While working in their MBA at Harvard Business School, Colombian immigrants Stephanie Murra and Lorenza Vélez Noted that most workers in the cafeteria are Hispanic. In conversations with them, a theme usually continues to come: what it is difficult for people who are strongly moved to the US from Spanish speaking in the United States. It’s not good to speak English or all, bad, is the biggest challenge.

“But then we looked at the news and saw that the US actually faced a never before Lack to workespecially for these kinds of positions where you usually see bad immigrant workers, “Murra says techcrunch in an interview.” Yes, there is an issue here. ‘”

Room colleagues begin to research and know that many potential owners use traditional work boards as’ not meant for hispanic immigrants.

“These workers, mostly unable to speak English and are not good at technology, used to find jobs through friends,” he explained. Furthermore, they often confuse online applications and are afraid of someone’s idea of ​​interviewing them in English.

The idea for Ponte Lab was born. The Duo – who used to work two of the two years in Colombian Fintech Adon – Miami-based company was built on April 2023, during their last Semester at Harvard.

“The owners of hospitality, building, selling, and other blue-collar industries that fill hours immigrants due to hispanic principles due to hispanic principles found in strong jobs Due to the barriers of solid employment due to barriers of strong work due to barriers of strong jobs due to stabbing work because of the barriers firm because of the barriers of language and culture vélez.

“We know where workers find, say their language and talk to them through their desired channel, whatsapp. So we built a bridge this gap,” Vélez added.

The builders claim their hiring platform pre-vets, matches, and onboard legal allowed hours more patient workers. ”

Workers hired directly to owners rather than staff agencies, saying they cannot only save money on employees to choose. On the flip side, “Workers can access opportunities that are difficult for them to access if not,” Vélez added.

Ponte only works with documented immigrants: Each candidate is pre-wetted for permission to legal work before reaching an employer.

Builds the start of a recruiter at home that leads whatsapp candidates and voice-based adventers. Now, it only focuses on hospitality industry but plans to expand other sectors such as building or caring for the future.

Rapid growth

Ponte continued to grow because Murra and Vélez formally launched the platform on November 2023, over 60,000 candidates and placed almost 800 workers in hospitality roles. The annual net net we grow from $ 70,000 in February of 2024 to $ 550,000 today. It is not yet useful, but the pair says that they operate high contribution margins, so their model is more scalable. So far, they say they don’t burn at least $ 1 million.

Now, Ponte works 14 employees using its platform to rent workers, such as Omni management companies, as well as the Pyramid Global Comming, Peachtree Hotel Group, and Hospitality in Atrium.

Start recently grows a $ 3 million led by Harlem Capital to $ 15 million valuations, said exclusive techcrunch exclusively. Better tomorrow efforts, the 81 collections, and Wischoff’s efforts also participated in financing. Ponte previously increased another $ 1.5 million combined from better tomorrow’s efforts’ The Mint Accelerator, the rapid competition of NFX and 81 collections.

Company income model is success based. Ponte accuses a monthly fee equal to 10% of a worker’s monthly salary up to 12 months. Because it’s a long turnover industry, when workers leave the first month, the hotel is free.

Currently, the start has 15 full-time employees.

Since Ponte’s social media channels are in Spain, over 95% of its candidates hispanic immigrants, found murra. Besides using WhatsApp, it also places ads on Facebook and Instagram.

“Focusing on us to build deep confidence in the community and adapt our way to their specific needs,” he said. “But we build tools of language and adapt easily to serving other immigrant communities, including Portuguese-speaking Portuguese.”

And, he added that the Startup even supported native English seeing Ponte, named Portuguese meaning “Bridge.”

In view ahead, builders say Ponte’s purpose is to “make a place to help USPanic immigrants achieve their professional goals.”

“So it’s not just helping them find the job at the entry level. We also want to help them grow within jobs,” says Vélez. “We see one of the greatest opportunities to help candidates learn English, because where they hit between where they are now and get a promotion for their next job.”

Henri Pierre-Jacques, who conducted a capital spouse in Harlem, said he traced the founders from pre-seed Ponte seeds.

“I like Lorenza and Stephanie were once friends with the addi … and then the roommates of the HBS room together before Ponte began,” he told Techcrunch. “We have received positive references from customers who develop their product. They can see strong traction in a little while. There is so much to have too much.”

Pierre-jacques also believes that Ponte’s focus on Hispanic hospitality workers is “a great degradation.”

In fact, Hispanics considered in nearly one halfor 47.6%, of foreign-born labor force in 2023 in the US, according to the US Department of Labor.

“With talent markets we often think about how our builders handles in the supply,” he said. “We saw whatsapp power inside this community and Stephane and Lorenza who was understood together with recruiting workflow by whatsapp is the best channel to find their workers.”