“A digital Ellis Island.” That’s what Amir Hemmat, co-founder and CEO of Welcome Tech, set out to build when he made the company in 2010.
Hemmat, a son of immigrant parents, said he saw a community of people who were trying to participate fully in society, but were left behind by service providers that were “really horrible” at reaching them.
“[Immigrants have] never really had a formal onboarding integration support platform,” Hemmat told Healthcare Brew. “The government’s very focused on security and citizenship, but nobody’s really providing a platform with the everyday services that our immigrant communities need.”
That’s why Hemmat said he started Welcome Tech, which offers healthcare, financial, and educational services and resources to immigrants via an online hub called SaberEsPoder. Welcome Tech has framed its offerings as a discount program because immigrants often experience issues finding health insurance and encounter language barriers while receiving care.
The program brings together a “historically fragmented consumer segment” to have more leverage and buying power by offering its millions of members access, he added.
Welcome Tech has raised over $70 million in funding so far, including investment from firms SoftBank, Owl Ventures, and TTV Capital. While the company has been around for nearly 15 years, it has seen significant growth as of late, with its subscriber base increasing 15x between 2021 and 2023 to over 4 million, according to a statement. Hemmat credits this to the rise in the immigrant population overall—and therefore, the need for support—as well as Welcome Tech’s capital investments to promote the platform.
How it works. According to the company’s website, Welcome Tech provides free informational resources on health, finance, education, and law, and there is an additional paid subscription model that gives members access to more services, such as securing healthcare appointments.
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This healthcare subscription offering is $17–$35/month, and it unlocks discounted access to telehealth, vision, dental care, mental health care, low-cost prescriptions, and diagnostic testing in both English and Spanish.
Hemmat said members have been able to take their children to the dentist for the first time, and people of varying ages have been able to get appointments for mental health services in English and Spanish.
“Most of these service providers don’t come across companies or employers who have 4.5million community members available to them. And because of that, they are willing to give us concessions on a lot of key things that normally aren’t available in healthcare—one being price,” he said.
The company also offers financial services to its members—a banking platform through a partnership with Thread Bank—which gives them access to financial services and financial literacy content without a Social Security number. The service helps members do a number of banking activities, from starting a small business to finding a mortgage, according to the company.
Welcome Tech is currently focused on assisting Spanish-speaking immigrants, but Hemmat said he plans to expand to more languages using artificial intelligence.
“Both to service those immigrants and their families in the way that they deserve, as well as for our own nation’s success, it would seem that this platform needs to exist,” Hemmat said. “That’s what motivates me.”