Bridge U.S. Immigration Startup Raises $800k Seed Round Investment
San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) March 26, 2014 -- Today, millions of people and businesses struggle to navigate the complex and outdated U.S. immigration system. Bridge U.S. is an innovative technology platform that aims to revolutionize this process by enabling individuals and businesses to instantly discover their immigration options, accurately complete their applications, and easily manage their status over time.
“Our mission at Bridge U.S. is to empower people to build a better life in this country,” says Romish Badani, CEO. “Immigrating to the U.S. is an incredible opportunity, but too often the obstacles involved in the process make these opportunities unachievable. By democratizing access to high quality information and legal services, we put the power back in the hands of hard-working people looking to live their own American Dream.”
Bridge U.S. – founded by Romish Badani and Forrest Blount – offers a simple Turbotax-like interface that helps users understand which – out of the hundreds of potential paths through the U.S. immigration system – are available, based on each the user’s unique circumstances.
Depending on these results, a range of services are available to help users complete their applications, including everything from guided “do it yourself” tools to affordable legal representation offered by professional immigration lawyers. The company is able to provide legal services at unprecedented rates because its technology streamlines the process, automatically completing required government forms and helping to organize other required documents. This saves lawyers time and minimizes the stress and hassle placed on users.
In the words of Blount, “Immigration applicants today are forced to choose between quality and affordability when seeking help. We make it possible to have both.”
The promise this program holds has led to a successful $800,000 seed round investment from a number of tech industry heavy-hitters, including 500 Startups, Ulu Ventures (whose founder Miriam Rivera grew Google’s legal team from 2 employees to over 150), Mike Levinthal (a venture capitalist who spent 20 years with the Mayfield Fund), Dan Siciliano (founder of immigration case management company LawLogix), Paul English (founder of Kayak.com, which sold to Priceline for $1.5B), Dave Baggett (founder of ITA Software, which sold to Google for $700M) and Munjal Shah (the founder of Like.com, which sold to Google). Additional investors include a range of immigration law experts, civic leaders, and serial entrepreneurs.
“We are pleased that so many notable investors are committed to addressing the problems that exist for those trying to immigrate to the United States,” says Badani. “It’s no secret that our immigration laws are broken, and immigration reform is a critical issue being discussed in Washington. But there’s another massive problem that’s being ignored – the complex and expensive immigration process. The world deserves a better solution and Bridge U.S. has created it.”
Bridge U.S. anticipates a launch date of April 1st 2014, at which time its groundbreaking software will be available to help guide both individuals and businesses through the complicated immigration process. Interested parties should follow Bridge.US for updates or reach out to Sujan Patel, Bridge U.S. Chief Marketing Officer for more information.
Sujan Patel, Bridge U.S., http://www.bridge.us, +1 415-515-7670, [email protected]
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