Startups Sponsoring the Largest Number of H-1B Visas
Despite economic shifts and job cuts in Silicon Valley, the competition among startups for top global talent remains intense. A critical component of this competition is the H-1B visa program, which allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialized occupations. This program is crucial for startups to gain a competitive edge, particularly those in fields like artificial intelligence, where skilled workers are in high demand.
To hire a foreign worker, a startup sponsors their H-1B visa petition. The candidate then enters a lottery for one of the 85,000 visas available annually. While challenges exist, including high demand and ongoing debates about reform, startups continue to utilize this system to bring in skilled professionals.
Using data from the Department of Labor and US Citizenship and Immigration Services, here’s a ranking of the startups that filed the most H-1B requests during the 2024 fiscal year. The data reflects applications submitted by businesses aspiring to sponsor worker visas.
Ripple
Ripple provides crypto infrastructure for financial services. Headquartered: San Francisco. Total funding: $325 million, according to PitchBook. Total certified H-1B filings: 26.
Grammarly
Grammarly is a writing assistant that edits and corrects language. Headquarters: San Francisco. Total funding: $400 million, according to PitchBook. Total certified H-1B filings: 28.
Plaid
Plaid collects and shares personal financial information with apps and other services. Headquarters: San Francisco. Total funding: $734 million, according to the company. Total certified H-1B filings: 28.
Carta
Carta helps businesses track ownership and manage equity plans. Headquarters: San Francisco. Total funding: $1.19 billion, according to PitchBook. Total certified H-1B filings: 30.
Thumbtack
Thumbtack allows users to search for and hire local service providers. Headquarters: San Francisco. Total funding: More than $500 million, according to the company. Total certified H-1B filings: 31.
X Corp.
X Corp. is a social media platform. Headquarters: San Francisco. Total funding: Elon Musk took X private at a purchase price of $44 billion in 2022. Total certified H-1B filings: 32.
Anthropic
Anthropic develops foundation AI models aimed at business users. Headquarters: San Francisco. Total funding: More than $17 billion, according to the company. Total certified H-1B filings: 35.
Zipline
Zipline develops and operates drone delivery fleets. Headquarters: South San Francisco, California. Total funding: $1.23 billion, according to PitchBook. Total certified H-1B filings: 35.
Turo
Turo is a car rental marketplace. Headquarters: San Francisco. Total funding: $527 million, according to the company. Total certified H-1B filings: 36.
Scale AI
Scale AI is a data labeling company helping apps and models scale. Headquarters: San Francisco. Total funding: $1.6 billion, according to PitchBook. Total certified H-1B filings: 42.
Gusto
Gusto is a payroll and HR solution for small businesses. Headquarters: San Francisco. Total funding: $751 million, according to PitchBook. Total certified H-1B filings: 48.
Verkada
Verkada cloud-managed security cameras. Headquarters: San Mateo, California. Total funding: $700 million, according to the company. Total certified H-1B filings: 52.
Nuro
Nuro develops self-driving tech for robotaxis and delivery vehicles. Headquarters: Mountain View, California. Total funding: More than $2 billion, according to the company. Total certified H-1B filings: 59.
Cohesity
Cohesity develops software for securing and managing cloud data. Headquarters: San Jose, California. Total funding: $1.8 billion, according to the company. Total certified H-1B filings: 61.
OpenAI
OpenAI develops cutting-edge AI models and apps like ChatGPT. Headquarters: San Francisco. Total funding: $63.92 billion, according to PitchBook. Total certified H-1B filings: 74.
Chime
Chime provides fee-free mobile banking services. Headquarters: San Francisco. Total funding: $2.65 billion, according to PitchBook. Total certified H-1B filings: 101.
Stripe
Stripe provides financial infrastructure for businesses. Headquarters: San Francisco and Dublin. Total funding: $8.73 billion, according to PitchBook. Total certified H-1B filings: 265.
Databricks
Databricks is a cloud-based platform to help enterprises build, scale, and govern data. Headquarters: San Francisco. Total funding: More than $14 billion, according to the company. Total certified H-1B filings: 283.
ByteDance
ByteDance is a Chinese internet technology company. Headquarters: Beijing. Total funding: $18.95 billion, according to PitchBook. Total certified H-1B filings: 997.
TikTok
TikTok is a video-based social media platform. Headquarters: Los Angeles and Singapore. Total funding: TikTok is a subsidiary of ByteDance, which has raised $18.95 billion in venture capital, according to PitchBook. Total certified H-1B filings: 614.
