H1 Founders - Immigrant Founder Mentorship with Sid Sarasvati

Before H1Founders, I couldn't even name what was holding me back — I just knew I had a real passion for building something that serves my community and no idea how to turn that into a company. The thing I'd been avoiding was getting honest about where I actually stand: my visa status, my finances, and the process requirements I kept filing under "figure it out later." Writing it all down turned a vague fear into a checklist I could actually work through. So to any H1B founder who's nervous about starting: the visa is a constraint to plan around, not a verdict on whether you get to build. Most of the fear comes from not knowing the rules rather than from the rules themselves — find the people who've done it, ask the uncomfortable questions early, and start before you feel ready.

Launch Club cohort was amazing ❤️ I was stuck trying to decided whether to form a company or not due to all the legal challenges. Sid helped clarify and make the challenges clear for us. Sid also helped give all the details required to go forward with filing H1b fro m your own company if required. Would highly recommend.

I had been planning to start my own company for a while but kept getting stuck due to various immigration-related questions. Joining this cohort helped me get all those doubts clarified. During the program, I was able to register my company, set up my DUNS number, and complete several other important steps. The cohort also created a strong sense of accountability, with Sid regularly checking in on my progress and keeping me on track.

I’ve been wanting to start my business because I wanted more ownership over my time, impact, and future. As someone on a visa, I constantly found misleading information online and didn’t feel like there was real support or reliable resources. That’s when I came across H1B Founders. Working with Sid and being part of the cohort shifted my mindset from overthinking to execution mode. Sid would say, “This is the easy part,” and reminded us that our focus should be on actually building the business instead of getting stuck worrying about visa details and other small uncertainties. That perspective, along with the structure and accountability of the cohort, is what helped me the most.

Highly recommend Sid’s cohort. Its really a great forcing function for you to get started and throw away your inertial fears.

+ What were you stuck on before H1Founders? I knew I could create and own a company, but I thought I _had_ to hire someone else to work on my business idea. I wasn't aware of the fact that USCIS had lifted some restrictions in 2025/01 and allowed H1B founders to own 100% of the company and allow that company to sponsor H1B visa for the founder. Being part of the Cohort 3, and seeing Sid's journey sponsoring himself was a key motivator for me to seriously kick off my process. Even if I had known about the loosening of USCIS restrictions, I would've still struggled to make choices about how to create the company, the state to create in, LLC vs. C-Corp, etc. Being part of the Cohort and Sid's clear instructions and pro-tips made it very easy to make those decisions. + What specific action did you take that you'd been avoiding? Many actions that I would've avoided for a long time: + Created the company (Via Stripe Atlas, which made _most_ of the things easy) + Created corporate bank account + Funded my company with my own funds + Applied for and received DUNS number (for App Store registrations) + Picked an attorney an Initiated H1B filing process + What would you tell an H1B founder nervous about starting out? Outsource and don't worry about the procedural/menial stuff. Use AI/ChatGPT to get your questions answered, create corporate documents, communications, etc.

I was part of launch club cohort 2 group and had a wonderful time with Sid and other folks in the group. I did learn a lot about C-corp entity creation and nuances involved in it. I would recommend this to anyone who is starting out on their start up journey

I always knew I wanted to start my startup, I spoke to Sid in June. Sid just showed me it can happen, it’s possible and that’s all you need to know! Knowing a startup journey is possible as an immigrant was the biggest support Sid showed and over time I could reach out to the H1B group for sharing road blocks and connect with likeminded on a tough day!

The session was excellent — we had the opportunity to speak with a wide range of experts, from attorneys to tax advisors. I highly recommend everyone to attend