Seattle startup Boundless Immigration today announced its acquisition of Localyze, a Berlin-based company that primarily serves people immigrating to countries in Europe. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The timing is particularly beneficial as the Trump administration continues to tighten restrictions on U.S. immigration. President Trump most recently announced plans for a new $100,000 fee for H-1B visas used by tech companies to hire talented foreign workers in software engineering, data science and other STEM fields.
“This acquisition fits perfectly with what our customers are asking for in an era of unprecedented uncertainty and increased chaos and turmoil about various U.S. policies,” said Boundless CEO Xiao Wang.
Boundless has primarily focused individuals and businesses navigating the immigration process for coming to the U.S. as employees, students or family members. The acquisition significantly increases its geographic footprint.
“We’ve been looking at different ways of expanding our global reach,” Wang told GeekWire.
Corporate clients have offices around the world and it’s much simpler for them to work through one platform in helping employees secure work and other visas, he said. The startup has previously partnered with law firm internationally in addressing these needs.
Localyze provides similar services to those offered by Boundless for people immigrating to more than 30 countries including the U.S., United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Lithuania, Poland, Australia and United Arab Emirates.
The German company’s immigration platform and its 40-person team will be integrated into Boundless operations.
“Our mission has always been to help companies build world-class teams by removing the geographic barriers to talent,” said Hanna Asmussen, CEO and co-founder Localyze, in a statement. “Joining Boundless is the fastest way to achieve that mission on a global scale.”
Discussions about an acquisition have been underway for more than a year, Wang said.
Employers are increasingly interested in looking at alternative options, such as hiring and basing workers at international offices outside of America to avoid immigration uncertainty, he said. People still eager to live and work in the U.S. are anxious to explore different visa pathways to expedite their route to citizenship.
Boundless spun out of Pioneer Square Labs in 2017. This marks its third acquisition; it previously bought San Francisco-based Bridge in 2023 and RapidVisa in 2020. The startup has raised more than $50 million from investors and had more than 500 employees pre-acquisition.
Localyze launched in 2018, participated in Y Combinator the next year, and has raised more than $47 million, according to PitchBook.
Seattle is also home to the immigration startup Casium, which launched out of the AI2 Incubator last year.
Wang said Boundless is hardwired to respond to changes and make the best of them — including tumultuous public policies.
“We have now just added a whole continent of opportunities and options for people to choose from to live their best life,” Wang said, “and that’s fundamentally so exciting.”
