43North-winning startup Tukki blends AI with human legal expertise to help immigrants and employers navigate the U.S. immigration process.
The U.S. immigration system is rarely linear.
Neither was Ramiro Roballos’ path to founding Tukki, a 43North-winning digital platform that blends AI with human legal expertise to streamline immigration in the United States.
Roballos grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he trained as a tango dancer before studying musical composition and orchestral conducting. He went on to conduct, own, and operate an orchestra (his first real foray into business), an experience that eventually pushed him toward an MBA and, later, a role at McKinsey & Company.
While at McKinsey, Roballos transferred offices from Buenos Aires to Miami, navigating the U.S. immigration system firsthand as he worked toward a green card. The process was anything but straightforward.
That experience ultimately led him to build Tukki.
Founded in 2023, Roballos initially set out to develop a product for law firms. But as he dug deeper, he realized the core challenges weren’t legal, they were systemic. Prospective immigrants lacked clarity. Companies lacked confidence. And the process itself lacked speed and transparency.
“It’s a space ripe for disruption,” said Roballos.
While Tukki is technology-first and utilizes AI to enhance the immigration process for its users, the company is really an end-to-end service provider, including a team of immigration attorneys on staff.
“What I care about is better service,” said Roballos. “I don’t care about AI. AI is just an excuse to provide the best service, at scale. AI is a means to an end.”
That focus – combined with Buffalo’s location on an international border and its proximity to immigrant hubs like Toronto, New York City, and Washington, D.C. – helped push Tukki toward the 43North competition. Tukki previously graduated from Tampa Bay Wave Tech|X Accelerator.
After tripling year-over-year growth, Tukki is now focused on continuing that momentum. In 2026, the company will focus on expanding B2B sales to startups and large enterprises, which most frequently hire international talent. As Tukki proves it can ease burdens of the immigration process, more companies will be willing to explore that talent pool, Roballos hypothesizes.
Still, Roballos is keenly aware of the responsibility that comes with working in immigration.
“It’s a very sensitive thing to do immigration,” he said. “I love ‘move fast and break things’ from Silicon Valley, but in this case you’d be breaking peoples’ lives. So this requires refinement. We started this to help people and are careful about the trust people are bestowing in us.”
That same care will shape Tukki’s approach to hiring in Buffalo. The company has around 25 employees, with many based in Argentina. While the company is not opening local roles yet, Roballos anticipates eventually building a team that includes immigration attorneys and B2B sales professionals in Buffalo.
Buffalo’s culture of humility, care, and community mirrors the way he wants to build Tukki: deliberately, thoughtfully, and with people at the center.
“When going through the process, I thought the 43North staff were just particularly nice – which they are,” Roballos said. “But I think it’s just the culture of the city. Miami is all about gold chains and Ferraris in the street. Buffalo is very humble.”
