Cassidy: Proposed startup visa would be a boon to Silicon Valley

Visas that are aimed at people who want to live here and start a business would keep many students who are educated here, in this country. - - Donna Poisl

By Mike Cassidy, Mercury News Columnist

After growing up in a family that sometimes struggled to get by, Kunal Bahl headed off to the University of Pennsylvania. He graduated with a dual degree in business and engineering, started an Internet company and now he's living the American dream -- in India.

Sure, his online coupon startup sounds like a perfect fit for Silicon Valley, and Bahl certainly was tempted by the allure of the United States' premier technology hub. But Bahl is not a U.S. citizen, and the barriers to a foreigner starting a business here made the idea of launching in Silicon Valley all but impossible.
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