Nigerian-founded startup Guideli is a settlement management tool that provides tailored relocation resources and simplifies the convoluted visa processes. And the idea for it came about when its two co-founders relocated to the United States (US) to study.
Founded by Daniel Jayeoba and Oyebade Adepegba, Guideli leverages AI to empower immigrants and guide them every step of the day.
“We achieve this by providing personalised information from pre-departure to settlement and leveraging AI to draft and manage visa applications,” Jayeoba told Disrupt Africa.
He said the pair realised the need for a platform like Guideli when they relocated from the Nigeria to the US for school.
“We had excitement for the new experience but did not expect the excruciating challenges that involved settling in a new country. We struggled to figure out our legal status, navigate the new terrain and build community due to very fragmented information, and expensive legal options,” said Jayeoba.
“This led to constant anxiety, and upon speaking to other newcomers in the US, we discovered our challenges were not unique to us. The theme remained that newcomers are in need of a cohesive and emphatic guide to navigate the complex relocation and settlement process in new countries.”
Jayeoba and Adepegba went on to qualify as attorneys, gaining immigration law experience, further empowering with the necessary skills and knowledge to tackle the problem. So, in 2022, they launched Guideli.
“Currently, relocation and settlement is by word of mouth, multiple online sources and immigration service providers which are expensive and fragmented leading to anxiety, missed opportunities and misinformation,” Jayeoba said.
The current existing solutions, meanwhile, are 100 per cent focused on visa application assistance. Guideli, however, aims to cover the whole journey.
“The demand for our solution has been overwhelming, we have over 10,000 potential users on our waitlist, which represents a potential of US$18 million in revenue and are engaged through bi-weekly immigration and settlement events. Notably, our inaugural event saw over 500 sign-ups within an hour, all through organic marketing. We secured partnerships with two immigration attorneys and have collaborated with ethnic affinity clubs at Harvard and Yale University,” said Jayeoba.
The startup has bootstrapped but received outside capital from Techstars, having been selected for Techstars Detroit Fall 2023 cohort.
“Our revenue strategy is advertisement revenue from entities targeting immigrants and a premium subscription for access to AI-assisted immigration management tools,” Jayeoba said.
