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Two platforms, two sourcing models. See how LATAM-specialized expertise compares to a global contractor marketplace.
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Mercor and Athyna Intelligence are both serious options for AI labs that need specialized talent for model training. Mercor brings scale: a broad global pool drawing primarily from the US and India, screened through an AI-led process.
Athyna Intelligence takes a different path, sourcing primarily from Latin America with coverage across Africa and APAC, pairing AI matching with human vetting to deliver PhD and Master's researchers with deep domain expertise across multiple languages, at 40–60% of the US rate. See more about.
Athyna Intelligence is a specialized platform that connects AI labs and model training teams with vetted PhD and Master's graduates from Latin America, fast, and without the operational overhead of sourcing academic talent yourself.
Our researchers bring deep expertise across computer science, mathematics, engineering, NLP, biology, physics, law, economics, and more — sourced from leading LATAM universities including USP, UFRJ, FGV, Tec de Monterrey, and Universidad de Chile.
Here is what we support:
- Data generation, annotation, and classification
- Model scoring, evaluation, and reasoning benchmarks
- Prompt testing and domain-specific task design
- Research-based workflows for complex AI projects
- Onboarding, compliance, and ongoing support handled end-to-end
- PhD and Master's graduates vetted before they reach your team
Mercor is a global talent marketplace that connects AI labs with contractors for model training, data labeling, and RLHF tasks. Candidates go through an AI-conducted video screening before entering a broad pool of professionals available for matching across engineering, medicine, law, and other domains. Sourcing is global, with a primary concentration in the US and India.
Most global talent platforms make the same promises. The difference shows up in how they actually deliver.
Why teams choose Athyna Intelligence
Mercor is a strong option for labs that need volume and US reach quickly. Athyna Intelligence is built for something more specific: deep domain expertise across multiple regions and languages, a vetting process that combines AI matching with human review, and cost-efficient access to PhD-level researchers who overlap with US working hours.
Academic credentials & domain expertise
Athyna Intelligence's vetting process reviews academic credentials, publication records where relevant, English fluency, and domain depth before any researcher reaches your team. The result is a smaller, more precise pool rather than a large one with variable depth.
- Academic credentials verified: PhD and Master's graduates from leading LATAM universities
- Multilingual pool: English, Spanish, and Portuguese as standard, with additional languages across Africa and APAC
- Domain matching done before handoff
LATAM depth
Latin America has strong academic institutions that don't always appear in global talent. These programs have researchers with the kind of domain depth that high-quality RLHF and evaluation work demands.
Athyna Intelligence was built specifically to source from this region. The time zone alignment (1–3 hours from EST) is a practical benefit, as your team and your researchers are working at the same time. The academic depth is the real differentiator.
- Sourced from leading LATAM universities across CS, math, NLP, biology, physics, law, economics, and more
- International academic credentials: IEEE, ACM, and peer-reviewed publications are common in the pool
- 1–3 hours from US EST — built-in overlap with your core working hours
Built for the full lifecycle of AI training work
Athyna Intelligence covers the full range of AI training tasks, such as data generation, annotation, model evaluation, reasoning benchmarks, and domain-specific work, with the same vetted-expert process every time. Onboarding, compliance, and support are on us. You focus on building a better model.
- Domain-specific filters applied at sourcing: match researchers to tasks by field, not just availability
- A consistent vetting process is applied to every researcher before they reach your team
- Compliance managed across LATAM, Africa, and APAC — contracts, payments, and legal requirements handled end-to-end
Cost-effective and ready to scale
LATAM researchers with PhD-level credentials cost 40–60% less than equivalent talent in the US or Europe. That is a structure of market rates in Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Chile, and more.
- 40–60% cost savings vs US and European AI training talent
- Time zones that support real collaboration, not just overnight handoffs
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Hire top talent, wherever you are
Whatever your hiring needs, we’ve got you covered. Athyna helps businesses, from high-growth startups to Fortune 100 companies, to scale up with top talent quickly and drive global growth.
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Athyna has been a real game changer for us
"It was the fifth agency we'd worked with, but with Athyna, the process was seamless. I felt heard, and the candidate matches were so spot-on.”
Athyna is just easy to work with
The Athyna team was fantastic at quickly understanding what I needed, without me having to write a super detailed job description. Whatever it was I was looking for, they seemed to get it pretty quickly, and quickly turn around profiles, that were screened already, for me to meet and interview
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Athyna gets what makes a team work well together
We were looking for something we could afford, but the talent we get from Athyna is worth two to three times what we’d expect in the U.S. Athyna exceeded my expectations for what was possible.
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An incredible time saver
This is a really great partnership. Athyna has really taken the time to understand our company and our culture, and the roles that we're hiring for. Having that personalized care and the awesome team that we've hired through Athyna, it makes sense for us to continue working together.
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See all case studiesHow it works
Hiring with Athyna is simple. You tell us what you need, and we do the heavy lifting. From your first call to your new hire’s first day, we help you hire top talent fast so you can focus on growing your business.
Discovery call
Tell us who you need and when. We'll help you figure out the right roles, where to find great people, and what realistic compensation looks like. Then we'll map out next steps—if it feels like a fit, we're in.
Alignment
Meet your dedicated recruiter. We'll dig into what great looks like for this role—skills, experience, culture fit, the works. We'll refine the job description together and make sure we're both crystal clear on who we're hunting for.
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Talent matching
Our AI scans our pool of vetted candidates while our recruiters dig deeper. We match on skills, experience, and culture fit—not just keywords. You'll see the top prospects within 4 days.
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Interview
Meet your shortlisted candidates. We'll coordinate schedules and handle the logistics. Most customers hire 1 out of every 3 candidates we endorse—we're here until you find your match.
Onboarding prep
Found a match? We'll handle the paperwork—offer letters, contracts, payroll setup. You focus on welcoming them to the team. We'll also help you create an onboarding plan that sets them up to hit the ground running.
Ongoing Support
Your new hire is up and running. Our Customer Success team stays with you for HR support, performance check-ins, and whatever else comes up as your team grows.
Frequently asked questions
What is Athyna Intelligence?
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Athyna Intelligence is a specialized part of our platform that connects expert talent with companies that need support in training AI models. We match PhD and Master's-level professionals from Latin America with teams looking to build data sets, evaluate models, strengthen reasoning tasks, and accelerate AI development. It is a simple and fast way to scale AI training with vetted global talent.
How does Athyna Intelligence work?
You tell us what kind of AI training support you need, and our team sources, vets, and matches you with specialists who fit your requirements. Once matched, the talent joins your project and begins working on tasks such as data creation, annotation, model evaluation, or domain-specific reasoning. We handle onboarding, compliance, and ongoing support so you can focus on building a better model without operational hurdles.
Where are Athyna Intelligence researchers located?
We work with a curated network of researchers and advanced graduates across Brazil, Argentina, and all of LATAM. These specialists come from strong academic backgrounds in computer science, mathematics, engineering, NLP, and other fields that are essential for training high-quality AI systems.
What AI training tasks can Athyna researchers support?
Athyna talent can support a wide range of tasks, including data generation, annotation, model scoring, model evaluation, classification, reasoning benchmarks, prompt testing, and domain-specific tasks that require advanced knowledge. They can also support research-based workflows for more complex projects.
Why choose Latin American AI researchers?
LATAM offers high-performing talent with strong academic foundations, excellent English, and competitive rates. Teams benefit from real-time collaboration due to close time zones with the United States, along with a cultural match that makes communication and teamwork easy. Many LATAM professionals also bring deep domain knowledge across areas like biology, law, economics, physics, and linguistics — ideal for companies training AI in specialized fields.
Let's match you with the right talent
