After being duped and exploited, one immigrant founder established an AI-powered service educated on data unique to their needs to help other immigrants: An AI helper called Imii helps immigrants settle and assimilate into their new country
Immigrants confront several obstacles. Without family or connections in the area, new immigrants typically lack credible information on housing, healthcare, and banking.
Jane Fisher, the startup’s co-founder, was raised in Japan by Soviet immigrants. “My father was a prominent figure in Japanese studies and a published author by the time he moved to Japan,” she told TechCrunch.
“But he was discriminated against and looked down on by his colleagues for many years simply because he was an immigrant, and therefore naturally undesirable,” she claimed.
Fisher is obviously enthusiastic. I designed Imii since I’ve experienced immigration challenges. I moved abroad with a coordinator and alone.
Although the latter one was going to the U.K., where I’d learned and spoken the language, it devastated my mental health and adaption period. I was conned too, she said.
When possible, Imii connects newcomers with reputable local providers and businesses that speak their language and provides individualized advise. Sign up, answer questions, and get individualized advice on the app.
The ChatGPT 4o-powered chatbot offers housing, financial, and healthcare guidance until the firm raises funds. It couldn’t answer a question. Users can contact Imii personally.
We train it on our content database to answer certain questions easily. Fisher said they wanted imii to seem like a sensitive helper rather than a lifeless database.
Alexandra Miltsin, her co-founder and CTO, developed AI-powered solutions for Zoopla and Yelp.
Fisher believes the software might reduce relocation management costs, boost employee well-being and productivity, and lower staff turnover for organizations that seek international talent, in addition to societal benefits.
Businesses can list their services and target audiences on the startup’s version. Companies can incorporate Imii into their HR operations to give international hires the app to prepare for their move.
Fisher said other service providers have approached them for cooperation prospects, which they are finalizing.
Immigration and relocation tech has several startups and established businesses. Others focus on settlement ‘in situ’, while others on immigration.
TechStars-graduate Matutto provides B2C moving services to consumers. Benivo (B2B), a business relocation company, has raised $30 million.
Welcome Tech (B2C, unlaunched) promises a digital platform to help immigrants move. After raising $30 million in April 2022, it reached $73 million but hasn’t emerged from stealth since.
Other B2B apps include Perchpeek, Settly, Relocity, and Localyze.
Fisher says few of her competitors consider immigrants: “We are human-centric. We prioritize immigrant experience over corporate relocation tech. That’s why we started with a lean B2C model to offer a simpler, impact-focused solution to all and improved versions to commercial beneficiaries.
We don’t think a big corporation requires additional moving service. We believe startups, SMEs, NGOs, and the NHS do,” she said.
She added the app will expand beyond OpenAI to offer more services: “It’s not just information, it’s also if they need credit building for immigrants, or legal assistance. A GPT wrapper can’t give you that.”
The startup offers the app as a freemium to individuals and a premium solution with relocation/settling-in assistance to B2B customers. It also charges affiliate marketing commissions to marketplace service providers.
Imii seems “on trend.”
According to the UN, 281 million people—3.6% of the global population—are international migrants. Climate change may displace 216 million people by 2050, according to the World Bank.
The UNHCR predicts that up to 1.2 billion people may be displaced by climate-related catastrophes by 2050.