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Finally, a Startup Visa That Works

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Re: Finally, a Startup Visa That Works

#91

Post by muzz »

recoiledsnake wrote: post #61
ck2 wrote: post #27

Help me understand this? Is there a shortage of startups in the USA? Can startups (that in reality have an online-only product) not occur outside the USA? These are honest questions, I'm trying not to be biased, why come here?

I really fail to understand this line of thinking. >Is there a shortage of startups in the USA? What harm will an additional 1000 startups do, even if they fail? Fill the Whitepages and Yellowpages and make it heavy when you have to carry it inside your home? Look at the upside. Even a few successful ones(esp. big ones) can more than make up for the failures. >Can startups (that in reality have an online-only product…

There are many that say that our taxes are too high, our regulations are too burdensome, and that in general the climate for business here is abysmal and is driving business away. This position was taken by many politicians who won overwhelmingly last November.

Re: Finally, a Startup Visa That Works

#92

Post by wisty »

petercooper wrote: post #2

Foreign entrepreneurs whose business has generated at least $100,000 in sales from the U.S. Now that's more like it! If US consumers are sending lots of dollars out of the country, it makes sense to bring those entrepreneurs into the country and keep the dollars at home. Not all of us need funding so this proviso could help us out without having to go looking for arbitrary angel cash.

I think it should be $10,000 in profit (to be comparable with $100k in investment).

It would be easy to fake (your mum buys a copy of your corporate edition product), but so is $100,000 in raw sales - just buy and sell lots of hardware for a tiny margin.

Unintended consequences ....

Still, at least it's low enough that many good startups won't have to fake it.

Re: Finally, a Startup Visa That Works

#93

Post by muzz »

iamelgringo wrote: post #17

I've been _soooo_ frustrated by this, running http://www.hackersandfounders.com . I can't tell you how many amazing entrepreneurs I've seen come into the area, and then have to leave because of visa issues. So, even though I'm way oversubscribed right, now, I'm burning a bit of bandwidth on the startup visa movement. Votizen (I have no attachment other than knowing the founders) is coming up with a crazy cool platfor…

Looks like a only 2 stories of entrepreneurs dealing with visa issues on that tumblr

Re: Finally, a Startup Visa That Works

#94

Post by trustfundbaby »

plainOldText wrote: post #60

Does anyone know how long will it take to find out if the bill passes or not?

    def pass_bill
      while bill_passed.eql?(false) && bill_dead.eql?(false)
        Get involved, drum up some buzz on its behalf
        Watch the news and immigration lawyer blogs
      end
    end

Re: Finally, a Startup Visa That Works

#95

Post by mkramlich »

Smirnoff wrote: post #88
ojbyrne wrote: post #3

All I can say is I find category 2 - Workers on an H-1B visa, or graduates from U.S. universities in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, or computer science—if they have an annual income of at least $30,000 or assets of at least $60,000 and have had a U.S. investor commit investment of at least $20,000 in their venture. Two years later, the startup must have created three new American jobs and either have…

My question is why this visa limiting to STEM majors only? What about business and finance majors? Aren't business students likely to start a company too?

I think one aspect of an answer to that is that they are less likely to have product-building skills, and also they are more likely to create or contribute to what you might call the shyster/shenanigans part of the economy (see Wall Street, the "Financial Crisis of 2008", etc.) rather than making real things people want in exchange for an honest price. Speaking in general terms, of course. Also, they are less likely to create some new innovation or breakthrough that gives the US a tech edge. Also, for a STEM person, it's generally easier for them to learn business and do the things truly needed in that area, than it is to go in the reverse direction. (Again, speaking in aggregate terms, and understanding there are always individual and exceptional cases in every direction.)

Re: Finally, a Startup Visa That Works

#96

Post by patio11 »

iamelgringo wrote: post #51
tptacek wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How exactly does the message delivery work?

Back and forth between you and votizen, is text messages. They ask you for your name and zip code, and if you're a registered voter. They verify that with voter registraion databases. Then, if you are a registered voter, they tell you who your representative and senators are, and then they hand carry a print out of your support to the physical offices of those senators and representatives. The last mile of the messag…

Having a brother who worked in constituent services: being lobbied is not a new experience for Congresscritters. If you really want to do something, send them an actual letter on paper. If you don't send a letter on paper, it is highly likely that your support will be discounted as someone who is weakly attached to the issue. This is because, if you don't care enough to send a letter on paper, you are weakly attached to the issue.

The very mild inconvenience relative to, e.g., "RT for great justice!!1" is used as a bozo filter. Startups aimed at reducing barriers to entry in petitioning Congresscritters should consider carefully whether removing a functional bozo filter is desirable to a group whose opinion of their products is super-critical.

As an example of a previous technological innovation: a few groups discovered years ago that you can hook up a CGI script to a fax machine and then get anybody who submits a web form to fax a form letter about e.g. abortion to their representative. Congressional staff thought that was a very interesting development... for about ten minutes. After that, they were "measured by weight."

Re: Finally, a Startup Visa That Works

#97

Post by tghnjtghn »

philwelch wrote: post #87
tghnjtghn wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I worked for a european company that had a US sales office. It employed a receptionist and a US sales guy. If we added a cleaner the owner of the company now gets a US passport - was that what was intended? As it happens the owner currently spends the winter there (in Florida) on a three month tourist visa waiver - I suppose having a startup visa might make getting through immigration faster. He has a house, yacht an…

Hang on. No one is talking about automatic citizenship --and that is what a passport signifies. If the owner of your company had a permanent US residency visa, would the US be any the worse off?

No not in this case - but the visa is intended to start growth business, not just for people to hire a maid, pool boy and gardener and get a resident visa.

Re: Finally, a Startup Visa That Works

#98

Post by tghnjtghn »

muzz wrote: post #85
tghnjtghn wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's going to hit Vancouver - the place is currently full of startup people that couldn't get US visas

What notable startups have come out of this community in Vancouver?

What notable startups have come out of silicon valley in the last 10years? It's been a long time since HP, Apple, Sun appeared - a few people with a high traffic no income social web site doesn't make an industry however many $M/Bn it's notionally valued.

Re: Finally, a Startup Visa That Works

#99

Post by avichal »

Smirnoff wrote: post #88
ojbyrne wrote: post #3

All I can say is I find category 2 - Workers on an H-1B visa, or graduates from U.S. universities in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, or computer science—if they have an annual income of at least $30,000 or assets of at least $60,000 and have had a U.S. investor commit investment of at least $20,000 in their venture. Two years later, the startup must have created three new American jobs and either have…

My question is why this visa limiting to STEM majors only? What about business and finance majors? Aren't business students likely to start a company too?

2 reasons:

1) The goal of the bill is to hang on to entrepreneurs who will generate new value and create new jobs. To drive "real value" you have to improve business productivity, make information accessible that wasn't accessible before, automate things that were hard to automate previously, etc. These are almost always technical accomplishments first.

2) There is an oversupply of people on the business side and an undersupply of people on the engineering side. For the US to stay competitive it has to hang on to the technical talent.

Re: Finally, a Startup Visa That Works

#100

Post by dman »

muzz wrote: post #86
dman wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Great way to unlock innovation. No more of spending your 20's trying to get a green card.

Why would an innovator spend their 20s trying to get a green card, instead of innovating elsewhere?

Innovators are no supermen. Like everyone else they need a conducive and encouraging environment to realize their full potential. In reality location, laws, business culture, family ties and other factors contribute how successful we are, how mobile we are and whether we will move halfway around the world to be in the global maximum of business opportunity. Case in point what happens if you are a bloke with solid ideas and a great work ethic but are responsible for supporting a relative who is ill ? Also the US has stupid laws which prevent spouses of visa holders from working. Getting a green card helps you overcome that.
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