The Vertical, 220 East 23rd Street, Suite 400, New York, NY (2025)

06/09/2025

🌍 From Soviet Refugee to Fintech Visionary
Lamine Zarrad’s journey started in Baku. Ethnic conflict forced his family to flee — first to Moscow, then to the U.S. 🇺🇸

Now based in Austin, this Marine Corps vet and serial entrepreneur is changing lives through StellarFi, a platform helping everyday Americans build credit — by simply paying their bills.

💳 “Most people pay rent, utilities, even subscriptions — but none of that counts toward credit. StellarFi changes that.”
📈 Users see an average +26 point credit boost in just 1 month.

🔁 Last year, Zarrad’s company forgave $50M in consumer debt — even for non-customers.
💡 “Refugees make great entrepreneurs,” says Zarrad. “We’ve already learned how to survive with nothing.”

✨ This is what redefining the American Dream looks like.

06/06/2025

🚨 Trump’s Immigration Shake-Up: Travel Ban Expanded, “Gold Card” in Limbo

📵 12 Countries Banned from U.S. Travel
Trump just signed a sweeping new ban blocking entry from 12 nations — including Afghanistan, Iran, Eritrea, Sudan, and Haiti. Critics say it targets the vulnerable: refugees, asylum-seekers, and those fleeing war.
🗣️ The African Union calls it harmful to diplomacy and unjustified.

💳 Meanwhile… a $5M “Trump Gold Card” Visa?
Trump is also pitching a luxury fast-track visa for ultra-wealthy foreigners.
The catch?
📌 There’s no law, no details, and no way to apply.
📌 Immigration lawyers say it’s “just marketing” — for now.
📌 It would require Congress to rewrite immigration and tax law.

⚖️ Two Americas:
❌ One shuts doors on desperate families.
💰 The other courts billionaires with VIP citizenship pitches.

👀 What do you think — immigration reform or political theater?

06/05/2025

🚨 Hot Take: Bootstrapping Is a Dangerous Fantasy for Immigrant Founders
By

The American startup dream? Pull yourself up by your bootstraps.
💼 No money, no network, no safety net — just hustle, right?

🚫 Wrong. And according to startup veteran and author Michael Burtov, this narrative might be one of the most destructive myths in entrepreneurship today.

💣 “The idea that you can go from nothing to unicorn with just grit and sacrifice is not only misleading — it’s harmful,” Burtov writes.
Why? Because many “self-made” founders forget to mention:
✔️ Million-dollar family investments
✔️ Elite connections
✔️ Privilege and access
✔️ Government funding and subsidies (looking at you, Tesla & SpaceX)

Meanwhile, immigrant founders are expected to do it all without any of the above — and still succeed.

📉 Black founders receive less than 2% of all VC dollars.
📉 First-gen immigrant entrepreneurs often lack capital, credit, and connections.
📉 And yet, the pressure to bootstrap or bust persists.

🔥 “It’s cruel to tell a bootless man to pull himself up by his bootstraps.” – MLK

The bootstrapping myth romanticizes struggle while justifying inequality. It’s time to question it — and rewrite the narrative around what it really takes to build something in America.

💬 What’s your take on the bootstrap mentality? Necessary mindset or harmful myth?

06/04/2025

🌍💼 Meet Erin Elliott: The Immigration Attorney Turning Atlanta Into the South’s Startup Powerhouse
By

When Erin Elliott launched her law firm while pregnant with her second child AND supporting her husband’s startup—most people would’ve said, “That’s too risky.”
But Erin didn’t just make it work—she’s become one of Atlanta’s most trusted voices in immigration law for international entrepreneurs. 💪⚖️

Why? Because she gets it. Erin’s lived the immigrant startup journey herself—from navigating visa chaos in the UK to helping build businesses stateside.

🔑 Her approach?
✅ Tailored strategies for every founder
✅ Visa plans with built-in flexibility (Plan A, B and C)
✅ Deep collaboration with local government to break down barriers for immigrant entrepreneurs

📈 As Atlanta rises as a tech destination with diversity at its core, Erin’s behind the scenes paving the legal path for global innovation to thrive here.

💬 “Immigration allows for creativity,” she says. “You just need someone who sees the full picture.”

From battling outdated laws to reshaping the narrative around immigrant talent, Erin is doing more than filing papers—she’s shaping the future of entrepreneurship in the South.

👏 Tag an immigrant founder who needs a lawyer like Erin in their corner!

06/03/2025

🚀 Why Immigrant Founders Must Embrace Permissionless Innovation
By | For the bold, not the cautious.

Welcome to the Wild West of entrepreneurship, where fortune favors founders who don’t wait for permission to create, disrupt, and lead. 🇺🇸

🧠 In the U.S., innovation isn’t about pedigree or privilege—it’s about initiative and experimentation. This is what Burtov calls permissionless innovation:
🔓 Innovate first. Ask later.
❌ Skip the gatekeepers.
✅ Let merit, not connections, define your success.

Too many founders from legacy ecosystems are stuck in “precautionary innovation”—waiting for approval from professors, parents, or power structures. But in America? You can DM a CEO. Build a product. Test a market. No elite blessing required.

💡 Key Takeaways:

🚫 You don’t need a license to innovate.

🛠️ Trial-and-error is part of the process.

🌍 This mindset shift is essential if you’re entering the U.S. startup scene as an outsider.

So ditch the caution tape. Embrace your inner pioneer. This is the frontier—and it rewards those who move fast and dream big.

💬 Tag a bold builder or immigrant founder who needs this reminder. Let’s build without permission.

06/02/2025

👥💡 **3 Tips to Build a Powerful Bond with Your Mentor**
By | For international & immigrant founders

Mentorship can *make or break* your startup journey—especially when you're building in unfamiliar territory. Here are 3 proven strategies to help you foster a **productive, honest, and empowering relationship** with your mentor:

1️⃣ **Be Clear on What You Need**
Don’t show up unprepared. Whether you’re seeking guidance on fundraising, product dev, or leadership, define your **“ask”** before meeting a mentor. Tip: Use **S.M.A.R.T. goals** to clarify your direction.

2️⃣ **Ask Why They Mentor**
Not all mentors are created equal. Find those who genuinely want to **“give first”**, not pitch you services or treat mentorship as a sales funnel. 🛑 Avoid any setup that feels transactional.

3️⃣ **Build a Two-Way Street**
Mentorship isn’t therapy, and mentors aren’t free consultants. ⚖️ Approach the relationship with openness, trust, and respect. Personal chemistry matters more than a resume match.

🌍 For immigrant and underrepresented founders, the *right* mentor can help bridge gaps, build networks, and keep you focused during chaos. But success starts with the **right mindset**.

✨ Remember: Be specific. Be curious. Be real.

👇 Tag a founder who needs to hear this or share your mentor story below!

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06/01/2025

🚀🇪🇺 European AI Startups Are Heading to the U.S.—Here’s Why 🇺🇸⚖️

As Europe tightens its grip on tech with stricter AI and digital regulations, a growing wave of startups are relocating to the U.S. in search of flexibility, funding, and freedom.

💬 What’s Happening?
Dutch unicorn 🦄 Bird is expanding to the U.S., citing overregulation across Europe.
CEO Robert Vis says it plainly: “The AI Act, taxes, employment law — running a startup in Europe is HARD.”

🌍 Bird isn’t alone:
✅ Setting up 3 offices in the U.S.
✅ Expanding to global hubs: Singapore, Dubai, Istanbul
✅ Keeping only a small base in Lithuania

💡 More Founders Speak Out
🧠 Job van der Voort, CEO of $3B+ HR tech giant Remote, calls EU laws “overboard” and a “massive risk” to innovation.

📊 VC firm Hoxton Ventures found:
Almost all European startups earning $500M+—like Spotify, Wise & Adyen—succeeded only after entering the U.S. market.

⚖️ EU's AI Act: Good Intentions, Harsh Impact?
While promoting safe, ethical AI, the Act’s heavy restrictions (like banning facial recognition) may be pushing talent away.

Startups need speed, flexibility, and funding—and many founders believe the U.S. offers a better launchpad for global growth.

👇 Are you a startup founder or investor in Europe? Is the U.S. your next move?

$🇨🇱🚀 **Chilean Startup Biobío Targets U.S. Growth with New \$5M Fund — But Faces Immigration Roadblocks** 🇺🇸⚠️Startup Bio...$

05/31/2025

🇨🇱🚀 **Chilean Startup Biobío Targets U.S. Growth with New \$5M Fund — But Faces Immigration Roadblocks** 🇺🇸⚠️

Startup Biobío, backed by Chile’s national innovation agency CORFO, is stepping up its global game with a **\$5 million investment fund** aimed at supporting alumni expanding into the U.S.—especially in tech, renewable energy, and sustainability.

🌱 With 99 startups supported since 2023 and funding secured through 2026, the program is now transitioning toward private capital and long-term scalability.

📍 **Why the U.S.?**
Miami has emerged as a launchpad for Latin American founders, offering access to major markets like Mexico, Panama, and Colombia.

But not everything is smooth sailing…

⚠️ Ongoing U.S. immigration uncertainty—especially potential changes to the H-1B visa—raises concerns for international talent mobility.

💬 Startup Biobío is responding by:
✔️ Exploring alternative visa pathways
✔️ Building U.S. accelerator partnerships
✔️ Encouraging innovation that competes globally

🙌 The message is clear: Latin American founders are ready to scale, despite policy headwinds. Innovation knows no borders.

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05/30/2025

🚫💸 Trump’s $5M “Gold Card” Visa: It’s all about Marketing 🇺🇸✨
Via

Despite the media buzz, Trump’s flashy new immigration proposal—a $5 million "Gold Card" visa offering fast-track U.S. residency and a pathway to citizenship—remains just that: a proposal, with no legal foundation in place.

🔍 Here’s what Forbes and top immigration experts reveal:

📌 “There’s no real program, no law, and no details,” says Nuri Katz, founder of Apex Capital Partners, who’s spent over three decades advising ultra-high-net-worth individuals on global immigration.
📌 The so-called “Gold Card” would require brand new immigration and tax laws—something only Congress has the authority to approve.
📌 According to the American Immigration Lawyers Association, there is currently no legal mechanism to even file for this visa.

⚖️ What does that mean?
There’s no official application, no clear process, and no actual law—only a marketing effort testing public interest among the global elite.

🧠 Expert takeaway:
Without congressional action, the "Trump Gold Card" is all sizzle, no substance. Experts also doubt there’s enough investor interest to make the program viable—even if it were passed.

No legal standing. No launch date. No clear terms.

Follow for real immigration news—backed by policy.

05/29/2025

👩‍⚖️ From Attorney to Startup Founder: Meet Olga Ayo

Once a new mom with no income or immigration status, today Olga Ayo is transforming the legal world for immigrants — and building tech to back it up.

📌 After navigating the U.S. system on her own, Olga:
✨ Founded her own law firm with transparent pricing & real support
✨ Created tech to simplify visa applications
✨ Launched a new app to make hiring private security as easy as booking an Uber

Her journey is proof: when systems fail you, build your own.

📲 Read her full story and learn how immigrant founders like Olga are reshaping industries from the ground up.

05/28/2025

💡 Most Digital Founders Don’t Need VC Investment. Here’s Why
Every year, thousands of international entrepreneurs chase U.S. venture capital — but is it always worth it?

🔍 Charles Leyte, a top financial strategist, says maybe not.
Here’s what you really need to know before going after VC money:

🍊 Imagine This:
You run a thriving fruit stand. You can:
1️⃣ Take out a loan to open a store
2️⃣ Buy a bigger sign to attract more customers

Both seem smart — but one ties you to debt and expectations. That’s what VC is like.
It’s not just money — it’s pressure.

❌ What Venture Capital Really Means:
💰 Obligation – You work for your investors now
📉 Fixed Costs – Monthly expectations limit flexibility
⏩ Aggressive Growth – Scaling too fast, too soon, can break your business

It’s not “free money.” It changes your priorities — fast.

🚀 The New Path: Bootstrap + Grow Smart
With today’s tools (no-code platforms, cloud software, remote teams), digital founders can launch fast — with little capital.

And yes, you can build BIG:
💼 Basecamp
📧 Mailchimp
👗 Spanx
All billion-dollar brands — built without VC.

🧠 Don’t Build for Investors. Build for Customers.
VC-funded companies often burn out chasing growth.
But bootstrapped startups that focus on:
✔️ Profitability
✔️ Customer experience
✔️ Sustainable growth
— tend to survive longer and thrive.

💡 Alternatives to VC for Immigrant Founders:
💵 Revenue-Based Financing – Pipe, Capchase
🙌 Crowdfunding – Kickstarter, Indiegogo
📈 Non-Dilutive Grants – Gov. programs, accelerators
🤝 Strategic Advisors – Instead of investors, seek mentors.

You don’t need VC to “make it.”
In fact, for many immigrant founders, it’s smarter not to take it.

Because when you build around real customers, not capital...
💼 You own it. You control it. You win.

🔗 Want more founder-first financial insight?
Follow our page and get updates on upcoming workshops + strategy sessions.

05/26/2025

🌍 Referrals, Partnerships & Visibility

Why Networking Is the Ultimate Growth Hack for Immigrant Entrepreneurs

When you’re building a business in a new country, it’s easy to feel like you’re starting from scratch — no network, no support, no roadmap.
But here’s the truth: you don’t have to do it alone.

✨ Here’s what intentional networking unlocks:
🔁 Referrals – Connect with people who trust you enough to recommend you
🤝 Partnerships – Team up with other founders who share your values
👀 Visibility – Get your business in front of the right people in your new community

From navigating cultural barriers to finding your first client, real relationships open real doors.
It’s not just about business growth — it’s about feeling seen, supported, and set up to thrive.

Whether you’ve just arrived or have been building quietly for years, this is your reminder:
You belong here. Your business belongs here.

📍 Ready to grow with a community that gets it?
Join our next networking event: https://lu.ma/ovkeps20

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