4 ms·

Paul's been pretty active here in saying that he doesn't think that coming from a brand name college is important. Oh, and by the way, "Ivy" isn't the word you

by wheels 18y ago

Paul's been pretty active here in saying that he doesn't think that coming from a brand name college is important. Oh, and by the way, "Ivy" isn't the word you want. MIT and Stanford for instance aren't "Ivy". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivy_League#Members http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivy_League#Members I'm certain that there have been English and Canadian teams accepted, so I think your inhibitions are unfounded. More problematic would be getting your visa sorted out. Also note that YC accepts less than 10% of applicants, so you shouldn't bank on being accepted. Figure out your plans with or without YC and how you'd go through with it either way.

azharcs 18y ago
yup very much true. Visa is the biggest problem after being accepted.
- jkent 18y ago
  On a 3-month tourist/business visa, it's not a big problem, assuming you have a clean record - just a form, a wait and $131. You should assume that you won't be able to stay in the USA afterwards though.
  - rmanocha 18y ago
    Do you/somebody-else know the process by which somebody from outside the US can continue to work in the US?? Is there a specific Visa we would need to apply for. I always thought it was easy for founders to continue working in the US - it was only hard for people coming to work for existing companies...
    - alain94040 18y ago
      The main challenge with working in the US is that you can only get a work permit if you can show that you have enough money to pay yourself at market rates. Which, in places like Silicon Valley, can mean $100k/year. Usually, your startup does not have that kind of cash. So you have a problem. A quick summary of visas: H1: the most common. As long as there is a US company and they can pay you market rates, it works in theory, except there are no visas available, due to quotas, except a few days a year. It's crazy. L1: that only works if you are transferring from one foreign corporation to a related entity (branch, headquarters, etc...). Highly unlikely for startups E1: if your country of origin has a special treaty with the US, and you have established reasonable business, you can send yourself on a mission to start the US branch of your business. That visa is very convenient and has fairly open guidelines, but it very rare. Alain - fairsoftware.net

by wheels 18y ago

azharcs 18y ago

yup very much true. Visa is the biggest problem after being accepted.

jkent 18y ago
On a 3-month tourist/business visa, it's not a big problem, assuming you have a clean record - just a form, a wait and $131. You should assume that you won't be able to stay in the USA afterwards though.
- rmanocha 18y ago
  Do you/somebody-else know the process by which somebody from outside the US can continue to work in the US?? Is there a specific Visa we would need to apply for. I always thought it was easy for founders to continue working in the US - it was only hard for people coming to work for existing companies...
  - alain94040 18y ago
    The main challenge with working in the US is that you can only get a work permit if you can show that you have enough money to pay yourself at market rates. Which, in places like Silicon Valley, can mean $100k/year. Usually, your startup does not have that kind of cash. So you have a problem. A quick summary of visas: H1: the most common. As long as there is a US company and they can pay you market rates, it works in theory, except there are no visas available, due to quotas, except a few days a year. It's crazy. L1: that only works if you are transferring from one foreign corporation to a related entity (branch, headquarters, etc...). Highly unlikely for startups E1: if your country of origin has a special treaty with the US, and you have established reasonable business, you can send yourself on a mission to start the US branch of your business. That visa is very convenient and has fairly open guidelines, but it very rare. Alain - fairsoftware.net