While pursuing their MBAs at Harvard Business School, Colombian immigrants Stephanie Murra and Lorenza Vélez noticed that most cafeteria workers were Hispanic. Through conversations, they repeatedly heard about the struggles of legally immigrated Spanish-speaking individuals trying to find their first jobs in the U.S. The biggest challenge? Limited or no English proficiency.
“But then we saw reports about a severe U.S. labor shortage. Epecially in industries that traditionally rely on low-skilled immigrant workers,” Murra said. “That’s when we realized—there’s a clear gap that needs to be addressed.”
The duo began researching and discovered that many employers used job platforms like Indeed, which weren’t designed for Hispanic immigrants. “These workers, many of whom struggle with English and technology, rely on word-of-mouth to find jobs,” Murra explained. Online applications were confusing, and English-language interviews felt intimidating.
This insight led to the creation of Ponte Labor, a Miami-based startup founded in April 2023, during their final semester at Harvard. Vélez explained that industries like hospitality, construction, and retail face hiring challenges, while millions of work-authorized Hispanic immigrants struggle to secure stable jobs due to language and cultural barriers. “We know where to find these workers, speak their language, and engage with them on their preferred platform—WhatsApp. So we built Ponte Labor to bridge the gap.”
Ponte Labor’s platform pre-vets, matches, and onboards legally authorized hourly workers more efficiently than traditional hiring methods. Instead of relying on staffing agencies. Workers are hired directly by employers, which saves companies money and provides them access to a larger talent pool. On the other hand, immigrant job seekers gain access to opportunities they would otherwise struggle to find. To ensure compliance, Ponte only works with documented immigrants, pre-vetting every candidate’s work authorization before presenting them to employers.
The startup has developed an AI recruiter that conducts WhatsApp-based pre-vetting and voice AI interviews to assess candidates. Currently, Ponte Labor focuses on the hospitality sector but plans to expand into industries like construction and elder care in the future.
Since its official launch in November 2023, Ponte Labor has seen rapid growth, onboarding over 60,000 candidates and placing nearly 800 workers in hospitality roles. Its annualized net revenue has surged from $70,000 in February 2024 to $550,000. While the company isn’t yet profitable, the founders emphasize high contribution margins, making their model highly scalable. To date, they’ve burned less than $1 million.
Currently, 14 employers use Ponte’s platform for hiring, including major companies like Omni Hotels & Resorts, Pyramid Global, Peachtree Hotel Group, and Atrium Hospitality. The startup recently raised a $3 million seed round led by Harlem Capital, valuing the company at $15 million. Other investors include Better Tomorrow Ventures, The 81 Collection, and Wischoff Ventures. The company’s revenue model is success-based, charging employers 10% of a worker’s monthly salary for up to 12 months. However, since the industry experiences high turnover, if a worker leaves within the first month, the employer pays nothing.
With social media and recruitment efforts entirely in Spanish, over 95% of Ponte’s candidates are Hispanic immigrants. The company primarily recruits through WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram, fostering deep trust within the community. However, Murra emphasized that their technology is language-agnostic, meaning it could easily be adapted for other immigrant communities, such as Portuguese-speaking Brazilians. Interestingly, some native English speakers have also found work through Ponte. The company’s name, “Ponte,” comes from the Portuguese word for “bridge.”
The founders envision Ponte Labor as more than just a hiring platform—they want to help Hispanic immigrants advance their careers. “It’s not just about securing an entry-level job,” Vélez explained. “We want to help them grow in their roles.” One of the biggest challenges for immigrant workers is learning English, which often stands between them and career advancement. “That’s why we see a huge opportunity in helping workers learn English, which can unlock promotions and higher-paying jobs,” Vélez added.
Henri Pierre-Jacques, managing partner at Harlem Capital, has followed Ponte Labor since its pre-seed stage. “I was drawn to Stephanie and Lorenza because they were former colleagues at Addi and later roommates at Harvard Business School before launching Ponte,” he said . “Customer references were overwhelmingly positive, and their early traction was impressive. It was clear that they could do a lot with very little.”
Pierre-Jacques also sees Ponte’s laser focus on Hispanic hospitality workers as a major competitive advantage. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Hispanics made up nearly 47.6% of the foreign-born labor force in 2023. “For talent marketplaces, the key is managing the supply side effectively,” Pierre-Jacques said. “WhatsApp has huge adoption within the Hispanic community, and Ponte’s WhatsApp-driven recruitment model is a game-changer.”
Ponte Labor is tackling a critical gap in the labor market, connecting legally authorized Hispanic immigrants with employers in need of workers. By leveraging AI, WhatsApp, and an immigrant-friendly hiring process, Ponte Labor is reshaping job placement for blue-collar industries—and its rapid growth suggests it’s just getting started.
