Immigration Tech & Marketing - The GMI Rocket Show - Hosted by Roman Zelichenko.

By GMI RocketTechnology

Immigration Tech & Marketing - The GMI Rocket Show - Hosted by Roman Zelichenko. episodes

June 06, 2023Sergio Torres, CEO, Alvva: FinTech helping immigrants pay immigration fees
For episode 71, we have Sergio Torres, Co-Founder & CEO at Alvva, a FinTech startup helping immigrants pay for their immigration applications!
What’s really interesting about Alvva is that it enables immigrants to pay for their immigration applications while also helping them build their credit at the same time, which is important because traditional financing options are often unavailable to immigrants.
As for Sergio, he was born and grew up in San Diego, and spend his life going back and forth across the US / Mexico border.
His father was born in the US, and his mother was born in Mexico, so he experienced many of the challenges immigrants face when moving to and settling in a new country.
After a long career in the financial services industry, he married his professional experience with his personal family immigration experience to launch Alvva.
So, here’s what Sergio and I are going to be talking about:
Sergio’s personal immigration story from Mexico to the US

How Sergio got into financial services and what he learned over 15 years in the industry

How the idea for Alvva came about, and Sergio’s first steps

How Alvva works, where the company is today and where it’s going

Sergio’s thoughts on how technology can help immigrants
And more!
So please join us, ask questions and leave comments!
#immigration #globalmobility #immigrationlaw #immigrants #migration
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Check out Alvva here: https://www.alvva.co/en
Connect with Sergio here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/srgtorres/
Digital marketing for immigration & global mobility at GMI Rocket: https://gmirocket.com/
Digitize your LCA posting and PAF process with LaborLess: https://laborless.io/
Connect with Roman Zelichenko on LinkedIn! https://www.linkedin.com/in/romanzelichenko-electronic-lca-posting-public-access-file/
57 min
June 03, 2023Davide Lionetti, Co-founder, Visafy: Italian immigration & visa technology
We are heading to Italy for episode 70 to chat with Davide Lionetti, co-founder of Visafy!
What I really love about Davide’s story, and indeed the story of Visafy, is that it’s a family business.
Visafy is co-founded by Davide and his father Angelo Lionetti, and it’s the tech-savvy version of a business that Davide’s father, Angelo, has been running for years, helping individuals coming to Italy with consular interviews and visa applications.
The reality is that immigration differs from country to country, and in my view, the best immigration tech solutions will come from those who have experience doing the process manually ON THE GROUND in that country.
As for Davide, he studied international business in Paris, New York and Germany, and worked in marketing and accounting before joining his father and co-founding Visafy.
So, here’s what Davide and I will be discussing:
Davide’s early life and experience studying in multiple countries

How his father got into the immigration industry before launching Visafy

What led Davide and his father to launch a tech-enabled Italian visa service

What Visafy does today and how it works today

Davide’s vision for Visafy going forward and thoughts on travel picking back up post-COVID
And more!
So please join us, ask questions and leave comments!
#immigration #globalmobility #immigrationlaw #italytravel #migration
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Check out Visafy here: https://visafy.it/
Connect with Davide here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidelionetti/
Digital marketing for immigration & global mobility at GMI Rocket: https://gmirocket.com/
Digitize your LCA posting and PAF process with LaborLess: https://laborless.io/
Connect with Roman Zelichenko on LinkedIn! https://www.linkedin.com/in/romanzelichenko-electronic-lca-posting-public-access-file/
1 hr 12 min
May 30, 2023Danish Soomro, CEO, Visadb.io: access to global experts for global citizens
On episode 69 we have Danish Soomro, Founder and CEO of Visadb.io. - a platform that connects digital nomads and companies with visa and other experts around the world.
Pulled directly from the company’s website, “Visadb.io makes immigration & cross-border business simple for global companies and citizens.” Visadb.io offers online access to verified immigration, tax and company formation experts from over 100 countries.
Before starting visadb.io, Danish already had an entrepreneurial streak - he built Digital Nomads Nation, an online community of over 148,000 digital nomads, and videoHIRE, which helped companies use video to recruit more workers.
Prior to that, Danish was part of multiple entrepreneurship programs in Poland and Chile too.
Danish is also an avid traveler and digital nomad himself, and has lived and worked all over the world.
So, here’s what Danish and I will be discussing:
Danish’s back story and early life

How Danish’s early jobs took him from Nevada to the UK, to Canada and beyond

How Danish came up with the idea for Visadb.io, and getting into tech accelerators

What Visadb.io does today and how it works

Danish’s vision for Visadb.io and thoughts on immigration tech in a post-COVID world
And more!
So please join us, ask questions and leave comments!
#immigration #globalmobility #immigrationlaw #workfromanywhere #digitalnomad
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Check out Visadb.io here: https://visadb.io/
Connect with Danish here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danishsoomro/
Digital marketing for immigration & global mobility at GMI Rocket: https://gmirocket.com/
Digitize your LCA posting and PAF process with LaborLess: https://laborless.io/
Connect with Roman Zelichenko on LinkedIn! https://www.linkedin.com/in/romanzelichenko-electronic-lca-posting-public-access-file/
1 hr 9 min
May 28, 2023Manpreet Dhami, Managing Director, Newland Chase: ImmiSMART - big firm tech
We’re back with episode 68 of the GMI Rocket Show with Manpreet Dhami, Managing Director of Immigration Services at Newland Chase, who also oversees their immigration technology product, ImmiSMART.
Manpreet started her career in the immigration space nearly two decades ago at a corporate immigration company called Emigra (which was actually acquired by CIBT in 2021).
She then went on to work at a smaller relocation company called Packimpex for a few years and then global mobility giant BGRS before coming back to Newland Chase in 2021, in the midst of the COVID-19 global pandemic.
As one of the world’s largest immigration providers, Newland Chase, which is owned by parent company CIBT, has an in-house immigration tech solution that it provides to clients called ImmiSMART.
While Newland Chase is not traditionally thought of an immigration tech company, its technology is worth exploring.
So, here’s what Manpreet and I will be discussing:
Manpreet’s family’s immigration journey to the UK

Manpreet’s early days and why she got into immigration with Emigra

Manpreet’s journey back to Newland Chase, and the Emigra acquisition by CIBT

Newland Chase’s ImmiSMART platform, what it does and how it works

Manpreet’s broader thoughts on tech in immigration today and in the future
And more!
So please join us, ask questions and leave comments!
#immigration #globalmobility #immigrationlaw #migration #relocation
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Check out the Newland Chase and ImmiSMART here: https://newlandchase.com/our-technolo...
Connect with Manpreet here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manpreet-dhami-9717811/
Digital marketing for immigration & global mobility at GMI Rocket: https://gmirocket.com/
Digitize your LCA posting and PAF process with LaborLess: https://laborless.io/
Connect with Roman Zelichenko on LinkedIn! https://www.linkedin.com/in/romanzelichenko-electronic-lca-posting-public-access-file/
1 hr 11 min
May 26, 2023Priyank Singh, Co-founder, Stilt: FinTech providing loans for immigrants
On episode 67 of the GMI Rocket Show, we’re talking to Priyank Singh, co-founder of Stilt, a FinTech startup that provides loans and banking services to immigrants and other underbanked communities.
Priyank first came to the US as an F-1 student in 2009 to study computer science at Columbia University. After graduating, he found a job and obtained his H-1B visa.
The process wasn’t easy, and most of all, having no family or support system here, everyday things were, at times, more challenging - like paying for rent, getting a car, etc.
Priyank actually met his eventual co-founder, Rohit Mittal, in grad school, but at first, they went their separate ways after graduating. Rohit to Verisk and POPSUGAR and Priyank to Microsoft and Amazon.
But the idea of creating some kind of financial ecosystem to support immigrants… that stuck with them. Until they finally decided to pursue it. They got into YCombinator, and Stilt was born.
So, here’s what we’ll be discussing:
Priyank’s personal immigration experience and his early days in the US

Priyank’s experience working at Microsoft and Amazon, and how that shaped him

Why Priyank reconnected with Rohit, and their experience launching Stilt

How Stilt started and what it does today

Where Stilt is going and thoughts on immigration more generally
And more!
So please join us, ask questions and leave comments!
#immigration #globalmobility #immigrationlaw #fintech #relocation
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Check out the Stilt here here: https://www.stilt.com/
Connect with Priyank here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/priyanksingh/
Digital marketing for immigration & global mobility at GMI Rocket: https://gmirocket.com/
Digitize your LCA posting and PAF process with LaborLess: https://laborless.io/
Connect with Roman Zelichenko on LinkedIn! https://www.linkedin.com/in/romanzelichenko-electronic-lca-posting-public-access-file/
1 hr 2 min
May 20, 2023Manan Mehta, Partner, Unshackled Ventures: Investing in immigrant founders
On episode 66 of the GMI Rocket Show, we’re talking to our first-ever VC guest: Manan Mehta, Founding Partner of Unshackled Ventures, a VC firm that invests in immigrant founders!
What’s special about Unshackled Ventures is their commitment to directly supporting immigrant startup founders: “Unshackled Ventures sponsors visas and provides full immigration support. We accelerate your immigration journey so you can focus on building your business.”
As for Manan, he’s a first generation American who grew up in an immigrant household. He attended UCLA, worked in banking, and then joined a startup called Kno that was ultimately acquired by Intel.
He then launched his own startup with a co-founder who was on an H-1B visa, but after 9 months, when no one would fund the company so they could sponsor the co-founder, they had no other choice but to shut down.
And so the idea for Unshackled Ventures was born 💡
So, here’s what we’ll be discussing during this conversation:
Manan’s family’s immigration journey, and his early days growing up

Manan’s path from UCLA to the acquisition of Kno, Inc., where he ran marketing

Manan’s experience launching his first startup, and how immigration got in the way

How that experience led to Unshackled Ventures

Who Unshackled invests in, how they handle visa sponsorship, and thoughts on immigration
And more!
So please join us, ask questions and leave comments!
#immigration #globalmobility #immigrationlaw #venturecapital #relocation
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Check out the Unshackled Ventures here: https://www.unshackledvc.com/
Connect with Manan here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mananm/
Digital marketing for immigration & global mobility at GMI Rocket: https://gmirocket.com/
Digitize your LCA posting and PAF process with LaborLess: https://laborless.io/
Connect with Roman Zelichenko on LinkedIn! https://www.linkedin.com/in/romanzelichenko-electronic-lca-posting-public-access-file/
56 min
May 16, 2023Andrew Jernigan, CEO, Insured Nomads: global travel insurance, tech & more
On Episode 65 of the GMI Rocket show we’re diving into insurance for expats, digital nomads and others living and working around the world with Andrew Jernigan, CEO of Insured Nomads.
Insured Nomads is a tech-enabled insurance company that offers travel insurance, global health insurance and other perks like airport lounge access, tele-health and more.
As for Andrew, he’s had a colorful career spanning multiple decades.
After receiving his bachelor’s at Samford University in Birmingham, AL, early in his career, Andrew worked internationally in Ghana and Brazil before heading back in the US.
He worked in oil & gas, at a destination services provider, was president at one travel risk management company and ran business development at another.
Today, Andrew is the host of a digital nomad podcast, an advisor to Mobility Empowered (which was on this show!), and helps other startups while building and growing Insured Nomads.
So, here’s what we’re going to talk about:
Andrew’s earlier life and college experience in the Southeast.

How Andrew ended up working in Ghana and Brazil, and how that impacted him

Andrew’s pivot into global mobility and then travel insurance

How Insured Nomads was born and what the company does

What’s in store for Insured Nomads and Andrew’s thoughts on the industry
And more!
So please join us, ask questions and leave comments!
#immigration #globalmobility #immigrationlaw #digitalnomad #relocation
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Check out the Insured Nomads here: https://www.insurednomads.com/
Connect with Andrew here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitagrawal/
Digital marketing for immigration & global mobility at GMI Rocket: https://gmirocket.com/
Digitize your LCA posting and PAF process with LaborLess: https://laborless.io/
Connect with Roman Zelichenko on LinkedIn! https://www.linkedin.com/in/romanzelichenko-electronic-lca-posting-public-access-file/
52 min
May 11, 2023Nitin Agrawal, CEO, Interstride: Higher ed immigration tech startup
On episode 64 of the GMI Rocket show, we’re exploring how technology can support international students and higher ed institutions with Nitin Agrawal, Co-Founder & CEO of Interstride!
Interstride is a platform that helps international students through their journey, with everything from immigration to networking to finding a job to connecting with other students.
Who uses Interstride? Both international students directly as well as university career centers and international student and scholar offices. The company started in 2018 and already they support over 150 institutions, including UT Austin, Harvard and my alma mater, Binghamton University.
Personally, Nitin, who has a degree in finance from University of Miami and an MBA from UC Berkeley, has studied abroad twice.
Indeed, Interstride’s co-founders have over thirty years of combined experience as international students and professionals.
So we’re going to go through Nitin’s journey navigating higher education within the US and around the world and how his prior work experience led him to launch Interstride.
So, here’s what we’re going to talk about:
Nitin’s early days and his higher-ed journey

Nitin’s experiences studying abroad and how that shaped his worldview

Nitin’s career journey and how it culminated to launching Interstride

How Interstride works and what it does for students and universities

Nitin’s thoughts on higher ed immigration tech and the industry more broadly
And more!
So please join us, ask questions and leave comments!
#immigration #globalmobility #immigrationlaw #highered #relocation
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Check out the Interstride here: https://www.interstride.com/
Connect with Nitin here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitagrawal/
Digital marketing for immigration & global mobility at GMI Rocket: https://gmirocket.com/
Digitize your LCA posting and PAF process with LaborLess: https://laborless.io/
58 min
May 09, 2023Jon Velie, CEO, OnlineVisas: Building an intelligent immigration platform
For episode 63 of the GMI Rocket show, we’re back in the US and speaking to seasoned immigration lawyer and immigration tech entrepreneur Jon Velie, CEO of OnlineVisas.
Jon has been practicing immigration law for almost 30 years, but he’s also a tech innovator.
Having incorporated technology into his law firm practice, Jon eventually launched OnlineVisas, “an ancillary law-related services company of the Velie Law Firm” per the company’s website.
But Jon isn’t just an immigration lawyer and immigration tech founder - he’s also an online content creator, the author of a book on H-1B visas, a rugby coach, and much more.
We’re going to dive into Jon’s life story and background, how he launched and grew his immigration firm, and how OnlineVisas brings efficiency and automation to the immigration industry.
So, here’s what we’re going to talk about:
Jon’s early life in Oklahoma and his journey through law school

How Jon found immigration law and why he decided to pursue it

How Jon came across the idea for OnlineVisas and his first steps

How OnlineVisas works and his thoughts on immigration tech today

Jon’s thoughts on the future of OnlineVisas and the immigration tech industry
And more!
So please join us, ask questions and leave comments!
#immigration #globalmobility #immigrationlaw #legaltech #relocation
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Check out the OnlineVisas here: https://onlinevisas.com/
Connect with Jon here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonvelie/
Digital marketing for immigration & global mobility at GMI Rocket: https://gmirocket.com/
Digitize your LCA posting and PAF process with LaborLess: https://laborless.io/
Connect with Roman Zelichenko on LinkedIn! https://www.linkedin.com/in/romanzelichenko-electronic-lca-posting-public-access-file/
1 hr 12 min
May 05, 2023David Cantor, Founder, Relocate: building a global immigration marketplace
We’re crossing the Atlantic to Europe for episode 62 of the GMI Rocket show to speak to immigration lawyer-turned-entrepreneur David Cantor, Founder & CEO of Relocate.
Relocate bills itself as “the first independent marketplace for Global Migration” and here’s how it works:
Relocate has a roster of immigration experts from countries around the world, they create informative, country-specific content for the site, individuals interested in moving to those countries may come across that content, and ultimately reach out to the experts to set up a consultation.
David officially launched Relocate in the beginning of 2021, which sounds like both a difficult time to launch a global immigration company, but also perhaps the perfect time.
Before Relocate, David actually worked as a US and global immigration lawyer for New York-based Davies & Associates, and studied law in New York and Beijing.
So, here’s what we’re going to talk about:
David’s early days and educational journey, including studying law in China

What got David interested in immigration law, and his career in it

How David came up with the idea for Relocate, and his first steps

Launching Relocate during COVID, and where the company is today

The future of Relocate and David’s thoughts on tech and immigration
And more!
So please join us, ask questions and leave comments!
#immigration #globalmobility #immigrationlaw #legaltech #relocation
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Check out the Relocate here: https://www.relocate.world/
Connect with David here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmcantor/
Digital marketing for immigration & global mobility at GMI Rocket: https://gmirocket.com/
Digitize your LCA posting and PAF process with LaborLess: https://laborless.io/
Connect with Roman Zelichenko on LinkedIn! https://www.linkedin.com/in/romanzelichenko-electronic-lca-posting-public-access-file/
58 min

About Immigration Tech & Marketing - The GMI Rocket Show - Hosted by Roman Zelichenko.

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The GMI Rocket podcast is hosted by me, Roman Zelichenko, an immigration lawyer-turned-immigration tech startup founder interviewing immigration technology founder and executives, and other influential people in the immigration and global mobility industry

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Immigration Tech & Marketing - The GMI Rocket Show - Hosted by Roman Zelichenko.

Immigration Tech & Marketing - The GMI Rocket Show - Hosted by Roman Zelichenko. episodes

About Immigration Tech & Marketing - The GMI Rocket Show - Hosted by Roman Zelichenko.

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