Who We Are + Growth Update

Hey friends,

Welcome to roam’s newsletter!

To our new readers, I’m Ansh Mundra, Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer here at roam. I get to write, curate, and edit this newsletter!

In our past three editions, we’ve featured a fellow international student’s story and learnings, tips and tricks we wish we had known earlier, and an update on roam’s growth.

In this edition, we bring you something a little different.

Given that this newsletter has grown to close to 1,200 subscribers and our Instagram has exploded to 15,000 followers in the last ten days, we wanted to update you all on what we’re about.

What the reason behind roam’s existence is and our plans for the future.

We’ll also be listing all our current partners and how they might benefit you and provide an update on our growth.

Sounds good? Let’s begin :)

WTF is roam?

In a nutshell, roam is a one-stop shop for all international student services. We help you get set up with everything you need to start your life in a new country while helping you save thousands of dollars along the way.

Our marketplace will be launching on our site in mid-August so keep an eye out for that!

Though that’s not all… we’re also going to help you build a tight-knit community and find your support system so you can get settled in with ease.

How?

Later this fall, we will be hosting a bunch of cool in-person events for international students in NY state, including job fairs, networking mixers, and even parties!

If you’re not in NY, don’t worry! We’re also launching an ambassadorship program through which we will host events all around the country soon!

Why are we doing all of this?

Restarting life in a new country wasn’t easy for us at all, so we decided to learn more about others’ experiences to make sure we weren’t alone.

As it turns out, a lot of international students faced the same problems: difficulty finding friends and building a support system, inability to find affordable and safe student housing, and overpaying for services!

So, we decided to fix them and make the move to a new country significantly less stressful for all international students, so you can not just survive, but thrive, and truly enjoy life in a new country without worrying as much.

If you want to learn about how we got the idea for roam, click here to find out!

Our Partners

Over the past month, we’ve partnered with 5 incredible businesses that solve some of the biggest issues international students face when they move abroad. Here they are:

Adro

Adro offers mobile banking solutions to international students in the US. If you are an incoming international student, Adro helps you set up a bank (checking and savings) account before you even step foot in the US.

Typically, to avail a credit card, you must have a SSN. With Adro, you can get a secured credit card WITHOUT a Social Security Number (SSN) so you can start building your credit score from day 1. It also give you 1% cash back on all your purchases. (What is a secured credit card?)

The day you land, you will have a debit and credit in your mobile wallet. You won’t have to stress about going to a bank in-person.

Sign up for Adro here.

ISO

ISO is an insurance provider specializing in international student health insurance. ISO provides alternative plans to your university’s health insurance at a much cheaper rate.

This is because universities charge all students the same price, but us international students use health insurance relatively less

Thus, ISO’s plans are specifically designed to keep YOUR best interests in mind.

Subscribe to an ISO plan here.

Parachute Project

The Parachute Project is a non-profit that helps global talent and their employers secure H-1B visas without the unpredictability of the lottery. 

It helps you secure the Cap-Exempt H-1B visa that is only available to universities, government research organizations, non-profit research organizations, and non-profits affiliated with a university.

If you are currently on your last year of OPT / STEM-OPT and haven’t secured your H-1B visa yet, we highly recommend looking into the Parachute Project. 

Join their waitlist here.

For more detailed insights on the process, tune in to Don Collins, the Executive Director of the Parachute Project, who was featured in our webinar series. You can catch his segment starting at the 29:26 minute mark here.

The Cumin Club

The Cumin Club (TCC) is a meal kit service that specializes in delivering authentic Indian cuisine, designed for convenience and quick preparation.

TCC offers a variety of preservative-free meal kits, curated by regional Indian chefs, showcasing the diverse flavors of Indian cooking.

Customers simply add water to the kits, which utilize freeze-drying technology to ensure freshness and a shelf life of up to six months.

This approach allows TCC to provide a unique culinary experience that combines authenticity, health, and convenience, catering to both Indian and non-Indian customers alike.

You can now use the code ‘ROAM25’ for 25% off your first order + free shipping!

Order from TCC here.

Sprintax

Sprintax is an online tax preparation software specifically designed for nonresident aliens, including international students and scholars, who have earned taxable income in the U.S.

It simplifies the process of filing federal and state tax returns by guiding users through a series of straightforward questions to determine their tax status and requirements.

Sprintax prepares necessary forms such as the 1040NR and Form 8843, ensuring compliance with IRS regulations while maximizing potential tax refunds.

You don’t have to worry about tax season until January, 2025. But when you do, you’ll know exactly where to go.

roam’s Growth Update

Hey, I’m Krish - founder and CEO of roam 🌏️

We’re big believers of building in public, so this section is for those of you who are interested in watching us grow. Every week we share exciting news and updated stats about our progress, so keep an eye out!

I’m quite happy to say that our growth in the past 2 weeks has been, in one word, unreal. Here’s what we’ve been up to:

• Our Instagram following has skyrocketed past 15,000 followers 🚀

• Our WhatsApp community exceeded the limit of 2,000 people 😱

• So we created a Telegram which already has 600+ students ⚡️

• This newsletter has almost 1,200 subscribers, thanks to all of you 💌

• We completed week 6 / 8 of our webinar series where we’ve featured some amazing guests from Harnoor to Ruchi to Omkar to Adro 🎤

• Our YouTube channel has grown to 82 subscribers and all our webinar recordings have been uploaded there, go check it out 📹

Coming soon:

• We redesigned our entire website – stay tuned for the big reveal 👀

• Our marketplace launches in Mid-August, just in time to save all of you thousands of dollars before university starts this fall 💰

• IRL student events (job fairs, networking mixers, parties) in NY state 🥳

Also, today is August 2nd, Ansh’s birthday! 🎊

If you’re reading this right now, take a second to drop Ansh a follow as a birthday gift and small token of appreciation for all the hard work he puts into making life easier for international students :)

If you’ve made it this far, you’re a real one! 🫶

We sincerely thank you for taking the time to follow along as we continue to build products to support the millions of international students who risk it all and leave their homes in search of a better life abroad 🙏🏽

That’s all for this week’s newsletter, see you soon!