Sampe Omichi’s deportation countdown began in early 2021: he was on a student visa with 60 days left to leave the country. The then–21-year-old’s only option was to create a startup to qualify for the International Entrepreneur Pardon, which allows entrepreneurs to stay in the country for more than two years—provided, of course, that they can raise $250,000 in the next two months. .
Omichi knows exactly the people his absentee business wants to serve. After leaving his native Vietnam at the age of 17 to attend college in Boston, he felt lost in the rush of immigration paperwork. So in 60 days he came with Ellis. The name derives from the founder’s belief that the colleges serve as a modern-day Ellis Island for many immigrants. The company aims to make life easier for international students with tools like Ellis Money and Ellis Mobile.
From selling beetles in Japan to emigrating on his own, Omichi walks us through his amazing life journey, from raising over $5.7 million from 20VC and Balaji Srinivasan investors to establishing a US presence. US
