YC: Canadian experiences with TN status for startup?
Can anyone comment on experiences with obtaining TN status to work on their startups?
Did you put your own new company as the sponsoring entity? Any suggestions of lawyers to work with?
Did you put your own new company as the sponsoring entity? Any suggestions of lawyers to work with?
Offtopic: Why do you need to leave Canada to start it?
There are a few good entrepreneurial hubs in Canada, like Ottawa for telecom and Waterloo for Engineering/Software.
However, the situation potentially gets a little trickier when a start-up is involved, as one is not supposed to be self-supporting - you need to have a paying job. However, I believe that in principle, there isn't any reason that one can't hold an equity stake in a company that employs you.
I am already in Boston and working with a co-founder here, which is the biggest reason I need to be in the US. Moreover, the access to smart capital and to our target market is significantly greater here (Boston, SF, and NYC). Personally, I have found the opportunities for inspiration, advice, and serendipity are much richer in Cambridge than they were in Toronto. That isn't to say it can't be done in Canada, but at this stage, my bets are best in the US.