A new startup out of Miami is taking a refreshingly direct approach to an age-old problem: getting a reliable job in a system that feels designed to keep you out, especially if you're an immigrant.
For many Hispanic immigrants in the U.S., landing a job can feel like a game of jumping over many hurdles, from language gaps to confusing apps to digital barriers that can be hard to break down, even with legal work authorization in hand.
That's the gap Ponte strives to close. Founded by two Colombian entrepreneurs, the platform is using AI and WhatsApp to make job hunting more accessible for Spanish-speaking immigrants in the U.S., and according to IBTimes, it just raised $3 million to take things to the next level.
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Ponte Meets Workers Where They Are
Stephanie Murra and Lorenza Vélez launched Ponte in April 2023 after discovering how underprepared the U.S. labor system was when it came to supporting low-skilled Hispanic immigrants.
Instead of trying to change user behavior, Ponte meets its audience where they already are: on WhatsApp. As the messaging platform is very popular among the Hispanic community, the startup leveraged it to establish a direct line of communication between employers and job seekers in sectors such as hospitality, construction, and retail.
Their approach to bringing in new users largely consists of Facebook and Instagram ads, resulting in a user-base that is 95% Hispanic and more than 60,000 jobseekers strong, who are actual people searching for a job with a system that is known to and accessible by them.
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Ponte doesn't function as an employer or take off the top of what workers make. Instead, companies pay a monthly charge of 10% of the employee's salary, but only after the worker has stayed in the job for 30 days.
Tech That Speaks People’s Language
When it comes to employees, Ponte is delivering better ones for the roles advertised. Applicants are pre-screened through voice-based AI interviews, and their work authorization verified, which decreases the burden on HR departments and ensures a better fit from the outset.
Vélez last week shared with TechCrunch how the app helps businesses: “Employers in hospitality, construction, retail, and other blue-collar industries are facing a needless labor shortage. Ponte gives them access to a vast, often overlooked talent pool and a streamlined hiring process that eliminates the inefficiencies of traditional recruitment. 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.”
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Companies such as Omni Hotels & Resorts, Peachtree Hotel Group and Atrium Hospitality are already signing on, and because Ponte provides money-back guarantees in cases of a hire that doesn't work out, the employers are taking very little risk.
Fuel for Expansion
Backed by a team of 15 and 800 successful job placements so far, Ponte's pathway is on an upward trajectory. The startup's annual revenue went from $70,000 in February 2024 to over $550,000, while operating costs stayed under $1 million.
After raising a $3 million funding round led by Harlem Capital and joined by Better Tomorrow Ventures, The 81 Collection, and NFX's FAST Competition, the team intends to scale up quickly, operating at a current valuation of $15 million.
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