
Ask HN: Security clearance for startup CEOs? - EekSnakePond
Does anyone have experience with being a CEO of a startup and acquiring security clearance with the United States government?  How the process worked, what the benefits were, what the costs were in terms of overseas opportunities?  Thanks.
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tropo
Not a CEO, but I knew one who did this...

The main benefit is that you can get many more contracts with the government.
SBIR contracts are great for getting a startup going, and some of them will
require a clearance.

The main cost is probably that the style of financial accounting required for
government contractors is nearly incompatible with non-government business. If
you want to do both, you almost need to have two divisions as separate
companies owned by a holding company. Having separate divisions may also help
you avoid making criminal mistakes with any overseas opportunities.

An interesting difference is your employees. This is both a benefit and a
cost. Normal companies are prohibited from refusing to hire because of
greencard status, but you would be required to do so. You will not face much
cultural discord in your workforce. You can't get an H1B or do foreign
outsourcing. You don't have to deal with background checks because the
government handles that for you, and they do a better job than you could ever
hope to do -- even if you grow to be a large employer, you'll see very very
little misbehavior from your employees. Except as required by the federal
security rules, you can do everything on the honor system.

Get the contract first, probably a SBIR. With that in hand, ask to get
clearance stuff sponsored. (you must have a government sponser; they "hold"
your clearance) At minimum you need people cleared, letting you visit the
government site to talk about classified things. You might even choose to work
at the government site; they can provide a space for you to work. If you want
to do classified things at your own facility, you'll need to get your facility
sponsored too.

