Alma co-founder had such a bad immigration experience she founded a legal AI startup to fix it
When Aizada Marat moved from New York to California in
2018 with her husband, KODIF co-founder and CEO Chyngyz Dzhumanazarov, she
faced a grueling immigration experience that would ultimately inspire her to
create Alma, an AI-powered legal tech startup. Marat's journey underscores the
complexities of the immigration process and highlights the need for innovative
solutions in legal services.
Aizada
Marat's Journey
Born in Kyrgyzstan, Aizada Marat came to the United
States at the age of 17 through the FLEX (Future Leaders Exchange) program
sponsored by the U.S. State Department. After graduating from Harvard, she
moved to London due to immigration issues. In 2018, Marat relocated to
California when her husband was admitted to Stanford Business School, and she
accepted a job offer at the prestigious law firm Cooley.
The
Immigration Ordeal
Upon moving to California, Marat needed to sort out
her immigration status. Through a Google search, she found an immigration
lawyer in Palo Alto. Unfortunately, the lawyer provided incorrect advice on
when she could file for work authorization, resulting in Marat being unable to
work for over a year and unable to leave the country.
Impact
on Career
The delay in work authorization had significant
repercussions for Marat. Despite having a job offer from Cooley, she was unable
to start working due to the visa complications. This experience was not only
frustrating but also detrimental to her career progression.
Igniting
the Entrepreneurial Spirit
Marat's ordeal with the immigration process ignited an
entrepreneurial fire within her. After eventually working at Cooley for three
years and then transitioning to McKinsey as a management consultant, she
couldn't shake the memory of her immigration struggles. This led her to think
about why immigration legal services were often of poorer quality and how they
could be improved.
Understanding
the Legal Market
Marat discovered that immigration law is highly
fragmented, with 10% of the market dominated by a single law firm while the
remaining 90% is shared among over 20,000 firms. This fragmentation often
results in inconsistent and inadequate legal services for individuals
navigating the immigration process.
The
Birth of Alma
Determined to address these issues, Marat set out to
create a company that would develop software to help immigration attorneys
deliver better services. After four to five months of selling this software to
five immigration law firms, she and her team decided to provide immigration
services directly. In October 2023, Alma was launched, co-founded by Marat
along with other immigrants, including former Uber engineering manager Shuo
Chen and former Step product manager Assel Tuleubayeva.
Alma's
Mission and Services
Alma aims to simplify the visa process for
technologists, founders, and researchers by offering personal legal advisors,
expediting document processing, and digitally organizing the entire process.
Like other companies in this space, such as Migrun, Boundless, and Lawfully,
Alma seeks to fast-track international talent into America’s tech ecosystem.
Leveraging
AI and Technology
Alma sets itself apart by leveraging proprietary
technology to provide high-quality services faster than its competitors. The
startup employs its own immigration attorneys and uses AI to automate
repetitive tasks, allowing lawyers to focus on creating effective strategies
for their clients.
High-Quality
Immigration Services
Marat believes that immigrants deserve high-quality
services because so much depends on the immigration attorney they choose. By
automating mundane tasks, Alma enables lawyers to provide better strategies and
achieve higher approval rates for their clients' visa applications.
Funding
and Support
Alma has raised $5.1 million in combined seed and
pre-seed funding, with backing from notable investors such as Bling Capital,
Forerunner, Village Global, NFX, Conviction, MVP, NEA, and Silkroad Innovation
Hub. This funding will primarily be used to hire new talent for product and
technology development.
Future
Prospects
Looking ahead, Alma plans to continue developing its
product and technology to further improve immigration services. The company's
vision is to create a seamless and efficient immigration process that benefits
both clients and attorneys.
Alma's
Impact on the Tech Ecosystem
By fast-tracking international talent into America's
tech scene, Alma is contributing to the growth and innovation of the tech
industry. The startup's efforts ensure that talented individuals from around
the world can easily integrate into the U.S. tech ecosystem.
Aizada Marat's journey from a challenging immigration
experience to founding Alma highlights the critical need for better immigration
services. Alma's mission to simplify and improve the immigration process
through AI and technology is a testament to the potential for innovation in
legal services. As Alma continues to grow, it aims to make a lasting impact on
the immigration landscape and support the integration of international talent
into the tech industry.
Editor’s Notes:
Aizada Marat's challenging immigration experience and
the poor quality of legal services she encountered inspired her to create Alma,
aiming to improve the immigration process for others.
Alma leverages proprietary technology to provide
faster, high-quality immigration services and employs its own immigration
attorneys to ensure accuracy and effectiveness.
Alma simplifies the visa process by offering personal
legal advisors, expediting document processing, and digitally organizing the
entire immigration process.
Alma uses AI to automate repetitive and mundane tasks,
allowing immigration attorneys to focus on creating effective strategies for
their clients, leading to higher approval rates.
Alma plans to continue developing its product and
technology to enhance its services, aiming to create a seamless and efficient
immigration process that benefits both clients and attorneys.
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