Last April, we founded Altbridge with one clear goal: to build an AI-first investment platform that empowers funds to make smarter, faster decisions. From day one it was obvious that our core customers would be in the U.S., so as soon as we met the amazing team at Alma—especially Aizada Marat and Assel Tuleubayeva—we kicked off the O-1 visa process. What I love about the Bay Area is its genuinely collaborative spirit: you meet someone, share your vision, and they roll up their sleeves to help. Aizada guided us through every twist and turn of a very complex visa journey, breaking down each step so it felt manageable. Thanks to their expertise, both Andrey Kim and I have now been granted O-1 visas—opening the door to build long-term here without status worries. We’re more energized than ever. There’s so much left to do at Altbridge, and there’s no better place than the Bay Area to turn big AI-driven ideas into reality. Onward and upward! 🚀 #StartupLife #AI #BayArea #Entrepreneurship #Gratitude #Alma #Altbridge

Huge thanks to Alma for making my O-1A seamless and stress-free! The team handled everything brilliantly and efficiently, providing expert guidance and VERY quick responses throughout the process. I couldn't be happier with their customer service and attention to details! If you're navigating the O-1 visa journey or other type of visas, I highly recommend Alma. Feel free to reach out, I’m happy to share my experience!

Getting O-1A visa is a milestone for startup founders that want to operate in the US I got mine Approved a week ago. We researched several companies who do that and decided to work with amazing company Alma , led by exceptional founders from our region Aizada Marat and Assel Tuleubayeva. The process with them was very smooth and fast, from preparing docs to filing a case. They answer to any question in minutes, explain everything in details and make the process feel like nothingburger!

Before working with Alma, I was completely overwhelmed by the Artist Visa process. Most firms I found felt outdated and buried in endless email threads. Alma was a total game changer. Their platform made everything simple and organized, and my attorney, Jomana Abdallah, really understood my work with Write for Animation and how the animation industry works. We pulled together a 500+ page petition faster than I ever imagined --and I never once felt lost in the process. Getting my O-1B approved has been life-changing, and I can’t wait to join the animation community in the U.S. soon. Thank you, Aizada Marat, Jomana Abdallah, Danielle Mullen-Solancho, Jeremy L. If you’re thinking about applying for an artist visa and want to see how Alma works, here’s a link for a free consultation: lnkd.in/eyqKUrHF

I’m thrilled to share that my O-1A visa—for individuals with extraordinary ability—has officially been approved! This milestone opens new doors to expand futurebytes , scale our impact, and bring innovative STEM education to even more communities across the U.S. and beyond. The journey has been challenging, but incredibly rewarding, and I couldn’t have done it without the outstanding team at Alma . My deepest thanks to #AizadaMarat(CEO), #LukeGalland (Chief Attorney), and the entire Alma team for your unwavering support, strategic guidance, and belief in my vision. 🙏 To any founder navigating the complexities of immigration while building something meaningful, I highly recommend Alma . Their process is not only smooth but truly empowering. As I enter this exciting new chapter, I’m energized more than ever to support aspiring entrepreneurs, collaborate globally, and break new ground in STEM education. Onward and upward! 🚀 #O1AVisa #Futurebytes #STEMeducation #Entrepreneurship #WomenInSTEM #ImmigrationJourney #GlobalImpact #Gratitude #Alma

I got my 0-1A visa thanks to Alma! Their team is super responsive and really knows their stuff. They took my achievements and turned them into a killer application. If you need a talent visa, these are your go-to people. I can't thank the Alma team enough for their help - Aizada Marat Assel Tuleubayeva Shuo Chen! Also following up on the visa process, I am thrilled to announce that I'm joining DeepInfra Inc. as Computational Scientist in Mathematics and Programming. A huge thank you to the founders of DeepInfra: Nikola Borisov Yessenzhar Kanapin and Georgios Papoutsis for this incredible opportunity. Looking forward to contributing to this innovative team!

Received O-1A Extraordinary Ability Visa with kind support from Aizada Marat, Abhinav Kumar, Luke Galland and Alma team, and am living in San Francisco, CA. Aizada Marat and Alma team were just so responsive and supportive while preparing my O-1A petition of approx 700 pages. I used to email my queries to Aizada at night, and she used to respond back in minutes. She had mentored me in choosing Massachusetts Institute of Technology over other top global universities that admitted me for Masters Degree. Might be, because her college Harvard University is nearby and well connected to MIT, and obviously MIT being more fit for deeptech/climatetech research & breakthroughs. Deep respect for Aizada for being so supportive always, and being a great mentor & guide. Abhinav Kumar helped with managing the whole initial O-1A case and answering to my queries. His UG college Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), Delhi , was closer to my UG college Delhi Technological University (Formerly DCE). Luke Galland is an expert attorney with exceptional O-1A case approvals. He prepared my whole case on fulfilling 7/8 criteria of USCIS O-1A within a week. He organized the evidences - Scholarly Publication - My research papers, Original Contribution - Patents & Tech, Prestigious Awards, Press Mentions, Exclusive Memberships, Judge of other works, Critical Role in Distinguished Organization, etc. He answered all my queries very promptly. Any founder, top engineers, Product Managers, researchers, etc, aiming to get O-1A should work with Alma and Aizada Marat. Thanks to Aizada Marat for always supporting and being a great mentor. Picture 2 : Alma founders (left to right): Shuo Chen, Assel Tuleubayeva and Aizada Marat Picture 1 : Sidhant (Me) at SF Union Square. . . #visa #alma #immigration #attorney #unitedstates

I got approved for my EB1A - Alien of Extraordinary Ability Green Card, colloquially known as the "Einstein Visa". I am that "ALIEN" who was deemed "EXTRAORDINARY" by the Department of Homeland Security in the field of "Cybersecurity Product Management and Marketing". I came to the United States way back in 2009 for graduate school in engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder and majored in cybersecurity and computer networking. Over the past 15 years, I have had 10 H1B renewals , 7 consulate visits in my home country to validate my visa, couldn't travel back to be with my family during COVID, have had a very indeterminate view of my long term stability in a country that has given me everything, and have built a career in (legally). In that same time, I have worked in phenomenal organizations (Mandiant (part of Google Cloud), FireEye, Inc., Tanium, Lacework, and Google) and my day job is to secure our digital world. My EB2-India green card is predicted to be approved in a (no joke) 100 years. Millions like me (including my entire friend circle) are going through the same challenges, and they acutely face the same pain. The legal immigration process in this country is broken, to put it mildly. That's when I got introduced to Alma in August 2024 and their fearless founder Aizada Marat by Karthik. Karthik told me about a vertical AI startup trying to disrupt the archaic legal industry and the fact that my profile, expertise could be a legitimate case to file for the EB1A- Alien of Extraordinary Ability category. This is also a category I can self-petition without the need of an employer. I met Aizada (Founder CEO), her extraordinary attorney Luke and over the next two months prepared an application to file in premium processing. The day United States realized in November 2024 they had a new POTUS, and an uncertain immigration environment starting 2025, I got word from USCIS that I had been approved for Green Card, as a cybersecurity product marketing and management expert. Aizada is painfully aware of the problem legal immigrants face, and has had a lived experience. I have not seen a stronger founder-expertise-market fit, and could not recommend Alma AI enough to explore your journey to visa stability in the United States. This unlocks mental stability for me and my wife Angela, and feels like a cathartic release. This unlocks liberty to take bigger bets and not worry about the overhang of "visa approvals" or my stay in country. Want a free profile review for eligibility for EB1A by the Alma team? Use my free referral code: lnkd.in/g6q2PSbs Huge shout out to my mentors and sponsors who wrote verbose supporting letters to the Department of Homeland Security for my application: Vasu Jakkal, Phil Montgomery, Gautam Mehandru, Trevor Welsh, SC Moatti and Pinkesh Shah. #immigrants #eb1a #legalimmigration #legal #legaltech #ai #immigration #uscis

🔥 BIG NEWS, GUYS! 🔥 I officially got my O-1 visa! 👏 This milestone wouldn’t have been possible without six months of relentless work in the U.S. and the unbelievable support from Tim Draper's Draper University. It’s a huge step forward for Synexis and our mission to transform the startup, investor, and enterprise ecosystem with AI-agentic-powered deal flow intelligence! 🚀 My warmest thanks to DraperU team, Waleed Arshad, Mohammad Mustafa Hassan, Subah Zaeem, Asra N., Suffiyan Malik, Viridiana Aguilar Medina, Umar Akram, Arisa Chelsea Ueno, Rebecca Ni and everyone who helped me to overcome all obstacles on this way! A massive THANK YOU to the Alma team (Aizada Marat, Luke Galland, Assel Tuleubayeva)—for their outstanding work in preparing and filing my application. Your guidance, patience, and expertise made this happen. Wishing you all the success in disrupting the legal migration industry! 🙌 🚨 And now, onto another big event—TOMORROW! We’re gathering at the fabulous Hero City at Draper University (yes, the picture is from there!) for an exclusive event you won’t want to miss. 🎫 Secure your spot in Luma now: lu.ma/v67c15gq ⏰ Founders—last chance to apply to pitch! Get in front of 30+ VCs: lnkd.in/dJxmWXBZ What’s happening: 🔹 Live Startup Pitch Contest – Five standout startups, selected through Synexis’ AI-driven deal flow intelligence, will compete on stage. 🔹 A high-impact discussion on Product Growth & Scaling Strategies led by Pedro David Espinoza—TED speaker, AI investor, and Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree. 🔹 Unparalleled networking with VCs, angels, and top-tier founders—the best place to discover high-potential deals and partnerships. P.S. If you’re curious about my O-1 visa journey, feel free to DM me—happy to share my experience! 👍 #SiliconValley #Entrepreneurship #StartupSuccess #O1Visa #VentureCapital #FounderLife

After more than a decade of living in the U.S., I’ve finally been approved for my Green Card (EB-1) 🇺🇸 I arrived in the States in third grade with little more than a backpack and my parents’ hopes for a better future for me. The flight from Seoul to Tucson, Arizona, wasn’t just a trip—it marked the beginning of a question that would shape my life: How do I build a life in America? At first, that uncertainty weighed on me, a quiet anxiety of not fully belonging. It took years to grow into this place, to see it as more than a temporary stop. Now, it’s hard to imagine building my life anywhere else—though maybe somewhere with less paperwork wouldn’t hurt. The US immigration process have been a constant struggle for me. Every airport document check felt like an interrogation, my heart pounding as I wondered if I’d forgotten a single form. For years, a looming cloud of uncertainty followed me: Would my visa be approved? Could I stay? There were times I was forced to leave—like when I lived in the UK, an experience I wouldn’t trade, but one that underscored how fragile my status was. The U.S. immigration process has been anything but easy. People often mention bureaucracy and delays—I get it, it’s exhausting—but for me, it’s been traumatic. The stress left scars, numbing me to the highs and lows. When I got the news about my Green Card, I didn’t jump for joy. Relief washed over me, yes, but it came with a strange quiet. Looking back, I think this journey has been as much about resilience as it has been about reward. Yet there’s beauty in this moment. The process, despite its flaws, moved faster than I’d anticipated—thanks to people at Alma, Aizada Marat, and Luke Galland, who turned the insanely complicated process into something bearable. I remember thinking, “Wow, that was fast.” Their support was a reminder that even in the most impersonal systems, there are humans who care. Today, as I complete the final paperwork, the reality sinks in: I can stay. I can keep building a career and a company alongside people I value. The U.S. has been a land of opportunity for me, not always easy, but always possible. It’s been an emotional ride, and I’m grateful to call it home for now, this time with a little more certainty. With that said, it’s time to get back to work 🤘

When you start a company, stressful days seem to visit way more than cheerful ones, but this week felt like a clean sweep with a hat trick of celebrations: 👽 Got my O-1 visa approved as a person with extraordinary ability 🎓 Received my PhD diploma 📄 And hit 100 citations on Google Scholar Each milestone means a lot on its own, but together they’re a reminder that hard work and persistence will pay off. I am also extremely grateful for the people that made these moments possible, including my advisors, committee members and collaborators, co-founder, family and friends. Finally a huge shoutout to Alma for making the process smooth, efficient, and stress-free. If you’re navigating the visa journey, feel free to reach out and would happily refer their service (referral link lnkd.in/gd2hk8ps) Now feeling recharged and ready to keep pushing the boundaries of AI + healthcare 🚀

My O1 Visa has officially be approved 🇺🇸 🎉 A special thanks to our customers, investors and mentors at Kaizntree for helping with all the recommendation letters! This wouldn't have been possible without you. And of course our lawyer Luke Galland who made the whole process extremely easy. Having initially filed my case with a different legal firm and having all kinds of challenges, I can say with certainty that Luke is the most dedicated immigration lawyer I have met and I'm incredibly grateful to have had him on my case. For anyone considering an O1 Visa and building their company in the US, I highly recommend reaching out to him and the team at Alma. This is another step towards continuing to scale Kaizntree and I'm excited for everything else we have on the horizon! Sam Nelson Melvin V. Micah MacDonald Darren Yee Kyler Murlas Benny Liao Ali Moiz Taz Patel Dane Baker Frank Rimalovski Clayton Bryan

Big milestone today: I officially filed my O-1 visa application and sent all the documents to USCIS! 🎉 It's been a long process collecting documents and pulling everything together, but finally it's done. Now, it’s time to wait for results. Huge thanks to Aizada Marat and her team. And most importantly Martian for supporting along the way. #O1Visa

I was kicked out of the US by the government. All because I booked a one-way ticket to chase my Silicon Valley dream. The last time I tried to move to San Francisco, I never made it past the border. 12 hours in a white detention room. Question after question. Wondering if my dream was over before it even began. From that day, every US trip turned into a nightmare.  I had to arrive 5 hours early to airports, carry stacks of documents to “prove” I would leave, sit through interrogations every single time, and miss flights I’ll never forget. Six months ago, I finally decided to fight for permanence and applied for an O-1 visa. I knew this is where I needed to be if I was serious about building a trillion dollar company. The process wasn’t easy. It cost more than $15K in legal fees, required six extensive recommendation letters from industry leaders, and months of gathering proof for every achievement. But today, it became official. The US now calls me an “extraordinary individual.” This story isn’t really about visas. It’s about resilience. It’s about chasing your dream even when the system works against you. It’s about learning that rejection isn’t an ending. Shoutout Aizada Marat, Keith Lee, Abhinav Kumar and the rest of the Alma team for making this happen.

As an international student in the U.S. on an F1 visa, navigating the complexities of work authorization after graduation can be challenging. Since I recently completed my MBA and am currently on OPT, I've been exploring visa options for staying in the U.S. beyond the STEM OPT period, because the process can take a while. I had an excellent consultation with Alix Cayce from Alma, and I can't recommend it enough. It’s completely free and provided valuable insights into different visa pathways like the H-1B, O-1, and green card. A big thank you to Alix for the detailed advice, and kudos to Aizada Marat for creating such an incredible product that helps simplify these tough decisions. If you're in a similar situation or just curious about visa options in the U.S., I highly recommend checking out tryalma.ai. When it’s time for me to make my decision, I’ll definitely be sticking with Alma!

Received this thoughtful gift from the amazing Alma team! Grateful to be part of such an extraordinary community. Thank you, Aizada Marat and Assel Tuleubayeva, for always keeping these connections meaningful. I also realized I haven’t shared updates in a while, so better late than never! Earlier this year, I received my O-1 Visa, officially recognized as an Individual with Extraordinary Ability. Yeah! This milestone wouldn’t be possible without professional guidance of Alma’s incredible team (Aizada Marat, Assel Tuleubayeva, and Luke Galland). I might even be Alma’s rare non-tech O-1 applicant, so if you’re exploring options, I can’t recommend them enough! And most importantly, thank you to Asset Abdualiyev and Asror Arabjanov for the constant support, and to Daniyar Tussupbek, Kemelbek Oishybaev, Saida Igenbek, Dinara Abakayeva (Bekenova), Olga Ferkho, Kani O., and Kana Beisekeyev for standing by me with references and recommendations. Forever grateful

As a founder, tackling the O-1 visa process felt like a huge challenge, and I knew I needed help to navigate it. That’s where Alma stepped in, and honestly, they exceeded all my expectations! 🎉 🎉 🎉 Their platform is super easy to use, and it made managing all the complicated parts of the process so much simpler. But what really impressed me was the human touch behind it all. The Alma team—both their CEO Aizada Marat and lawyers—were incredibly supportive every step of the way. One thing that really stood out was how they handled my recommendation letters. They didn’t just use a standard template—they took the time to really understand my story and crafted something that felt personal and compelling. If you're a founder or professional going through the O-1 visa process and need a partner who genuinely cares, Alma is the one. They turned what could have been a stressful experience into a smooth, worry-free journey! P.S. Be sure to use my referral code is: S7T8U9 —you might even snag a special discount!😍 😍 😍

🇺🇸 🚀 Big news… my O-1 visa is officially APPROVED! 🎉 🇺🇸 I’m so excited to continue my journey in the U.S., supporting founders, building startup communities, and driving real impact through partnerships. Huge shoutout to Alma for their top-notch work and lightning-fast responses. Thanks to Assel Tuleubayeva, Aizada Marat and Luke Galland - what a platform to use, so simple and your speed and efficiency was so enjoyable (in what is a very demanding process!). If you're a startup founder or an immigrant navigating the visa process, and you're looking for advice, insights, or just want to chat about the O-1 process, feel free to reach out—more than happy to help and give you some tips and make intros to amazing people who can help! To everyone who’s offered advice, made intros, or simply cheered me on—THANK YOU. The startup ecosystem thrives on collaboration, and I’m excited to keep paying it forward. It’s been a wild ride so far, and I couldn’t have done it without the incredible people who’ve supported me along the way. Startup Grind Brian💥 Sparkes Dasha Shunina Bill Barry Jordan Wahbeh Mahak Sharma Jeff Seibert Kayvan Baroumand Samantha Cerqueira Alexander Soroka Matt Miller Gregory Manly Simran Nath Let’s keep building, connecting, and making things happen! 🚀 I can now confirm that there will be more events in the Bay Area over the next few months - reach out if you want to be a part of any! #Startups #Community #Partnerships #Innovation #ImmigrantFounders