Looking for honest feedback on my O-1A chances before I engage an attorney. Field: AI / voice technology.
Background
- Born in India, currently Canadian permanent resident
- Cofounder & CTO of an AI voice startup in Manhattan (consulting CTO since 2022, full cofounder role thereafter)
- 10% equity in the company; current valuation ~$30M
Criteria I think I can hit (need 3 of 8):
- High salary — $200K base + $1M in stock options at the NYC startup. Plan to back this up with BLS/levels.fyi comparables for AI/CTO roles.
- Critical role for a distinguished org — Cofounder/CTO since 2022. Led the technical side through a $6.3M seed round. Can support with cap table, investor letters, and board confirmation.
- Judging — Judge at MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition and Business Intelligence Group awards.
- Membership — Forbes Technology Council (vetted membership, may or may not be accepted by USCIS — mixed reports).
- Published material about me — Funding coverage in WSJ Pro and Fortune.com. These are about the company's raise but quote/feature me as cofounder.
Any and all feedback welcome
u/Sensitive_Whole_9550 — 12 days ago