Los Angeles–based startup Welcome Tech known as the “digital Ellis Island,” has raised $7.5 million, bringing its total funding to $80.5 million across four rounds.
The new round, led by TTV Capital, Mubadala Capital, Westbound Equity Partners, CityRock Ventures Partners, Next Legacy Partners, and BTN Ventures, will be used to accelerate the company’s proprietary AI infrastructure and expand employer partnerships in labor-strained industries.
“This new funding positions us to reach profitability, scale partnerships, and deliver digital-first solutions that unlock economic access for the immigrant workforce that powers our country,” said Amir Hemmat, co-founder and CEO.
The raise follows a year of rapid momentum. In the past 12 months, Welcome Tech tripled its enterprise partnerships, logged 200% year-over-year revenue growth in its subscription business, and grew to 4.5 million registered users.
The company’s $25/month Healthcare Plus subscription now offers immigrants and their families affordable access to telemedicine, dental, vision, prescriptions, and even pet care.
Founders with immigrant roots
Hemmat and his co-founder Raúl Lomelí-Azoubel are both children of immigrants.
Before launching Welcome Tech, they spent two decades working with immigrant communities and building businesses focused on historically underserved populations.
“The exhausting and intimidating processes immigrants face in the U.S. shaped our mission,” Hemmat said.
Lomelí-Azoubel’s parents worked the fields to give their children opportunities they never had.
“They told us that high school wasn’t going to be enough,” he said. “Working the fields was never degrading, but they wanted us to have options. For me, that idea has been the greatest equalizer in life. I try to teach my children that same idea now.”
Education has also been central to Welcome Tech’s growth strategy. “One way we’ve outpaced others on user acquisition is by taking a bet on education when nobody else would,” Hemmat said.
Welcome Tech began as a financial platform for the Hispanic market — a community of 68 million, nearly 20% of the U.S. population, with $2.7 trillion in buying power.
Hemmat says the product has been “a game changer,” and its success with Hispanic households is now driving the company’s expansion to all immigrant communities, offering an alternative to traditional banks.
Building the “digital Ellis Island”
Hemmat describes the company’s vision as “the digital Ellis Island — for the modern immigrant journey.” That includes not only healthcare but also financial products tailored to those excluded from mainstream banking.
“To access our debit card, consumers don’t need a Social Security number and there are no maintenance fees,” Hemmat said.
The new funding round comes at a pivotal time. According to the Pew Research Center, by mid-2025 deportations and departures triggered a decline of almost 1.5 million immigrants — the sharpest drop since the 1960s.
Against that backdrop, Welcome Tech sees its role as providing economic access and a trusted digital entry point for immigrant families.
“Immigrants are our country’s greatest asset,” Hemmat said. “Our job is to build the infrastructure that unlocks their potential.”
