Startups in the United States are actively sponsoring H-1B visas to hire skilled foreign workers, particularly in technology, finance, and artificial intelligence. The demand for critical skills remains high, leading companies to rely on the visa programme to attract global talent.
To hire a foreign worker, a startup must sponsor an H-1B visa petition, allowing the employee to work in the US for up to six years. The process involves a lottery system, with 85,000 visas available annually. Demand for visas exceeds supply, creating challenges for businesses seeking international expertise.
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Despite discussions on immigration reform and the complexities of the process, startups continue to file applications to strengthen their workforce. Data from the Department of Labor and US Citizenship and Immigration Services shows the startups that submitted the most H-1B visa requests during the 2024 fiscal year.
These startups highlight the increasing demand for skilled immigrant workers in technology and related industries. H-1B visa sponsorship remains a key strategy for attracting global talent and addressing workforce needs.
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Here are the following startups that have sponsored the most H-1B visas, ranked by the number of filings.
Ripple provides crypto infrastructure for financial services. The company, headquartered in San Francisco, has received $325 million in funding, according to PitchBook. It has filed 26 certified H-1B applications.
Grammarly offers a writing assistant that edits and corrects language. Based in San Francisco, the company has raised $400 million, according to PitchBook, and has 28 certified H-1B filings.
Plaid collects and shares personal financial information with apps and other services. The San Francisco-based company has secured $734 million in funding and has filed 28 certified H-1B applications.
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Carta helps businesses track ownership and manage equity plans. With $1.19 billion in funding, according to PitchBook, the company has filed 30 certified H-1B applications.
Thumbtack connects users with local service providers. Headquartered in San Francisco, the company has raised over $500 million and has 31 certified H-1B filings.
X Corp., the social media platform, has 32 certified H-1B filings. Elon Musk took the company private in 2022 at a purchase price of $44 billion.
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Anthropic develops foundation AI models aimed at business users. With more than $17 billion in funding, the San Francisco-based company has filed 35 certified H-1B applications.
Zipline operates drone delivery fleets. Based in South San Francisco, the company has secured $1.23 billion in funding and has 35 certified H-1B filings.
Turo is a car rental marketplace headquartered in San Francisco. The company has raised $527 million and has filed 36 certified H-1B applications.
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Scale AI focuses on data labelling for apps and models. Based in San Francisco, the company has secured $1.6 billion in funding and has 42 certified H-1B filings.
Gusto provides payroll and HR solutions for small businesses. With $751 million in funding, the San Francisco-based company has filed 48 certified H-1B applications.
Verkada offers cloud-managed security cameras. The San Mateo-based company has raised $700 million and has 52 certified H-1B filings.
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Nuro develops self-driving technology for robotaxis and delivery vehicles. Based in Mountain View, the company has raised more than $2 billion and has filed 59 certified H-1B applications.
Cohesity develops software for securing and managing cloud data. The San Jose-based company has secured $1.8 billion in funding and has 61 certified H-1B filings.
OpenAI develops AI models and applications like ChatGPT. With $63.92 billion in funding, according to PitchBook, the San Francisco-based company has filed 74 certified H-1B applications.
Chime provides mobile banking services. The company, headquartered in San Francisco, has raised $2.65 billion and has 101 certified H-1B filings.
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Stripe builds financial infrastructure for businesses. Based in San Francisco and Dublin, the company has secured $8.73 billion in funding and has 265 certified H-1B filings.
Databricks offers a cloud-based platform for enterprises to manage data. The San Francisco-based company has raised over $14 billion and has filed 283 certified H-1B applications.
TikTok, the video-based social media platform, has the highest number of certified H-1B filings among startups, with 614. TikTok, a subsidiary of ByteDance, is headquartered in Los Angeles and Singapore. ByteDance has raised $18.95 billion in venture capital, according to PitchBook.
