Welcome Tech provides healthcare, financial services to 4 million immigrants

“Digital Ellis Island.” That’s what Amir Hemmat, co-founder and CEO of Welcome Tech, set out to build when he founded the company in 2010.

Hemmat, the son of immigrant parents, said he saw a community of people trying to fully participate in society, only to be left behind by service providers who were “too scared” to reach out to them.

“[Immigrants have] never had a support platform for boarding connections,” Hemmat told Healthcare Brew. “The government is very focused on security and citizenship, but no one is really providing a platform with the everyday services that our immigrant community needs.”

That’s why Hemmat said he started Welcome Tech, which provides health, financial, and education services and tools to immigrants through a website called SaberEsPoder. Welcome Tech has created its offerings as a discount program because immigrants often have problems obtaining health insurance and encounter language barriers while receiving care.

The program unites a “historically fragmented consumer segment” with power and purchasing power by giving millions of its members access, he added.

Welcome Tech has raised more than $70 million in funding to date, including investments from firms SoftBank, Owl Ventures, and TTV Capital. Although the company has been around for 15 years, it has seen significant growth as of late, with its users increasing 15x between 2021 and 2023 to 4 million, according to a statement . Hemmat attributes this to the increase in the number of immigrants in general — and therefore, the need for support — as well as Welcome Tech’s financial investment to develop the platform.

How it works. According to the company’s website, Welcome Tech offers free information resources on health, finance, education and law, and there is a paid subscription option that allows members to access other services, such as access to health care contracts.

This health care subscription is $17–$35/month, and unlocks discounted access to phone, vision, dental care, mental health care, low-cost prescriptions, and screenings. of the test in English and Spanish.

Hemmat said members were able to take their children to the dentist for the first time, and people of all ages were able to get appointments for mental health services in English and Spanish.

“Many of these service providers are not affiliated with companies or employers with 4.5 million members of the public. As a result, they are willing to give us access to many important things that are not normally available in the care of health – the other is the price,” he said.

The company also provides financial services to its members-a banking platform in collaboration with Thread Bank-which gives them access to financial services and financial information without a Social Security number. The community. The service helps members perform a number of banking tasks, from starting a small business to getting a mortgage, according to the company.

Welcome Tech is currently focused on helping Spanish-speaking immigrants, but Hemmat said he plans to expand into more languages ​​using artificial intelligence.

“To serve immigrants and their families in the way they deserve, as well as the prosperity of our community, it would seem that this platform must exist,” said Hemmat. That’s what motivates me.