TalentSprint Scaled 8x While Keeping Costs in Check

TalentSprint, a leader in edtech innovation, is transforming professional learning with its AI-powered platform. In partnership with top institutions like Carnegie Mellon University and Google, it delivers programs that combine academic rigor with real-world expertise. This approach drives exceptional engagement and customer satisfaction. For over a decade, Akamai’s cloud services (formerly Linode) have been the backbone of TalentSprint’s scalable, cost-effective operations, fueling responsible growth and unmatched value for learners.

Founded in 2010 as a classroom-based program to make engineering students “industry ready,” TalentSprint had an ambitious vision: evolve into a global edtech leader. Today, as a career accelerator for deep-tech programs, TalentSprint continues to embrace responsible growth. Its programs, led by seasoned industry professionals, are delivered almost entirely online via TalentSprint’s proprietary platform.

From the beginning, the company adopted a cloud-first approach, relying on Akamai for its infrastructure needs. According to TalentSprint’s CTO Jitendra Singh, responsible growth is embedded in the company’s DNA — careful spending on the business side and “frugal engineering” on the tech side. Akamai’s developer-friendly infrastructure perfectly aligned with this ethos, making it easy to deploy and scale while keeping costs in check.

TalentSprint wanted a single cloud provider with intuitive services that scaled as the company grew. “When you’re just starting, you can’t waste time managing cloud infrastructure,” said Singh. Thanks to Akamai’s simplicity, he personally handled deployments for the first 10 years. “That was possible because Akamai cloud computing services have always been developer friendly,” he explained.

Since its first instance in 2010, the company now runs 75 instances to power its learning management system (LMS), deliver 1 TB of content monthly, and provide sandbox environments for learners to experiment with code. With Akamai, deployment is a breeze. “Akamai checks three key boxes: easy setup, effortless scaling, and low costs,” continued Singh.

Managing cloud infrastructure has never been easier. The platform’s intuitive interface ensures new team members need just a brief walkthrough to get started, simplifying development and enabling global expansion without reengineering TalentSprint’s tech stack.

TalentSprint operates multiple cloud computing instances across geographies seamlessly, even migrating servers without downtime. Developers can deploy features like firewalls and load balancers effortlessly, and scaling happens automatically. Remarkably, the company manages 75 servers without dedicating a single person solely to cloud operations.

Despite achieving 30%–40% annual growth and expanding its user base from 1,000 to tens of thousands, TalentSprint has kept costs to just $1 per user per month. Akamai’s cost transparency ensures it knows expenses down to the minute with each deployment. Compared to other major cloud providers, running its infrastructure on Akamai costs one-third to one-fifth less — critical for a company committed to affordable education.  

“We’ve scaled 8x — and delivered new resource-hungry, AI-powered features — but kept the costs to serve our customers low because of Akamai cloud computing services,” Singh said.

Singh’s team has never needed to raise a support ticket to understand Akamai cloud computing features — everything is intuitive and easy to use. When support is required, the experience is outstanding.

“Everybody talks about 99.9% reliability, but that also includes fast responses to your queries. Akamai is the only cloud provider that delivers fast, local support,” he emphasized.

As TalentSprint grows globally, balancing compliance with privacy laws and cost control is critical. Akamai’s scalable infrastructure and edge computing solutions ensure TalentSprint can deliver on its mission while navigating regulatory complexities and minimizing spend.

“Akamai provides the scale we need globally while taking into account privacy laws. For 14 years, it has been our go-to for storing, processing and delivering video content. Moving forward, Akamai’s generalized edge computing will be essential to maintaining low costs,” Singh concluded.

Established in 2010, TalentSprint is part of NSE group and a global edtech company that brings transformational bootcamps and cutting-edge learning programs to modern-day professionals who aspire to future-proof themselves with deep expertise. TalentSprint partners with top-tier academic institutions and Big Tech global corporations to create futuristic programs and deliver remarkable outcomes. Its patent-pending AI-powered platform ipearl.ai seamlessly blends world-class academic rigor with industry-leading practitioner experience. The company’s learner engagement rates and high customer delight scores make it a leading player in the industry.