How Immigrant Founders Can Start a U.S. Company
Are you an immigrant founder looking to launch a startup in the U.S.? Do you need a visa and want to ensure your company is set up correctly to support your immigration process?
Join us for an exclusive webinar in partnership with ALMA, where we’ll walk you through the key legal steps to starting a company in the U.S. as a foreign entrepreneur—especially when applying for a visa.
Whether you’re already in the U.S. or starting from abroad, this session will provide actionable insights to help you navigate both company formation and immigration.
Details:
📅 Date: Wednesday, June 25th, 2025
⏰ Time: 12:00 PM PT (Pacific Time)
📍 Location: Online (Link provided after registration)
What we’ll cover:
✅ How to incorporate your company as a foreign founder and determine your visa options
✅ Critical differences in incorporation and stock issuance when applying for a visa
✅ Who can be the president, board member, or signatory for an immigrant-founded company
✅ Best practices for structuring your startup to align with visa requirements
✅ Key legal pitfalls to avoid
Register now to secure your spot and get the answers you need to build your startup the right way!
Speakers
Jihan Merlin
Head of Immigration Strategy and Client Solutions, Alma
Jihan provides legal counsel and strategic guidance on all areas of U.S. employment-based immigration law. Her practice includes assisting employers on matters relating to immigrant and nonimmigrant visas, labor certification and I-9 compliance.
Alma offers best-in-class U.S. immigration legal services to founders, critical employees at start-ups, technological workers, etc. serving them with a host of visas, including O-1A, H-1B, L-1, EB-1A, EB-2 NIW, among others.
We have worked with multiple founders from top accelerators, VCs, and entrepreneurship ecosystems such as Y Combinator, Techstars, Stanford, Pear VC, etc., helping them immigrate to the U.S. to start their companies or expand their businesses. Schedule a free immigration consultation.
Kristina Subbotina
Founder & CEO, Lexsy
Kristina is an ex-Cooley startup lawyer and the founder & CEO of Lexsy, the legal partner for startups—from formation to exit—trusted by 100+ companies and powered by AI to deliver legal services faster, more affordably, and with total peace of mind. For almost a decade, Kristina has represented thousands of innovative startups and top-tier VC funds, guiding them through every stage of their lifecycle—from formation to exits.
Before becoming a founder, Kristina worked as the legal counsel at two venture-backed startups, helping them scale from Seed to Series B, and at Cooley, a law firm synonymous with venture capital. Her legal journey began in 2014 when she moved to the U.S. from Russia to study law at USC—a story that resonates with the challenges many startup founders face, especially immigrant entrepreneurs.
Beyond providing legal services, Kristina actively shares startup legal insights on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube and podcast, demystifying complex legal concepts to empower founders worldwide.