Roommates Turned Startup Founders Nab $3 Million For Hispanic Immigrant Job Platform

According to Trading Economics, the U.S. unemployment rate rose to 4.1% in February 2025, up from 4.0% in January, slightly exceeding market expectations of 4.0%.
The U.S. job market for Hispanic immigrants is shaped by a mix of opportunities and challenges, influenced by factors such as immigration status, education, skills, and geographic location. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of employed Hispanics in the country increased from 17.4 million in 2003 to 30.3 million in 2023, marking a 75% growth. This rate surpasses the 9% growth observed in the non-Hispanic workforce during the same period.
Hispanics continue to be a vital component of the national workforce, primarily contributing to service industries such as hospitality, healthcare, and construction.

According to a report by UCLA’s Latino Policy and Politics Institute, as job responsibilities increasingly require technical and analytical skills, Latino workers face substantial obstacles. These workers often lack digital literacy, English language proficiency, and the necessary skills to succeed.

From Cafeteria Conversations to Startup Success

Two young women of Colombian origin, Stephanie Murra Nader and Lorenza Vélez, were quick to realize this problem when they noticed too many service staff at Harvard Business School’s cafeteria were struggling to find jobs, even amid the U.S. labor shortage.
They were classmates and roommates at Harvard, and former colleagues at Colombian fintech company Addi. However, it was during casual conversations with the predominantly Hispanic cafeteria staff that they discovered a significant issue: people with work permits were eager to find employment but faced numerous obstacles, particularly if they didn’t speak English.

Many of them did not speak English and were not technologically proficient enough to land a job in this competitive market.
In an interview with TechCrunch, they said, “These workers, many of whom don’t speak English and are not really good with technology, are used to finding jobs through friends.” Further, they are often confused by online applications and get intimidated by the idea of someone interviewing them in English.”

WhatsApp Meets AI

They were intelligent and enterprising enough to recognize that the labor shortage in the U.S. coincided with a surge of Hispanic immigrants desperately seeking employment, even if it meant being exploited as low-skilled, low-wage laborers.
Hence, the roommates-turned-business partners launched the Miami-based startup Ponte Labor in 2023, engaging a powerful tool that’s used worldwide for communication: WhatsApp.
They wanted to expand the use of WhatsApp beyond informal communication and incorporate it into their business to help people find jobs.
To this, co-founder Lorenza Vélez added, “We know where to find the workers, speak their language, and communicate with them via their preferred channel, WhatsApp. So we built Ponte to bridge this gap.”

The company has successfully placed close to 800 candidates in jobs and onboarded over 60,000 since its launch in 2023. Within a few months, from February 2024, its annualized net revenue witnessed a significant increase, jumping from $70,000 to $550,000.

They achieved more than just connecting job seekers with employers; they built trust, communication, and a willingness to contribute to the growth of these immigrants. They weren’t simply focused on revenue or clients.
They have leveraged not just WhatsApp, but also artificial intelligence (AI) into their platform.
It uses AI algorithms to match job seekers with relevant employment opportunities more effectively.
By analyzing factors such as a worker’s skills, experience, and job preferences, the platform can identify the best job matches, making the process faster and more accurate.
The AI helps filter out irrelevant job postings and ensures that candidates are presented with opportunities that align with their qualifications.
An employer can post a job in less than 3 minutes, after which the platform ensures candidates are interested in the job, have a great attitude, and meet the requirements of the hiring company.
Ponte only uses pre-vetted, documented immigrants with legal work authorization and connects them with employers, mostly in the hospitality industry. Even though they have major hospitality employers like Hyatt Centric and Atrium Hospitality in their portfolio, they are planning to expand into other industries in the near future.

Their success and drive to bring positive change to the Hispanic community in the U.S. has caught the attention of substantial investors, as they have raised a $3 million seed round led by Harlem Capital at a $15 million valuation. The round also saw participation from Better Tomorrow Ventures, The 81 Collection, and Wischoff Ventures. The company had previously raised $1.5 million through accelerator programs and early-stage competitions.
“From day one, Ponte stood out as a clear solution to an urgent problem,” adds Jake Gibson, Partner at Better Tomorrow Ventures. “Their deep understanding of the community they serve, paired with their innovative approach, made backing Ponte a very easy decision.”
In an interview with TechCrunch, the founders made it clear that the hotel will pay Ponte a monthly fee equal to 10% of the worker’s monthly salary for a maximum period of 12 months. However, due to high turnover in the industry, if the worker leaves during the first month, the hotel will not incur any charges.

A Vision Beyond Jobs

Ponte’s team made it a point to use the Spanish language on both their website and social media pages in order to help the immigrant users navigate, while also providing the same benefits to native English speakers.
With the support of investors, Ponte is scaling rapidly to tackle the labor shortage nationwide.
Ponte Labor’s founders are clear about their vision: “We’re not just building a platform,” says Stephanie Murra. “We’re creating a company that helps Hispanic immigrants achieve their professional aspirations. Today, our focus is on entry-level jobs, but our vision is to support workers as they advance and thrive.”