# Aizada Marat

> Aizada Marat is the Kyrgyzstan-born co-founder and CEO of Alma, a technology-enabled immigration services company. A Harvard Law School graduate and former Cooley lawyer and McKinsey consultant, she drew on her own prolonged immigration difficulties to build a service for professionals and companies hiring international talent. She is based in Menlo Park, California.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at Alma
- **Organizations:** Alma, Cooley LLP, McKinsey & Company, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Kyrgyz National University, SV Icons
- **From:** Jalgyz-Oruk, Kyrgyzstan
- **Nationality:** Kyrgyzstani
- **Education:** LL.M., Harvard Law School, Law degree, Kyrgyz National University, Exchange-year study through FLEX, Sequim High School
- **Known for:** Earned an LL.M. from Harvard Law School in 2015., Co-founded Alma with Assel Tuleubayeva and Shuo Chen., Built a career spanning Kyrgyz legal education, the EBRD, Cooley, and McKinsey.

## Career timeline

- **Before 2014** — Practiced law in Kyrgyzstan and served as deputy dean at Kyrgyz National University’s law school.
- **2014** — Entered Harvard Law School, supported by crowdfunding and education funding from Kyrgyzstan.
- **2015** — Graduated from Harvard Law School and subsequently worked for the EBRD in London.
- **2018** — Moved to California; says incorrect immigration advice left her unable to work for about 18 months.
- **Before Alma** — Worked at Cooley LLP and then as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company.
- **2023** — Co-founded Alma; an early founder post dates its launch to October 2023.
- **2024** — Described Alma’s pivot from software for law firms to immigration services and wrote about a $5.5 million seed round.
- **2025** — Published an account of Alma reaching more than 150 customers.
- **2026** — Announced Alma’s $17 million Series A in September.

## Achievements

- Earned an LL.M. from Harvard Law School in 2015.
- Co-founded Alma with Assel Tuleubayeva and Shuo Chen.
- Built a career spanning Kyrgyz legal education, the EBRD, Cooley, and McKinsey.
- Led Alma through a pivot from software for law firms to technology-enabled immigration services.
- Announced a $17 million Series A for Alma in September 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Announced Alma’s $17 million Series A; reporting identifies Bling Capital as the lead investor.
- **2026-10** — Listed as a speaker for a Global 2026 mobility conference session on October 28; scheduled as of October 22.
- **2026-11** — Scheduled to join Jihan Merlin for an Alma webinar on immigration programs for HR and People Ops on November 4; upcoming as of October 22.

## Links

- Website: https://onthepathbyalma.substack.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aizadamarat
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/Aizada

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/aizada-marat
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-22