This founder is using AI to help international students avoid common visa pitfalls

Nigeria-born Temitope “Temi” Ajibola is on a mission to reshape the landscape of global talent mobility for immigrants with his new AI-driven tool.

Ajibola, who recently earned an MBA from Morgan State University’s Graves School of Business and Management, envisions that the Youniserve web platform will support international students from underserved regions like the country where he grew up and completed his undergraduate studies. These pupils are now dealing with the fallout of changes to the employment landscape that complicate their ability to work in the US, he said.

Temitope Ajibola in commencement attire. (Courtesy)

“The job market has been a little bit shaken in recent times, especially when it comes to tech talent,” said Ajibola. “And so, most organizations, most companies were willing to sponsor work visas for international students.”

He highlighted that his own research led him to find various immigration pathways for international students who might need help working legally in the country. As a three-time founder, Ajibola felt a time crunch to achieve his mission of helping African and other immigrants after finding a United Nations statistic saying that by 2050, one out of every four humans will be African.

“So what that basically means is that … Black people are getting, are copulating with every other race, or more Black people are immigrating from Africa,” said Ajibola.

The founder, who initially came from a financial services background in Nigeria, arrived at this work after developing other initiatives to help Black entrepreneurs. He previously created the MorganHacks pre-accelerator and hackathon at his graduate alma mater. He also cofounded Timeless Venture Group, a small software development company that aims to support Black-founded ventures, particularly those using cutting-edge technology.

Temi Ajibola (left) speaks on a panel. (Courtesy)

Some of his prior work has earned recognition in the US. Last year, he was honored by the City of Annapolis for his collaborative work on a smart city app that he said would address various transportation, quality of life and tourism management issues. He was also invited to the White House in January 2023 for a gathering convened by Vice President Kamala Harris to address challenges faced by young Black individuals nationwide.

“[There,] I spoke about the fact that up to today, 1% of venture capital dollars goes to Black people globally,” said Ajibola. “I asked the president, … “What are the policies being created to ensure Black founders like myself have access to the capital that will help them grow their business?”

He ultimately didn’t receive a definitive response from President Joe Biden or Harris.

Going forward, Ajibola sees Youniserve as a comprehensive resource hub for international students, offering information on jobs, trainings and visa assistance — all powered by AI. This system aims to simplify the visa application process by guiding users through eligibility assessments and petition drafting.

He wants Youniserve to ensure that migration happens smoothly, no matter where a person comes from. In the past, individuals would have had to rely on costly lawyer consultations for such services. Now, with Youniserve’s AI tech, users can put their information into the platform and receive prompt feedback and assistance, ultimately saving both time and resources.

“It’s kind of easy for us to bring our passion to the table,” said Ajibola. “We are hoping that we can solve the problems that we faced”.

Those interested in using Youniserve can add themselves to the waitlist.

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