A Seattle startup that helps companies apply for visas on behalf of international talent announced a $10 million investment round Wednesday. Legalpad says it will use the funding to continue connecting talent from around the world with U.S. employers.
Amplo, the Texas-based venture capital firm, led the round with participation from Global Founders Capital, 8VC, Liquid 2 Ventures, Tekton Ventures, Gaingels, Collate Capital, and angel investors.
Legalpad helps American businesses automate and simplify the process of submitting work visa applications on behalf of foreign-born employees. It’s a similar product to Seattle-based Boundless but Legalpad focuses on companies rather than individuals navigating the immigration process.
“Inspiration hit when I saw that the work visa process exhibits all the three indicators of an institution that is ripe for drastic change,” Heine said in a 2018 profile on GeekWire. “First — immigrants, businesses, lawyers and the government are all very unhappy with the current work visa process. Second — the industry’s technology is decades behind. And third — stakeholders feel relatively powerless. Throw in a massive market size, and we had ourselves a business!”
Before taking the entrepreneurial plunge, Heine worked as an attorney advising businesses on cross-border employment, tax, immigration, and corporate law.
Legalpad is a Techstars grad, participating in the 2018 class of startups.
