Research Foundation News

May 15, 2018

Purdue partners with state, assists international entrepreneurs in obtaining J-1 visas

Martinez bound Jennifer Martinez (left), a Purdue senior in the Krannert School of Management and trained coach for We-YouBond, assists Michelle Huang, a senior in management, during a coaching session. We-YouBond is offering paid coaching services to students from China to help them adapt to local college life. (Photo provided by We-YouBond) Download image

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue J-1 Exchange Visitor Program is assisting seven international Purdue entrepreneurs obtain their visas and build their startups. This program, a partnership between the Purdue Research Foundation and the Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD), supports international researchers and/or students based at the Purdue Foundry.

Through the DWD, the J-1 Visa provides non-immigrant visas for international researchers and scholars in order to support collaborative, international research and cultural exchange. As a host university, Purdue uses the program to assist individuals pursuing their academic or entrepreneurial goals.

Greg Deason, senior vice president of entrepreneurship and place making at the Purdue Research Foundation, manages the Purdue J-1 Exchange Visitor Program.

“Entrepreneurs from Indiana share a common desire to innovate and create with other global entrepreneurs,” Deason said. “When they find an environment they can thrive in, they stick around. The Purdue entrepreneurial community has been fortunate in retaining outstanding and talented individuals who prove themselves to be job creators and leaders.”

Through the program, internationals can stay in the U.S up to five years to research or pursue entrepreneurial ideation processes, business model generation, business plan creation, customer discovery and new venture launching. 

“As you can imagine, the visa process is slow, but we’ve had five visas issued with two more in progress,” said Arnold Chen, managing director of the Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship. “Many of Purdue’s international students are entrepreneurial and do not desire to return home after graduation. This program allows them to stay local and start a company.”

Veostar bike Purdue student startup VeoRide is developing a sustainable, convenient and affordable bike share program. The program allows users to use an app to find, pickup and return a bike using any nearby bike rack, helping to expand travelling distance and convenience. The bikes feature solar-powered modules and specially designed elements to ensure user comfort. (VeoRide Image) Download image

Purdue expects participants hold an undergraduate degree and sufficient funding to support living expenses. Additionally, they will need to demonstrate their commitment through participation in educational business events, entrepreneurial networking and activities and Purdue Foundry supported location.

Already, five Purdue entrepreneurs have gained their visas: VeoRide’s Candice Xie, Edwin Tan, Li Zhou; We-You Bond’s Bobby Wen; and WYRE’s Rick Li.

VeoRide Bike Share offers a sustainable, smart bike sharing program co-founded by Purdue graduates Candice Xie of the Krannert School of Management and Edwin Tan of the School of Mechanical Engineering.

VeoRide’s chief technical officer, Li Zhou, has also received a visa through the program. Unlike other bike share programs, this startup allows riders to retrieve and return a VeoRide bike from the nearest bike rack.

We-You Bond, LLC coaches Chinese international students and their parents on Purdue available resources easing their transition into life as Purdue. Bobby Wen, also a J-1 visa recipient, co-founded the startup with Joyce Zhao, both Krannert graduates.

“International students face an obstacle when they arrive at an American university. They aren't aware of enough resources available to them,” said Wen. “The language barrier also heightens this problem, but we want to resolve both issues at once.”

We-You Bond has assisted 35 students through their direct services. An additional 200 Chinese international students received support through a pre-orientation program in China.

The fifth visa recipient, Rick Li, founded WYRE Inc. This startup provides a mobile platform, UPrint, allowing users to print PDF documents without computer access.  His co-founder Lawrence Lee is one of the two J-1 visas that are in process.

The other J-1 visa that is processing is for Krannert graduate, Lancer Lin.  Lin founded Pacific Trading, LLC, a startup that buys high-quality luxury vehicles internationally such as the Maserati Levante.

The Purdue program assures participants a two-year initial support period, successive and annual extensions (totaling two years) and in exceptional cases, a final one year extension.

Purdue University is the second school authorized by the U.S. Department of State to host the J-1 Exchange Visitor Program. The Purdue Foundry provides the below privileges to the program participants:

  • FireStarter is an ideation program providing commercialization support, such as business model creation and entrepreneur-in-residence collaboration.
  • Events allow the Purdue entrepreneurial community to network with each other (e.g. WomenIN, FoundryX, Spirited Entrepreneur and Foundry Grounds).
  • Educational seminars and programs teach startups how to successfully navigate common obstacles.
  • Funding opportunities include the Trask Innovation Fund, the Elevate Purdue Foundry Fund, the Foundry Investment Fund and the Ag-celerator.
  • Purdue Research Park provides co-working space and leasing opportunities, such as the Purdue Railyard.

About the J-1 Exchange Visitor Program

The J-1 Exchange Visitor Program assists non-immigrant workers and students obtain a visa and participate in work-related or school-based exchange programs. The US Department of State oversees this program in order to promote cultural and educational opportunities. For more information, contact j1visa@purdue.edu.

About Purdue Research Foundation

The Purdue Research Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation created to advance the mission of Purdue University. Established in 1930, the foundation accepts gifts; administers trusts; funds scholarships and grants; acquires property; protects Purdue's intellectual property; and promotes entrepreneurial activities on behalf of Purdue. The foundation manages the Purdue Foundry, Purdue Office of Technology Commercialization, Purdue Research Park and Purdue Technology Centers. The foundation received the 2016 Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities Award for Innovation from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. For more information about funding and investment opportunities in startups based on a Purdue innovation, contact the Purdue Foundry at foundry@prf.org.

About the Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship

The Burton D. Morgan Center is the gateway for innovation and entrepreneurship on campus.  It houses a number of programs and competitions for student and faculty entrepreneurs.  The Purdue Foundry, launched in 2013 by the Purdue Research Foundation to enhance the university’s robust entrepreneurial ecosystem, is housed here, along with Purdue Ventures, which provides and fosters meaningful access to capital and talent for Purdue entrepreneurs, and the Certificate for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program.

Writer: Kelsey Henry, 765-588-3342, kehenry@prf.org 

Purdue Research Foundation Contact: Cynthia Sequin, 765-558-3340, casequin@prf.org 

Sources:

Greg Deason, gwdeason@prf.org

Arnold Chen, chen2503@purdue.edu

Bobby Wen, jifu.wen@weyoubond.com


Research Foundation News

Purdue University, 610 Purdue Mall, West Lafayette, IN 47907, (765) 494-4600

© 2015-22 Purdue University | An equal access/equal opportunity university | Copyright Complaints | Maintained by Office of Strategic Communications

Trouble with this page? Disability-related accessibility issue? Please contact News Service at purduenews@purdue.edu.