazil to the broader Latin American region.

The Covid-19 pandemic significantly expanded Revelo’s potential reach, as Mendes noted. “Suddenly, U.S. companies realized that they could have high-quality distributed teams with some engineers based in Latin America,” he said. “Typically, they would hire one or two engineers and be impressed with the quality and cost-effectiveness, leading them to seek more talent.”

Although the trend of distributed and remote work has begun to wane as companies return to in-person work, Revelo has continued to experience growth. Mendes acknowledged that he goes against the current trend, but the demand for Latin American talent has not diminished despite the tech industry’s shift back to office-based work.

Mendes attributed the sustained demand to the fact that these developers are considered “nearshored” workers, located in the same time zones as their client companies, making them more attractive hires.

Revelo has acquired five competitors focused on LatAm talent in the last 30 months, including Alto and Paretisa, which were announced in March, demonstrating its commitment to expansion.

“We are building a global talent network for the age of AI, and we anticipate more acquisitions in the future,” Mendes said.