How Can The Startup Visa Be Improved Upon?
from the fixing-it-bit-by-bit dept
When the startup visa was first put forth by Paul Graham, I was a big supporter. When Brad Feld took the idea and got political support for it, I was still a big supporter. But when the bill was actually introduced, I expressed some serious worries about it -- specifically over the fact that it was entirely focused on enterpreneurs who could raise a certain amount of money. As I noted, there were some potentially serious unintended consequences of requiring enterpreneurs to raise a specific amount of money just to stay in the country. The leverage between enterpreneurs and VCs can be a delicate enough balance without adding in the fact that you might get deported if you don't take the deal being handed to you.While many of the people I know and respect in the industry have been vocal champions of the current bill, it was good to see at least someone make a big deal of these serious deficiencies in the bill. Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry wrote up a post for Business Insider that basically reflects this same viewpoint. We both think that a startup/entrepreneur visa makes a ton of sense, and it's something the country needs, but we're a bit worried by the current bill, which seems entirely focused on venture capital, rather than actual entrepreneurship.
Some have responded and suggested that this is better than nothing, but I'm not entirely convinced of that. A bad bill with unintended consequences could create more harm than good and could derail future attempts to put forth more serious (and needed) reform.
In the end, I think (former VC) Jeff Nolan put it best: this is a "well-intentioned bad idea that shouldn't be stopped." The real thing is that it should be fixed. Now, some of the bill's supporters have suggested that the problems with this bill are necessary, in that it's the only way they'll get passed, but that seems like a defeatist attitude. We have an opportunity to actually get this right and to bring smart entrepreneurs who can create a lot of jobs and tremendous value to the US. We shouldn't rush it through in the easiest manner possible: we should focus on getting it right, even if it takes more effort.
Update: It looks like the folks at the Kaufman Foundation have had similar concerns as well, supporting the concept, but worried about tying it to funding. They suggest an alternative, focused on job creation:
Here's a way to improve on the Kerry-Lugar plan. Create a true "job creator's visa," one tied directly and only to job creation by new immigrant entrepreneurs. The visa could be a temporary one for immigrants already here on another visa who establish a business. It could then be extended if the firm hires at least one American non-family resident. The visa should become permanent once the enterprise crosses a certain job threshold (such as five or 10 workers). But it would not be tied to financing.
There are plenty of immigrants who might qualify: the one million skilled foreign workers now here on H1-B visas who otherwise must go home after six years, as well as the roughly 60,000 foreign students who earn degrees at American universities each year. These are far larger numbers than those who could qualify under the Kerry-Lugar proposal.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: enterpreneurs, entrepreneur visa, immigration, startup visa, startups, venture capitalists, visas
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
just another scam like copyright/patents
Unless your established already in the USA YOUR SCREWED
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: just another scam like copyright/patents
That comment assumes the USA is the only country in which to start a business.
Frankly there are quite a few more I would prefer to live in (IMHO).
That would appear to be the problem the billl attempts to address - they will indeed not start a business in the USA. Another counrty will instead benefit.
"Unless your established already in the USA - THE USA IS SCREWED" Fixed that for ya :)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Actually, I'm a fan of eliminating almost all the restrictions entirely, but politics being politics, I think the above offers the best combination of political palatability and actual improvement.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
How about
Moving between countries should be as easy as moving between states.
Right now, corporations use national borders to screw workers.
If you're "legal" in the country you want to be in, they should let you in. They don't have to guarantee you anything except that you're allowed to leave.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Oh snap...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
The Elephant In The Room
A significant majority of the population of your country, my country and almost every other country on the planet are opposed to foreigners settling there for any reason. The reason for this is quite simple: Foreigners are Different, and the human psyche is wired to be instinctively afraid of people who are Different.
The total percentage of the world's population who are either incapable of overruling their instincts based on logic and reason or who don't bother to try almost certainly amounts to more than half.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: The Elephant In The Room
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: The Elephant In The Room
And yes, it is absurd. It's irrational, it's counter-productive and it's resulted in the wilfully callous and degrading treatment of tens of thousands of people. But good luck getting elected after saying so in public.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Good Idea But Could It Lower Capital Availability For Others?
Very good insight.
I think a better means of determining who should be allowed into America would be to test a broad range of skill areas relevant to their ability to succeed. This is something which Kaufman Foundation would be well suited to help draft and then have job creation milestones.
One concern I have about this is could it lower capital availability for American entrepreneurs.
Ronald J. Riley,
I am speaking only on my own behalf.
Affiliations:
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 / (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Population Growth
So allowing high value immigration is good but allowing others probably is not wise. Just as America has not lived within our means for some time the same is even more true in countries which consistently reproduce beyond the ability of their land to sustain them.
Ronald J. Riley,
I am speaking only on my own behalf.
Affiliations:
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 / (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
H1B Abuse & Assuring That This Is Not Abused
I do not think that immigrants should be totally banned from being employed but that it should be limited and that companies who employ one of these immigrants should have restrictions on doing so serially if those they employed are unsuccessful and expelled.
Ronald J. Riley,
I am speaking only on my own behalf.
Affiliations:
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 / (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Employers can legally discriminate against qualified Americans
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Startup Visa Scam
Read here: http://www.unitefamilies.org/
[ link to this | view in chronology ]