am sure I'll get genuine answers here. thanks for reading this.
You may feel you are not founder material yet. Break that down into exactly what you don't have going for you. Then, learn it as you go. Marketing, for example, really isn't black magic. Pricing is not black magic.
(If I can make a quick comment based on my previous professional dealings with Indian companies: "We're the cheapest possible price!" is a terrible, terrible way to position yourself. However, the fact that you have the cheapest possible living standards among similarly situated software firms means you will hit ramen profitability, or curry profitability if you'd rather, much faster than the rest of us will when charging the same price. That is sort of nice.)
Take this and all other advice (including the advice you're relying on to make your determination that you are not founder material) with a grain of salt.
37 signals does have customers outside the US but I suppose its a small figure.
To move to the United States the J1 is the best, in my opinion : nearly no taxes, affordable (~$1,000). But it's limited to 18 months, once in your life.
As for H1B, two problems (for startups) :
- you need a lawyer, and it's a bit expensive. Count at least k$2~3 in legals.
- you need to pay a decent wage. For a software engineer I don't think you can go anywhere below $5,400 a month (it depends on the state, that's in NY...). Anyway it's nowhere in the "surviving on ramen" ballpark.
That's the route my folks took, though from Germany, so it might be different for you (with per-country quotas and whatnot).
Chances are that you'll have to go the H1B route. Which ain't pretty, because most employers automatically ignore job applications with those dreaded letters.
You'll save yourself a bunch of time and trouble by researching the companies that do employ on H1B. Meebo is one: http://gigaom.com/2008/07/05/meebos-jen-how-to-find-hard-to-... .
Also, mention the need for H1B as early as possible in the application process (cover letter is a good place), so that you don't ace the interviews only to get rejected for that reason. Another possibility is to offer to pay the legal costs of H1B applications (in the region of US$5000).
The plan for returning here was to start something of own.
One of my key reasons for returning was the cumbersome H1B/GC process. After living in the US for five+ years I was still three years away from getting a GC. And this is hugely limiting if you want to work for a real early-stage startup which is where the real excitement is.. and they can rarely sponsor H1Bs.
There is an article by Paul Graham on Founders Visa - http://www.paulgraham.com/foundervisa.html. Honestly, until this becomes are reality I would say that having a H1B and looking for work with a real YC kind of startup is not really feasible and rarely works out.
I do not have answers for the questions you have asked above. But I can share some of my experiences of working full-time in Mumbai, Bangalore and the SF Bay Area.
One thing you have got right for the startup mindset is your desire not to work in the kind of onsite/services jobs that the "big" IT firms from India provide. If you feel you would like to explore some creative/innovative technology start-up type of work there is a good chance you'll have to form your own team and take the leap. While I agree with you that the start-up culture in India is different - I'm not sure I can completely grasp what you mean by efforts/returns ratio is inadequate. "Returns" is very subjective.
I think if you work on some of the strengths of having a start-up in India but with global reach and applications - then there is no reason why you would not be able to get adequate returns as well as the kind of satisfaction.. if that is also something that you are looking for.
I'm available on email to discuss this further..
I could go on.
I guess at the end of the day it all depends on the problem you are looking to solve or the "big idea". For e.g. If your startup is about making it easier for suburban residents to interact with their neighbors or promote neighborhood activities - Mumbai would be the wrong place to start that startup. But if you are looking at implementing infrastructure technologies for dense urban setups than Napa Valley, CA wouldn't be ideal.
The criteria for O-1 are particularly tough - after all, you have to prove you're extraordinary and world class in your field. I suspect David's application was based significantly around him being the Google/O'Reilly Hacker of the Year 2005. You need to be at the top of your industry (or be talked about as if you were) to get one of those babies..
At the very least, you should be able to make yourself enough money that you can then move to the US without worrying about getting a job.
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2009/smallbusiness/0907/galle...
