Currently in the UK on a Startup Visa for 1.5 years
Co-founder and CTO of an AI-driven marketing product for fitness clubs
Part of an accelerator program and received pre-seed funding
Key achievements include scaling the application to handle over 1 million requests and optimizing infrastructure costs
Application Documents:
Letters of Recommendation (LoR):
From a co-founder with experience in a large fitness chain
From an investor and board member
From the CEO of a bootstrapped company I worked for in Australia
Mandatory Criteria (MC) Documents:
MC Document 1: Evidence of leading a product-led digital technology company. I plan to submit a reference letter from the CEO of the open-source startup I contributed to, along with GitHub insights and PRs.
MC Document 2: Evidence of leading marketing or business development. I have a reference letter from the CEO of a billion-dollar fitness company highlighting our partnership.
MC Document 3: Evidence of commanding a high salary or remuneration. Since I’m equity-based, I’ll focus on demonstrating the potential value of my equity and include financial projections.
Optional Criteria (OP):
OP1: Proven track record of innovation. I’ll highlight our product’s innovative AI-driven approach and provide testimonials from clients.
OP2: Recognition outside immediate occupation. I’ll mention my open-source contributions and Stack Overflow profile.
OP3: Significant technical contributions. I’ll emphasize my role in scaling the application and optimizing infrastructure.
Questions:
Is my approach to MC Document 2 appropriate for a technical founder?
How can I effectively demonstrate remuneration in an equity-based role for MC Document 3?
Any tips on showcasing innovation and recognition for OP1 and OP2?
Thank you for any feedback or advice you can offer!
Your LOR from the founder of a fitness chain may not work unless he has other standing expertise in tech as they need LORs from experts in digital technology sector.
MC seems to be only letters and equity proofs: both of which are insufficient evidences for the criteria.
You need atleast 2 evidences each for two optional criterias. It’s unclear which 2 are you attempting, you seem to have given 1 each in three criteria which isn’t correct.
OC1 is about showcasing innovation and your significant contribution to that innovation. OC3 is about showing your contribution to commercial or technical succes where success is demonstrated in quantified metrics. Both the criterias need third-party evidences and validations to back your self-claims.
For exceptional talent your evidence are quite scanty. I am not sure if a letter from your investor maybe your best best for recommendation. You could use it may be as a reference letter for impact. Do you have evidence of your contribution to an opensource project? You need to show you actual contribution, the reference letter may just be used to strengthen it.
As a founder, do you have news clipping of your work, any publication mentioning your name and startup,
Your optimal criteria evidence are not sufficient. You need at least two in each category. Do you have conference speaking? Evidence of product sales/revenue to demonstrate impact?
For OPtional criteria 2 is the Opensource you intend to use same as the evidence in the mandatory criteria? How consistent and valued is your stack overflow contribution?
Hi Gandharv, your approach to the Global Talent Visa application needs some adjustments. The mandatory criteria documentation requires refinement. A reference letter for marketing and business development might not be the strongest evidence for a technical founder. Instead, focus on technical leadership and innovation achievements.
For equity-based remuneration, you’ll need more concrete evidence than financial projections. Consider including your company’s valuation documents, term sheets, or investment agreements that demonstrate the current value of your equity. You might also want to include any previous high-salary positions to strengthen this criterion.
Your optional criteria selections are appropriate. The AI-driven innovation angle is strong. Include metrics about performance improvements and cost optimizations you achieved. For recognition outside your occupation, add any speaking engagements, technical articles, or community contributions beyond Stack Overflow.
Remember that evidence must span at least 12 months of activity. Each piece of evidence should be unique and not reused across criteria. Format all documents as PDFs with clear summaries. Keep each evidence document within three A4 pages.
Consider adding evidence about your accelerator program participation and pre-seed funding success to strengthen your innovation credentials. These demonstrate both technical capability and business acumen.