My cofounder is Canadian, how do I get him into the US?
My cofounder is a Canadian citizen and he lacks US permanent residency. What's the easiest way to get him here? Can startups sponsor foreign nationals?
When doing this, however, you have to be very careful with the job description - the CBP manual specifically excludes programmers from the CSA definition. CSAs can do some programming as a part of their job, but that cannot be their principal function. If your cofounder has an engineering degree (and is a EIT), they may be able to get a TN-1 under the much-broader classification of "engineer".
That said, there are any number of valid ways. If they're not taking a salary from the startup, for now they can enter on a basic business visa (B2 I believe) while they "explore opportunities", but they cannot make any money from a US source. If they are making money, you may be able to get them a basic employment visa. You might also be able to set up a Canadian corporation and they can be a transfer from one entity to the other. If they have enough money they can get an investor visa (E2 I think, takes anywhere from $500k - $1M)... Like I said, there are a huge number of different options, only a lawyer can advise you on which one is best/easiest/most appropriate.