Sonu Agarwal One of the countless entrepreneurs and technology leaders of the United States growing abroad to launch startups in American companies like Microsoft.
Agarwal, named the new president this week Tie -seatolSaid she was concerned about its impact New $ 100,000 H -1B Visa Fee Introduce Last week By President Donald Trump.
Agarwal said, “It feels very, very hindered.”
H -1B Work Visa Companies allow the appointment of high skilled foreign workers in “special professions” like software engineering. Microsoft’s CEO is true Nadella and alphabet CEO is beautiful pichai In Those who have used visas to go to the United States
The White House argues that the H -1B program has been used by outsourcing companies that replace US workers with low pay foreign labor.
Currently, companies pay a few thousand dollars and legal expenditure for government fees and H -1B application. Adding $ 100,000 surcharge per worker would be unprecedented.
New fees can especially affect the Seattle Technology Industry. Amazon (10,044) and Microsoft (5,189) Rank H -1B Visa approves issued this year on this year employees is No. 1 and No.3 respectively.
There are also Seattle regions The largest one Asian Indian population in the United States is more than 40% of foreign-descendant IT workers in the Seattle region in the Seattle region. Report In 2018.
Agarwal, who grew up in India, was a founding member of the Tie Seattle, which was launched as a network with the roots of the South Asian community to support and promote entrepreneurship in the Seattle-Region Startup Ecosystem on the 21st.
According to the organization, members of the Tie Seattle have jointly created more than $ 16 billion in market prices through their established startups.
New H -1B fees can especially hit small startups that want to rent great talent but runway and cash are limited.
Agarwal says startups need forecastability. H -1B Works can create strict changes in the Visa process and discourage the founders to risk the founders.
“This entrepreneur consciousness, that energy – it’s like a flame that you want to grow and continue to feed,” he said. “There is a way to soften the flame of these national things.”
After graduating from MIT, Agarwal Seattle Ariaria Enterprise Established three startups, including the Startup Square, which was acquired by UNCIS in 2021 in more than $ 152 million.
Agarwal said that if there was no “long -term predictable business environment” he would not decide to follow the entrepreneur and to launch its startup (flash communication) that was eventually acquired by Microsoft. “I could just continue to work in some corporation from school,” he said.
Agarwal, who is working on a new AI startup, says that the tie Seattle will continue to support entrepreneurs by navigating the visa policies, as well as expanding its expansion beyond its roots to provide a broad startup community service.
He said he was waiting to encourage more entrepreneurship consciousness in the Seattle ecosystem.
“We have a chance … People take more risks, to make a bigger dream, make a lot of value to make a lot of value to make us the truth to gain what we have done for the ecosystem,” he said.
Agarwal replacement Pepper -mixedWho has led the Tie Seattle for the past two years.
Tie Seattle Global is a branch of non -profit TieWhich counts 15,000 members around the world.