Sophie Alcorn Podcast

Before I dive into this week’s episode, I’d like to invite you to the live, spontaneous conversations about the world of immigration that my wonderful law firm partner, Anita Koumriqian, and I have on Clubhouse every Friday morning at 11 a.m. Pacific. Find us on Immigration for Innovation under the Silicon Valley Startups channel on Clubhouse. We hope you’ll join us!

Now, in this episode of Immigration Law for Tech Startups, Anita and I discuss an immigration form that less than a year ago, would not have warranted a full podcast episode dedicated to it: a Receipt Notice (Form I-797)—also called a Notice of Action. We talk about what it is, why it’s important, why U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is taking so long to send them, and what you can do.

Please share this episode with other companies, startup founders, international talent, or anyone who can benefit from it. Sign up for the Alcorn monthly newsletter to receive the latest immigration news and issues. Reach out to us if we can help you determine the best immigration options for yourself, your company, your employees or prospective employees, or your family whether in the U.S. or abroad.

• Receipt notices—what they are and why they’re important to immigration cases
• Some of the types and functions of receipt notices
• What’s included on a receipt notice
• What you can do with a receipt number
• How long USCIS was taking to send receipt notices pre-COVID-19 and how long now
• What types of immigration cases are affected
• A secret way to get your receipt number
• What employers and employees on F-1 waiting for STEM OPT extensions
• What to do if your application has been rejected
• What to do if you haven’t received a receipt notice

Don’t miss my upcoming conversations with top Silicon Valley venture capitalists, startup founders, professors, futurists, and thought leaders on Immigration Law for Tech Startups. Subscribe to this podcast here or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or whatever your favorite platform is. As always, we welcome your rating and review of this podcast. We appreciate your feedback!

Subscribe to the monthly Alcorn newsletter

Immigration Options for Talent, Investors, and Founders

Immigration Law for Tech Startups eBook

Extraordinary Ability Bootcamp course for best practices for securing the O-1A visa, EB-1A green card, or the EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) green card—the top options for startup founders. Use promotion code ILTS for 20% off the enrollment fee.

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EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

In this episode of Immigration Law for Tech Startups, I’m thrilled to be joined by Katie Lampert, who leads the talent acquisition and infrastructure group at General Catalyst, a venture capital firm that invests in seed to growth-stage startups.

A 20-year-old firm, General Catalyst, which is based in Cambridge, Mass., and has offices in New York, San Francisco, and Silicon Valley, is sector agnostic and invests in startups both in the U.S. and internationally. Katie’s group serves as a talent advisory to General Catalyst’s portfolio of companies. The group supports startups through the talent spectrum, from talent acquisition needs and compensation requirements to referrals to best-of-class recruiters to establishing company culture and best practices for creating positive employee experiences.

“The different inflection points that companies go through as they relate to talent and hiring is really exciting,” Katie says. “We say that we invest in powerful, positive change that endures, so we’re really looking at what makes an enduring company and what that means from a leadership perspective and a culture and values perspective.”

Katie shares her experience in the talent acquisition field and discusses trends for the future of work. “I’m excited to see what comes,” she says.

Please share this episode with international startup founders, professionals, or anyone who can benefit from it. Reach out to us if we can help you determine your immigration options whether you’re in the U.S. or abroad. We will soon start a feature in our monthly newsletter spotlighting an international startup founder who has made it in the United States. Don’t miss these inspiring success stories! Sign up here to receive our newsletter.

• How Katie got her start in talent acquisition
• Her experience doing leadership recruitment at Tesla
• How data analysis is used in talent acquisition and infrastructure
• General Catalyst and its investment focus
• What Katie does at General Catalyst
• Katie’s recruiting and hiring advice for early-stage startups
• How startups can create a culture committed to ensuring diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Trends shaping around whether to remain remote-first or return to work post-pandemic
• Katie’s take on the future of work

And don’t miss my upcoming conversations with other top technology thought leaders, venture capitalists, startup founders, professors, and futurists on Immigration Law for Tech Startups. Subscribe to this podcast here or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or whatever your favorite platform is. We welcome your rating and review! Thanks!

Connect with General Catalyst and subscribe to the company’s newsletter

From Alcorn Immigration Law:

• Subscribe to the Alcorn Immigration Law Newsletter
• Immigration Law for Tech Startups: Immigration, Global Mobility, Working from Home and the Future of Work
• Immigration Options Chart
• Immigration Law for Tech Startups eBook
• Extraordinary Ability Bootcamp course for best practices for securing the O-1A visa, EB-1A green card, or the EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) green card—the top options for startup founders. Use promotion code ILTS for 20% off the enrollment fee.

***

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

Before I dive into what you’ll hear in this episode of Immigration Law for Tech Startups, I want to highlight a few things:

• I’m looking for international startup founders who have a strong case for filing for Entrepreneur Parole, which is the closest status to a startup visa in the U.S. If your startup is a Delaware C-corp, you have at least a 10% stake, raised at least $300,000 from investors, and are interested in joining me on this journey, fill out this form. Even if you don’t qualify, fill out the form to stay on our interest list.
• I’m honored to have been selected to be a mentor at 500 Startups, a top global startup accelerator program. International startup founders, check out 500 Startups!

Now, on to the matter of holding two H-1B jobs (concurrent H-1Bs) that I discuss in detail in this episode of Immigration Law for Tech Startups.

An H-1B visa is tied to a specific job with a specific employer. However, there are no limits on the number of H-1B jobs an individual can hold and no minimum—or maximum—number of hours a person can work in an H-1B position. Given that, an individual can hold concurrent H-1B visas from different employers: You can keep your current H-1B job while creating your startup, which can sponsor you for a second H-1B and avoid the lottery. Or an employer can avoid the H-1B lottery if the employee gets an H-1B visa from a university, a nonprofit associated with a university, or another lottery exempt employer first.

Reach out to us if we can help you navigate the H-1B process.

Please share this episode with other companies, startup founders, international talent, or anyone who can benefit from it. We can help companies and talent determine the best immigration options whether in the U.S. or abroad.

• The requirements for an H-1B and a concurrent H-1B
• Why you should be careful when pursuing a concurrent H-1B
• What you need to consider before proceeding, particularly if you want to have your startup sponsor you for an H-1B while retailing an H-1B with another employer
• Unique requirements for H-1B from your startup
• The Open Avenues Foundation and its Global Talent Fellowship

Don’t miss my upcoming conversation with Danielle Goldman, executive director of Open Avenues Foundation, or any other top Silicon Valley venture capitalists, startup founders, professors, futurists, and thought leaders on Immigration Law for Tech Startups. Subscribe to this podcast here or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or whatever your favorite platform is. As always, we welcome your rating and review of this podcast. We appreciate your feedback!

Alcorn Immigration Law

• All About H-1Bs
• Alcorn Immigration Law’s YouTube Channel
• Immigration Law for Tech Startups eBook
• Extraordinary Ability Bootcamp course for best practices for securing the O-1A visa, EB-1A green card, or the EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) green card—the top options for startup founders. Use promotion code ILTS for 20% off the enrollment fee.
• What everyone at a startup needs to know about immigration
• Subscribe to the monthly newsletter
• If you’re affiliated with a university and could offer a cap-exempt H-1B similar to Open Avenues Foundation’s Global Talent Fellowship program, reach out to us.

Immigration Law for Tech Startups

• Episode 9: What Makes a Strong H-1B Petition
• Episode 11: Your Startup’s First H-1
• Episode 31: H-1B Nitty Gritty #2: H-1B Transfer for Startup Founders
• Subscribe to Immigration Law for Tech Startups

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EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

In this episode of Immigration Law for Tech Startups, my amazing colleagues, Anita Koumriqian, my law partner and a family immigration law expert, and Cori Farooqi, an associate attorney on our family immigration team, provide an update on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

Since January, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has been accepting new DACA applications and employment authorization (work permits) in addition to renewals. Anita and Cori talk about the requirements for filing for DACA for the first time and give a run down of the House and Senate bills that—if passed—will offer a path to citizenship for Dreamers.

Please share this episode with other companies, startup founders, international talent, or anyone who can benefit from it. Sign up for the Alcorn monthly newsletter to receive the latest on DACA and other immigration news.

Reach out to us if we can help you determine the best immigration options for yourself, your company, your employees or prospective employees, or your family whether in the U.S. or abroad.

• What Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is
• The highs and lows of DACA during the Trump administration
• Criteria for qualifying for DACA
• The one significant misdemeanor that could disqualify you from getting DACA
• Differences between the House and Senate bills

Don’t miss my upcoming conversations with top Silicon Valley venture capitalists, startup founders, professors, futurists, and thought leaders on Immigration Law for Tech Startups. Subscribe to this podcast here or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or whatever your favorite platform is. As always, we welcome your rating and review of this podcast. We appreciate your feedback!

American Immigration Council Fact Sheet on The Dream Act

Alcorn Immigration Law offerings

• Subscribe to the Alcorn newsletter
• DACA information page
• Citizenship Through Naturalization information page
• Immigration Law for Tech Startups: Becoming a U.S. Citizen: Naturalization and Citizenship
• Immigration Law for Tech Startups eBook
• Extraordinary Ability Bootcamp course for best practices for securing the O-1A visa, EB-1A green card, or the EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) green card—the top options for startup founders. Use promotion code ILTS for 20% off the enrollment fee.
• Subscribe to the monthly newsletter

***

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

Before I dive into this week’s episode, I want to take a moment to let you all know that I’m looking for international startup founders to be guinea pigs for filing for what’s called entrepreneur parole under the International Entrepreneur Rule (IER). The IER was created through an executive order after President Obama was unable to persuade Congress to create a startup visa and was finalized during the waning days of his administration. The Trump administration took action to do away with it but didn’t follow the proper procedure to do so, and the rule remains on the books. Take a look at the requirements for the rule, and contact me here if you think your case would serve as a strong one under the IER.

Now, back to this episode of Immigration Law for Tech Startups. I’m absolutely thrilled to be joined by Lilly Wahl-Tuco, a U.S. diplomat and innovator.

For 15 years, Lilly has been a foreign service officer with the U.S. Department of State in variety of positions, serving in Paris, Skopje, Sarajevo, and Washington, D.C.  In 2012, she co-founded Balancing Act, an innovative group that helped modernize HR policies at the State Department  by advocating for programs and policies that improved and continue to improve the work-life balance of employees. 

The State Department operates the U.S. embassies and consulates where foreign service officers process visas and green cards for individuals living outside of the United States. In fact, Lilly’s first assignment was conducting visa interviews at the U.S. Embassy in Paris. What many people may not know is that through its embassies and consulates, the State Department also organizes and sponsors entrepreneurship events, programs, and grants to inspire budding entrepreneurs in the host countries, as well as facilitate exchanges with the U.S. Lilly served as the State Department’s first Environment, Science, Technology and Health (ESTH) officer U.S. Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“What I tell entrepreneurs that I meet is ‘Inch-by-inch, it’s a cinch,’” says Lilly. “A mentor taught me that. You gotta start small and really think about what you want to do...what are you trying to accomplish and can you get there in small increments?”

Please share this episode with aspiring entrepreneurs, startup founders, or anyone who can benefit from it. Reach out to us if we can help you determine your immigration options whether you’re in the U.S. or abroad.

• Lily’s journey from Naples, Italy, to life as a foreign diplomat with the State Department
• Her first assignment as a foreign diplomat, and subsequent assignments
• Lily’s lessons learned during her career journey
• What it’s like to be a visa or green card interviewer at a U.S. embassy or consulate
• How she helped co-found Balancing Act
• The “cones” of foreign service
• Resources and programs that the State Department offers to international entrepreneurs

Don’t miss my upcoming conversations with other top technology thought leaders, venture capitalists, startup founders, professors, and futurists on Immigration Law for Tech Startups. Subscribe to this podcast here or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or whatever your favorite platform is. We welcome your rating and review!

A few of the U.S. Department of State’s entrepreneurship programs and grants (more detail can be found on specific embassy websites):

• Office of Policy and Public Outreach
• Resources for Entrepreneurs
• International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP)
• Young Transatlantic Innovation Leaders Initiative (YTILI)
• African Women’s Entrepreneurship Program (AWEP)
• Global Innovation through Science and Technology (GIST)
• Open Grant Solicitations (Check your local U.S. Embassy website)
• Global Entrepreneurship Summits (Check your local U.S. Embassy website)
• Global Entrepreneurship Week is in November (Check your local U.S. Embassy for events)

“Balancing Act’s Formula for Driving Institutional Change” by Lillian Wahl-Tuco

Alcorn Immigration Law publications and courses:

• Subscribe to the Alcorn Immigration Law Newsletter
• Immigration Options Chart
• Immigration Law for Tech Startups eBook
• Extraordinary Ability Bootcamp course for best practices for securing the O-1A visa, EB-1A green card, or the EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) green card—the top options for startup founders. Use promotion code ILTS for 20% off the enrollment fee.

***

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

In this episode of Immigration Law for Tech Startups, I’m absolutely thrilled to be joined by Danielle Goldman, executive director of Open Avenues Foundation.

Open Avenues Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that Danielle co-founded in 2018 with her father, Jeff Goldman, a business immigration attorney. Open Avenues creates a path for international talent to contribute to the innovation economy in the United States and educate the future STEM workforce on a cap-exempt H-1B.

Under its Global Talent Fellowship program, Open Avenues hires international professionals to teach university students in the U.S.under a cap-exempt H-1B, which allows companies to sponsor these international professionals for a concurrent H-1B thereby avoiding the timing restrictions and randomness of the annual H-1B lottery. Listen to find out how to apply to this fellowship, whether you’re an international professional or a company looking to sponsor an individual for an H-1B, and how to reach Danielle to discuss options.

Please share this episode with international startup founders, professionals, or anyone who can benefit from it. Reach out to us if we can help you determine your immigration options whether you’re in the U.S. or abroad.

We will soon be starting a feature in our monthly newsletter spotlighting an international startup founder who has made it in the United States. Don’t miss these inspiring success stories! Sign up here to receive our newsletter.

• How Open Avenues Foundation’s program works and how international talent, the companies who want to hire or retain them, and university students all benefit
• Global International Entrepreneur-in-Residence programs and why they are difficult to scale
• The four organization types that are exempt from the once-a-year H-1B lottery
• Concurrent H-1Bs
• What professional and educational backgrounds Open Avenues Foundation looks for in international talent it accepts into its H-1B fellowship program
• Danielle’s wish list for policy changes she would like to see in the H-B visa program

And don’t miss my upcoming conversations with other top technology thought leaders, venture capitalists, startup founders, professors, and futurists on Immigration Law for Tech Startups. Subscribe to this podcast here or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or whatever your favorite platform is. We welcome your rating and review!

Open Avenues Foundation’s Global Talent Fellowship

McKinsey & Co.’s May 2020 report, Diversity wins: How inclusion matters

Alcorn Immigration Law publications and courses:

• Subscribe to the Alcorn Immigration Law Newsletter
• All About H-1Bs
• Immigration Options Chart
• Immigration Law for Tech Startups eBook
• Extraordinary Ability Bootcamp course for best practices for securing the O-1A visa, EB-1A green card, or the EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) green card—the top options for startup founders. Use promotion code ILTS for 20% off the enrollment fee.

***

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

In this episode of Immigration Law for Tech Startups, I’m joined by my amazing colleague, Nadia Zaidi, an associate attorney and a member of our business team at Alcorn Immigration Law. We discuss what sponsoring employers should do after the H-1B lottery, whether their H-1B candidate was selected—or not.

We layout the H-1B petition filing timeline and things you should consider when putting together an H-1B petition. If your candidate was selected, and you haven’t done so already, we recommend hiring an experienced immigration attorney right away. We also offer up a host of other options to those employers and their prospective employees who were not selected in the lottery, so don’t panic! We’ve got you covered! If you’re in this situation, we also recommend you consult an experienced immigration attorney to discuss these and potentially other options based on your situation and that of your current or prospective employee.

Reach out to us if we can help you navigate the H-1B filing process or find alternatives to the annual H-1B lottery. If you’re affiliated with a university and could offer a cap-exempt H-1B similar to Open Avenues Foundation’s Global Talent Fellowship program, we’d love to hear from you, too. If you’re an international founder whose startup was founded in the past three years, fill out this form if you’d like us to consider taking you on as a client to apply for a startup visa under the International Entrepreneur Rule (IER).

Please share this episode with other companies, startup founders, international talent, or anyone who can benefit from it. We can help companies and talent determine the best immigration options whether in the U.S. or abroad.

• The timeline for submitting a full H-1B application and the earliest start date for the H-1B candidate and things the H-1B candidate and employer should consider
• Decisions you need to make before starting the application process
• Why we recommend that H-1B candidates already in the U.S. remain here if they can
• Why we recommend going with premium processing
• General tips for filing a full H-1B petition
• What H-1B candidates and employers should expect for next year’s H-1B lottery process
• Options for employers and H-1B candidates who weren’t selected in the lottery
• The International Entrepreneur Rule, the closest thing the U.S. has to a startup visa.
• The shift next year to a wage-based H-1B selection process
• Cap-exempt H-1B through programs such as the one offered by Open Avenues Foundation
• EllisX, which can help startups and their founders get media coverage and speaking engagements that can help international founders qualify for an extraordinary ability visa or green card

Don’t miss my upcoming conversation with Danielle Goldman, executive director of Open Avenues Foundation, or any other conversation with top Silicon Valley venture capitalists, startup founders, professors, futurists, and thought leaders on Immigration Law for Tech Startups. Subscribe to this podcast here or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or whatever your favorite platform is. As always, we welcome your rating and review of this podcast. We appreciate your feedback!

Alcorn Immigration Law Quiz will evaluate what type of visa you’d qualify for and set up a consultation with us

Curious to Test IER with Alcorn form for international startup founders to evaluate whether you would serve as a good test case for a startup visa

Alcorn Immigration Law publications, blog posts, info, and courses

• All About H-1Bs
• Immigration Options Chart
• Immigration Law for Tech Startups eBook
• Didn’t Win in the H-1B Lottery? Now What?
• Extraordinary Ability Bootcamp course for best practices for securing the O-1A visa, EB-1A green card, or the EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) green card—the top options for startup founders. Use promotion code ILTS for 20% off the enrollment fee.
• What everyone at a startup needs to know about immigration
• Nonimmigrant (temporary) visa options: F-1, E-2, J-1, L-1, B-1
• Marriage-based immigrant visa (green card)

Immigration Law for Tech Startups

• Episode 9: What Makes a Strong H-1B Petition
• Episode 11: Your Startup’s First H-1
• Episode 3: The Different Types of Nonimmigrant Visas
• Episode 4: An Overview of the Green Card Process
• Episode 44: 7 of the Most Startup-Friendly Visas Explained

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EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

In this episode of Immigration Law for Tech Startups, my amazing law partner, Anita Koumriqian, who is an expert in family immigration law matters, talks with Lydia Hsu and Kara Foster, the co-founders of Foster Hsu, LLP, a family law firm based in San Jose. Founded in 2019, Foster Hsu offers a full range of family legal services, including prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, domestic violence, divorce, and child custody.

Lydia and Kara primarily discuss prenups, postnups, and divorce, and issues to consider when a soon-to-be spouse, spouse, or soon-to-be ex-spouse is an immigrant, and where family immigration law takes precedence over family law.

Anita points out that for marriage-based green cards, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officers want to see that couples are commingling funds in a joint bank account, which points to a good-faith marriage. If you are commingling funds, own property, own equity in a startup or own a business or all of the above, you should talk with a family law attorney before getting married—or it’s too late for that—talk with a family law attorney about a postnuptial agreement, particularly if you live in a community property state like California, say Lydia and Kara.

“A prenup may not be right for you,” says Kara, “but at least you should be educated going into a marriage and know what you’re going to be responsible for, what your obligations are going to be, and how California is going to treat your property, assets, and income during the marriage. We have a lot of people coming in later for a divorce saying, ‘If I knew this, I would have done everything differently.’”

Please share this episode with individuals who are engaged or anyone else who can benefit from it. Reach out to us if we can help you determine your immigration options whether you’re in the U.S. or abroad.

• What prenuptial and postnuptial agreements are and what each agreement typically covers
• Why prenups are more common these days 
• What it means to live in a community property state like California
• Options for structuring spousal support
• What USCIS prefers to see in marriage-based green card cases
• Whether prenups and postnups are public record, and can they negatively impact an immigration case
• Whether each individual should be represented by her/his own attorney when drawing up a prenup or postnup
• Some of the reasons why prenups or postnups end up in court
• How to keep costs down when working with a family law attorney on a prenup, postnup, or divorce
• The effect the Affidavit of Support in a marriage-based green card petition has on spousal support in a prenuptial agreement and divorce settlement
• Whether a prenup or a postnup should be translated into the native language of the individuals
• What immigrants should know about the divorce process in the U.S. and enforceability of prenups and postnups
• What happens when a sponsoring spouse threatens to have the immigrant spouse deported

Don’t miss my upcoming conversations with other top technology thought leaders, venture capitalists, startup founders, professors, and futurists on Immigration Law for Tech Startups. Subscribe to this podcast here or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or whatever your favorite platform is. We welcome your rating and review!

Foster Hsu, LLP

Immigration Law for Tech Startups Podcasts

• Episode 13: Show the Love: Family-based Alternatives for Technology Professionals
• Episode 49: Never Do This in Immigration – Family

Alcorn Immigration Law information, publications and courses:

• Path to Green Card handout
• Family green card options
• Subscribe to the Alcorn Immigration Law Newsletter
• Immigration Options Chart
• Immigration Law for Tech Startups eBook

Extraordinary Ability Bootcamp course for best practices for securing the O-1A visa, EB-1A green card, or the EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) green card—the top options for startup founders. Use promotion code ILTS for 20% off the enrollment fee.

***

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

If you’re listening to this episode, then you’ve made it through one year of the pandemic. This shared collective human experience has shown me how connected we all are. I’m honored to be connected to you.

In this episode of Immigration Law for Tech Startups, I discuss immigration strategies and the future of work, particularly as the pace of technological change accelerates and the widespread adoption of remote working during the pandemic.

Even before the pandemic, many of our clients preferred having an online meeting with us rather than driving one to two hours depending on traffic from San Francisco to Mountain View in Silicon Valley, where our office is located. But is a fully distributed workforce a good thing? What’s gained and what’s lost? And what are the implications of the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 if it passes? I discuss this and more in this episode. Take a listen and let me know your thoughts on the future of work by leaving a comment below.

Please reach out to us if we can help you navigate the immigration process. Share this episode with anyone you think will benefit from it. We can help you determine your best immigration options whether you’re in the U.S. or abroad. We’d be honored to play a role in your journey to achieve the life of your dreams in the United States.

• The work trends that were accelerated by and during the pandemic
• What companies should consider when determining future in-person vs. remote working strategies
• What strategies employers should consider when hiring and retaining international employees
• What international entrepreneurs with a startup abroad should consider before deciding whether or not to come to the U.S. and/or open an office in the U.S.
• The strategies international talent should think about if the goal is living and working in the U.S.
• New trends in the Silicon Valley ecosystem and whether they may last post-pandemic
• Implications of the proposed U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 for work visas and employment-based green cards if the legislation is passed

Don’t miss my upcoming conversations with top Silicon Valley venture capitalists, startup founders, professors, futurists, and thought leaders on Immigration Law for Tech Startups. Subscribe to this podcast here or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or whatever your favorite platform is. As always, we welcome your rating and review of this podcast. We appreciate your feedback!

Alcorn Immigration Law publications, blog posts, and courses

• Immigration Options Chart
• Immigration Law for Tech Startups eBook
• Extraordinary Ability Bootcamp course for best practices for securing the O-1A visa, EB-1A green card, or the EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) green card—the top options for startup founders. Use promotion code ILTS for 20% off the enrollment fee.

Immigration Law for Tech Startups

• Episode 12: The Visa Options All Recruiters Should Know
• Episode 39: Startup Law with Attorney Lindsey Mignano
• Episode 41: Investing in Immigrant Entrepreneurs with VC Carmen Palafox
• Episode 56: Global Innovation with Tim Draper
• Episode 57: 11 Tips for Companies to Support Valued Humans
• Episode XX: Esther Tricoche

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EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcityp1ro.com

In this episode of Immigration Law for Tech Startups, I’m absolutely thrilled to be joined by Esther Tricoche, director of investments at Kapor Capital, the venture capital investment arm of the Kapor Center for Social Impact based in Oakland.

Kapor Capital invests in tech-driven, early-stage startups that expand access and opportunities to low-income communities or communities of color in the U.S. Esther focuses on investments in other VC funds that share Kapor Capital’s values.

During our discussion, Esther shared her origin story of growing up in Houston under the poverty line. “I had no idea what venture capital was,” she says. “Venture capital wasn’t on my radar until after college.”

However, once the VC world came onto her radar, she quickly excelled in that world. By the age of 30, Esther had deployed $150 million in investment funds, had co-founded an edtech accelerator and venture fund, and was featured in Forbes 30 under 30 in education.

Listen to Esther discuss how diverse teams drive better financial outcomes, surprising new research from Pitchbook about female founders and CEOs, her words of wisdom for founders, and what she expects—and hopes for—in 2021.

Please share this episode with aspiring entrepreneurs, startup founders, or anyone who can benefit from it. Reach out to us if we can help you determine your immigration options whether you’re in the U.S. or abroad.

• Esther’s origin story and early career in devising human rights policy, education policy, funding and supporting edtech startups, and later social enterprises expanding around the globe
• How Hurricanes Harvey and Maria in 2017 prompted a pivotal shift in her career
• What international cities are the biggest entrepreneurial hotspots, and why investors in those markets are similar to VC market in Atlanta
• Esther’s assessment of where the biggest investment gaps are in emerging markets
• Kapor Capital’s investment philosophy
• Esther’s focus at Kapor Capital
• How diverse teams drive better financial outcomes
• Interesting trends in a recent report published by Pitchbook
• Why a lot of VC funds are focusing on immigrant founders
• Esther’s words of wisdom for founders
• What she expects in 2021

Don’t miss my upcoming conversations with other top technology thought leaders, venture capitalists, startup founders, professors, and futurists on Immigration Law for Tech Startups. Subscribe to this podcast here or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or whatever your favorite platform is. We welcome your rating and review of this podcast.

Kapor Capital

Kauffman Foundation

Pitchbook’s All In: Female Founders and CEOs in the US VC Ecosystem

Alcorn Immigration Law publications and courses:

• Subscribe to the Alcorn Immigration Law Newsletter
• Immigration Options Chart
• Immigration Law for Tech Startups eBook
• Extraordinary Ability Bootcamp course for best practices for securing the O-1A visa, EB-1A green card, or the EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) green card—the top options for startup founders. Use promotion code ILTS for 20% off the enrollment fee.

TechCrunch column:

What everyone at a startup needs to know about immigration

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EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com