We recently hosted a Happy Hour about IMMITech (immigration tech), with guest speaker Roman Zelichenko, through our Career Development for Engineers Meetup group. Our two technical sourcers, Evan Burke & Alexander Horner, wrote up their experiences. Here are their thoughts and takeaways:
About once a month, Clutch Talent hosts a Happy Hour, open to any and all software engineers and tech professionals. They range from study nights, to networking events, to expert talks from throughout the tech sector. Last night we hosted a talk from Roman Zelichenko, founder of Laborless, a platform in the growing field of immigration tech.
Drawing on his experience (and frustrations) as a lawyer working in immigration law, Zelichenko founded Laborless to help simplify the process of hiring candidates on H-1B visas. America’s notoriously labyrinthine process can involve a shocking amount of analog record-keeping for 2019, a problem in which Zelichenko saw an opportunity for an automation service that makes life simpler for everyone involved. Right now, there are four types of entities in immigration tech: large law firms, HR companies, established tech companies, and startups. The latter category is the most recent entrant into the market, but already the older and larger entities are having to react to smaller, more nimble startups entering the field.
A dozen attendees braved the foul weather to have a drink, dine on delicious cheeses, and hear about the possibilities presented by Laborless specifically, and immigration tech in general. As startups flock to the expanding field that addresses the needs of millions of underserved people, engineers of all stripes are eager to learn about the intricate interplay of tech and the legal system. Clutch hosts Happy Hours for exactly this reason: to give back to the tech community by creating a space for learning, networking, and maybe a little snacking.
~Evan
This month’s happy hour at Clutch was a little different. We hosted Roman Zelichenko, the founder of Laborless. His platform is in immigration tech and it’s goal is to make the process of hiring candidates on H-1B visas easy. And I myself, knew nothing of this process.
About twenty of us gathered around Roman, who gave his talk in a casual setting, accompanied by various refreshments. He spoke of his background and the reasons why he became a business owner, and what it’s like. As an immigration lawyer who left active practice, he was able to give us personal insight into why he started his company. He made a joke here and there (he let us know he has previously done comedy). I was surprised to hear about the difficulties associated with visa contract processes and how old school the whole system is. Roman made a point to discuss what can be done to modernize this.
We followed the presentation with an open discussion style Q&A. After the open discussion, most of the attendees stuck around and we were able to put quite a dent in the cheese spread. I left this month’s happy hour feeling rather satisfied again, and as always, felt like I learned something new.
~Alexander
