146: Access to Innovation: Founders and the Blockchain with Samuel Ekpe

Sophie Alcorn Podcast

In this week’s Immigration Law for Tech Startups podcast, I’m joined by Samuel Ekpe, the CEO and co-founder of Grupa.io, with a mission to democratize access to innovation. Grupa strives to get startups to work with the best talents and the best products built on Grupa – making it an entire ecosystem rather than a marketplace. At Grupa, you can hire expert developers and pay them with equity. By creating this level playing field for entrepreneurs of all backgrounds, Grupa hopes to empower people to create new solutions that are innovative and beneficial for society as a whole.

Today, Samuel shares his experience as an international startup founder and immigrant presently living and working in California. Getting your visa and green card is like this whole chicken and egg thing with money and company, funding and investors, and proving your legitimacy to the U.S. government. It’s a long road, but if you really want to do it, then you’ve got to start now.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• The Silicon Valley in the cloud
• Setting up the foundation for his company
• The challenge of getting a visa when you’re from Lagos
• Finding his co-founder
• The importance of looking at technology shifts and changes
• The ultimate vision for Grupa

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Supporting Resources:

Grupa.io

Angel: How to Invest in Technology Startups by Jason Calcanis

Alcorn Immigration Law:

• Subscribe to the monthly Alcorn newsletter
• Immigration Law for Tech Startups podcast:
  • Episode 16: E-2 Visa for Founders and Employees
  • Episode 89: Advocating for International Startup Founders with Jeff Farrah of National Venture Capital Association
  • Episode 113: How startup founders are moving to the US
• Immigration Options for Talent, Investors, and Founders
• Immigration Law for Tech Startups eBook

Extraordinary Ability Bootcamp course for best practices for securing the O-1A visa, EB-1A green card, or the EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) green card—the top options for startup founders. Use promotion code ILTS for 20% off the enrollment fee.