This is really the key here. It doesn't matter where you are from. What matters is what you can do (or, in the case of proving to people that you are competent,

This is really the key here. It doesn't matter where you are from. What matters is what you can do (or, in the case of proving to people that you are competent, what you have done). Do some small thing well to show that you have a chance at doing something bigger just as well. This is how life works, not just startups.