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I've been _soooo_ frustrated by this, running http://www.hackersandfounders.com http://www.hackersandfounders.com . I can't tell you how many amazing entrepren

I've been _soooo_ frustrated by this, running http://www.hackersandfounders.com 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 platform to mobilize people about this issue. Just text "startupvisa" to 894546. They've build a hella cool twilio app, that texts you back, verifies that you are a registered voter in the US. If you are, they_print_out_your_text_message and hand carry it to your senators and representative in congress. It's friggin genius. Please, pass the word. Hell. I'll start another thread specifically for this. If you are a voting US citizen: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2324232 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2324232 If you are a foreign entrepreneur who wants to get a visa to the US, please help us promote this issue, so you can get a visa. Craig Montuori set up a tumblr to tell stories of Entrepreneurs that haven't been able to start companies in the US because of visa issues. Contact him at http://startupvisa.tumblr.com/ http://startupvisa.tumblr.com/, or cmontuori@gmail.com .

HistoryInAction 16y ago
Thanks :)
tptacek 16y ago
How exactly does the message delivery work?
- HistoryInAction 16y ago
  The details are proprietary, so I don't know them. Having used the system, you validate your identity through sending the Votizen system your last name, city, and zip, which also identifies your specific elected officials to contact.
- iamelgringo 16y ago
  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 message delivery is in meat space, foot work.
  - patio11 16y ago
    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."
  - shawnharmon 16y ago
    Excellent points.
muzz 16y ago
Looks like a only 2 stories of entrepreneurs dealing with visa issues on that tumblr
- HistoryInAction 16y ago
  I just launched it a few days ago, gimme some time :) also pass along stories please!
  - muzz 16y ago
    If entrepreneurs shunned from the US have started great companies elsewhere, there should be plenty of examples from the past.
    - HistoryInAction 16y ago
      Definitely in the works. Got a contact at Andreesen Horowitz who is picking the brains of some Barcelona startups along those lines. Nothing definite yet in that category there of "jobs lost to US through visa problems the Startup Visa would solve"

HistoryInAction 16y ago

Thanks :)

tptacek 16y ago

How exactly does the message delivery work?

HistoryInAction 16y ago
The details are proprietary, so I don't know them. Having used the system, you validate your identity through sending the Votizen system your last name, city, and zip, which also identifies your specific elected officials to contact.
iamelgringo 16y ago
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 message delivery is in meat space, foot work.
- patio11 16y ago
  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."
- shawnharmon 16y ago
  Excellent points.

muzz 16y ago

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

HistoryInAction 16y ago
I just launched it a few days ago, gimme some time :) also pass along stories please!
- muzz 16y ago
  If entrepreneurs shunned from the US have started great companies elsewhere, there should be plenty of examples from the past.
  - HistoryInAction 16y ago
    Definitely in the works. Got a contact at Andreesen Horowitz who is picking the brains of some Barcelona startups along those lines. Nothing definite yet in that category there of "jobs lost to US through visa problems the Startup Visa would solve"