I didn’t quite get Andela’s model initially, then I realized it’s similar to residency training for doctors. In Nigeria, the pay gap between a resident doctor and a consultant is quite close unlike developed countries such as the US where a resident is paid about $55,000 per annum compared to about $300,000 when they become board certified.
So I guess Andela’s model is similar. It’s more of a training than a job. And it comes with acquiring field experience unlike classroom lectures.
Back to the OP
This is a common policy in paid internship and residency programs. It’s almost always there. Even though, practically, this cannot be enforced. For example, you can’t stop someone from working on a side project at home or during out-of-office hours.
Well, I don’t understand what you mean by “intellectual property” here. An idea is not yet an IP until it is bound by some legal framework (copyright, trademark or patent). If Andela is the one giving the legal backing to the idea, then I think the best option would be to share the IP or licence. It’s just like when you write a book and then bring in a professional writer as a co-author in order to attract a big publisher and the market. What I see most of the time is that the copyright is shared.
If you understand it as a training and not a job, you will see that it is similar to what happens when you drop out of school. Consider the $15K as your school fees which you won’t get back. That’s just how it works and I think it isn’t that difficult to find out why it is so.