During their time at Harvard Business School, where they were pursuing their MBAs, Colombian immigrants Stephanie Murra and Lorenza Vélez noticed a trend. Many of the workers in the cafeteria were Hispanic. Through conversations with these workers, a common challenge emerged: the difficulty that legally relocated Spanish-speaking individuals faced in finding their first jobs in the United States. The primary obstacle was the language barrier, as many did not speak English fluently or at all.

Murra shared with TechCrunch, “However, we also observed that the U.S. was experiencing an unprecedented labor shortage, particularly for positions typically filled by low-skilled immigrant workers. This realization led us to conclude that there was indeed a significant issue at hand.”

Murra and Vélez conducted further research, discovering that many potential employers relied on traditional job boards like Indeed, which were not designed with Hispanic immigrants in mind. These workers, often not proficient in English and unfamiliar with technology, typically found jobs through personal connections. Online applications and English-language interviews intimidated them, creating a significant barrier to employment.

This led to the inception of Ponte Labor. The duo, who had previously collaborated at Colombian fintech company Addi, founded the Miami-based company in April 2023, during their final semester at Harvard. Vélez explained, “Employers in hospitality, construction, retail, and other blue-collar industries struggle to fill hourly roles, while millions of work-authorized Hispanic immigrants face challenges in finding stable jobs due to language and cultural barriers.”

Vélez continued, “We understand where to find these workers, speak their language, and communicate with them via their preferred channel, WhatsApp. Therefore, we built Ponte to bridge this gap.” The founders claim that their hiring platform pre-vets, matches, and onboards legally authorized hourly workers more efficiently than traditional methods.

On the platform, workers are hired directly by employers, bypassing staffing agencies. This approach not only saves employers money but also provides them with a larger pool of potential employees. Conversely, workers gain access to job opportunities that would otherwise be difficult for them to access. Ponte exclusively works with documented immigrants, pre-vetting every candidate for legal work authorization before they reach an employer.

The startup has developed an in-house AI recruiter, which pre-vets candidates through WhatsApp and voice-based AI interviews. Currently, Ponte focuses on the hospitality industry but plans to expand into sectors such as construction or elder care in the future.

Fast Growth

Since Murra and Vélez formally launched the platform in November 2023, Ponte has experienced steady growth, onboarding over 60,000 candidates and placing nearly 800 workers in hospitality roles. The company’s annualized net revenue has grown from $70,000 in February 2024 to $550,000 today, although it is not yet profitable. The founders operate with high contribution margins, making their model more scalable, and have burned less than $1 million to date.

Ponte currently works with 14 employers, including Omni Hotels & Resorts and large hotel management companies like Pyramid Global, Peachtree Hotel Group, and Atrium Hospitality. The startup recently raised a $3 million seed round led by Harlem Capital at a $15 million valuation. Other participants in the financing included Better Tomorrow Ventures, The 81 Collection, and Wischoff Ventures. Previously, Ponte had raised $1.5 million from Better Tomorrow Ventures’ The Mint accelerator, NFX’s FAST Competition, and The 81 Collection.

Ponte’s revenue model is success-based, charging a monthly fee equivalent to 10% of a worker’s monthly salary for up to 12 months. If the worker leaves within the first month, the hotel pays nothing. The company presently has 15 full-time employees.

Because Ponte’s social media and recruiting channels are in Spanish, over 95% of its candidates are Hispanic immigrants, Murra noted. The startup also uses WhatsApp for recruitment and places ads on Facebook and Instagram. This focus has helped build deep trust with the community and tailor the approach to their specific needs. Although the tools are language-agnostic, they could be adapted to serve other immigrant communities in the future.

The startup has even supported native English speakers who found Ponte, which translates to “bridge” in Portuguese. Looking ahead, the founders’ goal is to create a platform that helps Hispanic immigrants in the U.S. achieve their professional goals, not just by finding entry-level jobs but also by facilitating growth within those roles.

Vélez emphasized, “We see one of the biggest opportunities in helping candidates learn English, as this is where they often get stuck between their current situation and getting a promotion for their next job.” Henri Pierre-Jacques, managing partner of Harlem Capital, has been tracking the founders since Ponte’s pre-seed days and believes their focus on Hispanic hospitality workers is a huge differentiator.

Pierre-Jacques stated, “I loved that Lorenza and Stephanie were former colleagues at Addi and then roommates at HBS together before starting Ponte. We received very positive references from customers who raved about their product. They have managed to see strong traction in little time. It was obvious that Stephanie and Lorenza could do a lot with very little.” He also acknowledged the power of WhatsApp within the Hispanic community and the founders understood the importance of integrating the recruiting workflow through WhatsApp to find workers.

Indeed, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, Hispanics accounted for nearly one-half, or 47.6%, of the foreign-born labor force in 2023 in the U.S. Pierre-Jacques said, “With talent marketplaces, we are always thinking about how our founders manage the supply side. We have seen the power of WhatsApp within this community, and Stephanie and Lorenza understood that integrating the recruiting workflow through WhatsApp was the best channel to find their workers.”