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Meet Ponte Labor, a startup matching Hispanic immigrants to jobs using WhatsApp
- Stephanie Murra and Lorenza Vélez, Harvard Business School graduates, founded Ponte Labor to help Hispanic immigrants in the U.S. find jobs through their preferred channel, WhatsApp.
- Ponte Labor aims to bridge the gap between Hispanic immigrants and employers in the hospitality, construction, retail, and blue-collar industries by using a hiring platform that pre-vets, matches, and onboards workers efficiently.
- The startup pre-vets candidates for legal work authorization and connects them directly to employers, resulting in cost savings for businesses and better job opportunities for workers.
- Ponte Labor uses an AI recruiter that conducts WhatsApp and voice-based AI interviews, focusing on the hospitality industry but planning to expand into other sectors.
- Since its launch, Ponte Labor has grown rapidly, onboarding over 60,000 candidates and placing nearly 800 workers, with a significant increase in annualized revenue from $70,000 to $550,000.
- Ponte Labor recently raised a $3 million seed round led by Harlem Capital, with a revenue model based on charging a monthly fee equivalent to 10% of a worker's monthly salary.
- Focused on Hispanic immigrants, Ponte Labor's approach includes using Spanish-language social media and recruiting channels, achieving deep trust with the community.
- The startup aims to expand its services to other immigrant communities in the future while supporting candidates in achieving their professional goals, such as learning English for career advancement.
- Ponte Labor's success in the talent marketplace stems from its strategic use of WhatsApp to engage with the Hispanic community, where nearly half of the foreign-born labor force in the U.S. consists of Hispanics.
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