The university can't discriminate based on country of origin, which is exactly what is being proposed:
"we are particularly focused on international entrepreneurs."
It doesn't matter if you give the money to CU and then the university hires someone "international." It's still discrimination at a public institution. Personally I don't understand why they insist on having someone non-American on H1B or why they absolutely must travel to the US to start a start-up. Give someone money where they already live. Don't exclude Americans. What's so hard about that?
The Supreme Court has said that making employment decisions based on citizenship status doesn't qualify as discrimination under the civil rights act because citizenship status is not the same thing as "national origin" which is what the law prohibits discrimination on.
Regardless, what is the motivation to want to discriminate? The only thing I can see is that having someone in the US under H1B gives them power over that person.
completely agree on the fact that the H1B is messed up.
I think here this person is trying to act in good faith, and unfortunately this is the easiest way to get people into the country. I hope for everyone's sake that this is genuine.
H1B visas are the reason that immigration can cause lower salaries. They're anti-free market in every sense of the word
"having someone in the US under H1B gives them power over that person."
Wow... way to not only completely misinterpret the intent but to completely reverse it. Before this program there were exactly zero legal avenues for a not-already-rich aspiring startup founder from another country to come here with the express purpose of starting a business. Now there is one.
In this day of age you very rarely need to be permanently physically present in the US to own and run a US business, and once your business passes the threshold of actually being viable theres multiple routes to getting a Visa.
There's the whole E2 Visa system specifically designed for this. In addition after a year in business there is a L1a route too, assuming the business goes anywhere.
Admittedly theres very little room for a "starving devpreneur who is making some social app that doesn't make any money", but assuming such an app can take off then the investment they could raise would instantly get them to quality for a visa too.
I'm not misinterpreting the intent. I know perfectly well the stated intent to 'help the helpless random immigrant founder.' I'm suggesting an alternative intent that needs to be discussed. And I'm not the one reversing it. In this case Mr. Feld is showing a clear preference for H1B's before having any specific foreign entrepreneur in mind.
This is the worst comment I have ever read on HN. There are already plenty of opportunities for Americans to get support for their startups. The US visa system makes it extremely difficult for foreign entrepreneurs to start businesses in the US, and Mr Feld's attempts to improve the situation should be applauded.
I see...You believe the cause is so noble that it's obvious drawbacks are beyond discussion. Then lets discuss something else. Why don't you tell us why you think it's so important for foreign entrepreneurs to start businesses in the US. Do you feel the same about US entrepreneurs opportunities in foreign countries?
> Do you feel the same about US entrepreneurs opportunities in foreign countries?
Certainly! Other countries should also make it easier to attract talented people, or for that matter, anyone who is willing to work, and not a criminal.
As an example of an organized program. But you'd be surprised how many countries are quite friendly to US entrepreneurs at least if your point of comparison is "not significantly disadvantaged compared to local entrepreneurs".
Yes I do. If someone wanted to come to Scotland (my home country) to make the next best Whiskey then I'd welcome them. Inbound entrepreneurs create jobs and spend money in the local economy. Perhaps my viewpoint is skewed because I am in a situation that this program helps. After investing hundreds of thousands of dollars and employing many Americans, I find myself having to go through the whole U.S. visa process again. Perhaps my case is unusual, but efforts like Mr Feld's, which try to make it at least a little easier for foreign entrepreneurs to get involved in a community of like-minded people, and bring talent to this country, are an important step. Even more so considering he is putting his own money into it.
You should realize that America is being deconstructed into a corporate entity. Being American really doesn't even matter any more, you are a head of cattle on Big Sky USA Ranch Inc. where the upper sliver of society is the only net beneficiary while Americans are cast aside at the drop of a dime if there are profits to be made by some other means.
Especially here, foreign fools are going to cheer this type of policy on, because they can then self-extract their talents out of their own society and come to the USA to build up our corporate masters' relative domination while their home countries and societies atrophy.
Brain drain is starting to become an ever greater issue for even advanced societies, especially the ones that pay for their citizens' education. The tax payer is footing the education and then, at the first chance, many of them, under the spell of America's formidable marketing and PR machine, dispatch to the USA with sparkles in their eyes; all along, not realizing they are just a cog in the wealthy's machine.
With every immigrant, whether skilled or unskilled, the inflation eats away at the earnings and progress of the average American like an endless treadmill that the wealthy have dangled an image of the American dream in front of.
Yes, come to America, everyone. Make me more wealthy by increasing the population, make me more wealthy through inflation, make me more wealthy by pushing down labor rates and cheapening salaries, make me ever more powerful by draining your talents and labor from your home societies, culture, and economy.
"we are particularly focused on international entrepreneurs."
It doesn't matter if you give the money to CU and then the university hires someone "international." It's still discrimination at a public institution. Personally I don't understand why they insist on having someone non-American on H1B or why they absolutely must travel to the US to start a start-up. Give someone money where they already live. Don't exclude Americans. What's so hard about that?