Libsyn Directory

226: Startups, Scientists, and Visas: Why Immigration Is America’s Innovation Policy with Doug Rand

Release Date: 05/07/2025

230: Humanizing Sales in the Age of AI with Venki Pola

Sophie Alcorn Podcast

Venki Pola, co-founder and CTO of OneShot.ai, shares his incredible journey from a career at Salesforce to becoming an immigrant entrepreneur. After experiencing personal tragedy and navigating the complexities of the U.S. immigration system as an H-1B visa holder, Venki's story is one of resilience and determination. We explore the additional hurdles he faced while transferring his visa to his startup, managing responsibilities, and ensuring his status enabled him to chase his business dreams. His story is a testament to perseverance and the relentless pursuit of one's aspirations, against...

229: When Stress Speaks: Decoding the Body’s Language for Resilience with Matthew David Gardner

Sophie Alcorn Podcast

Facing a severe digestive shutdown can feel like an insurmountable mountain, but for Matthew David Gardner, the journey to health was transformative. After years of searching for a solution through both traditional and alternative medicine, he found hope through Gloria, a practitioner who introduced him to a unique method of energy testing and personalized nutrition. Within just 30 days, Matthew experienced remarkable improvements, regaining strength and vitality. Join us as we unravel his story and explore the unconventional approaches that restored his health and reshaped his perspective on...

228: Layoff Lessons: Reinvention After Setbacks with Roshni Chellani

Sophie Alcorn Podcast

Roshni Chalani, a brilliant wireless engineer turned career coach, captivates us with her inspiring journey from India to the United States, breaking free from conventional expectations like early marriage. Her story is filled with strategic brilliance, as she shares how she used financial logic to win her family's support for her education abroad. This episode offers a refreshing perspective on the power of persistence, strategic communication, and courage to shake off cultural norms and pursue one’s dreams. Roshni Chellani is a wireless engineer by day, a career coach, and a 24/7 content...

227: Why We Still Don’t Have Robot Butlers with Anshuman Kumar

Sophie Alcorn Podcast

Unlock the secrets behind the rapid evolution of robotics with Anshuman Kumar, head of hardware at Matic Robots, as we dissect what makes a robot more than just a machine. Discover how modern marvels, from everyday tools to cutting-edge autonomous vehicles, are reshaping our lives. Anshuman shares the technological breakthroughs that are fueling this transformation, revealing the vital roles that GPUs, AI, and a blend of mechanics, electronics, and algorithms play in creating robots capable of perceiving and interacting with their surroundings like never before. Anshuman Kumar is the Head of...

226: Startups, Scientists, and Visas: Why Immigration Is America’s Innovation Policy with Doug Rand

Sophie Alcorn Podcast

Join Sophie in welcoming Doug Rand, a visionary in the realm of innovation and immigration policy, to explore the unique journey that led him from the world of evolutionary biology to the corridors of the White House. Doug shares his fascinating transition from scientific research to entrepreneurship and policy-making, shedding light on the pivotal role of his work under the Obama administration in modernizing employment-based immigration, especially the H-1B program. His story underscores the significance of civil servants and their behind-the-scenes efforts in shaping global talent mobility....

225: The Wow vs. The Why: Finding Viable Innovation in the Age of Hype

Sophie Alcorn Podcast

Isabelle is the Head of the Startup Battlefield Program at TechCrunch, where she leads the sourcing and selection of 200 game-changing, early-stage companies each year to showcase at TechCrunch Disrupt. Before this, she managed a global startup accelerator, helping hundreds of startups from countries like Japan, South Korea, Italy, and Spain expand to the U.S. Isabelle is passionate about supporting women founders and was recognized by the World Trade Organization for launching an accelerator program that brought women entrepreneurs from Spain to the U.S., winning the International Prize for...

224: From 10-Year Bans and Border Detention to Billion-Dollar Business: A Founder’s Journey to Success with Haseeb Awan

Sophie Alcorn Podcast

Haseeb Awan, CEO of Efani Secure Mobile, protects celebrities and high-net-worth individuals from phone hacking. A Y Combinator alumnus and telecom engineer, he also co-founded a major Bitcoin ATM network. His work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Hulu. Haseeb’s journey from Pakistan to the United States is nothing short of extraordinary. Picture this: a student in Canada accidentally finds himself in the U.S. after a sleepy bus ride to Niagara Falls. This unexpected detour led to a whirlwind of immigration challenges, including a revoked visa. Yet,...

223: Reigniting Prosperity: How Immigrants Help Revive Communities and Fuel Economic Growth

Sophie Alcorn Podcast

Rachel Perić is Executive Director of Welcoming America. Inspired by her family’s refugee story, she has worked for more than a decade to grow the worldwide movement of welcomers and advocate for the power of everyday people to build welcoming communities for all. Rachel has worked throughout her career with local leaders whose innovative solutions to community building in an era of migration are the inspiration for her work and advocacy, and the subject of her published writing in USA Today, CNN, and numerous media outlets. She serves on the boards of RCUSA,...

222: Neuroplasticity and Change: How to Rewire Your Brain for Success with Michael Lopez

Sophie Alcorn Podcast

Best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and transformation consultant, Michael’s purpose is to unlock your full potential by helping you rethink your approach to change. Michael is a coach to companies, leaders, teams, and individuals seeking to improve performance through transformation. Embark on a journey with us as we unravel how aligning personal and organizational goals with the brain’s natural proclivities can transform change into a strategic endeavor. Michael shares a compelling story of small, consistent efforts such as daily sun salutations to illustrate how incremental...

221: Raising Capital in 2025: The Realities of the Global Market

Sophie Alcorn Podcast

Jonathan Nelson is the Founder and Executive Director of HF Capital, which provides corporate advisory and project management services to assist growth-stage technology companies in raising capital through stock exchanges. He previously founded Hackers/Founders, which is one of the largest global communities of tech founders. In addition, Jonathan also serves in advisory roles for the Partnership for Central America and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. In this episode, you’ll hear about: Challenges and opportunities in raising growth capital for international tech...

More Episodes

Co-Director of the Talent Mobility Fund, Doug Rand is a startup founder, immigration expert, and policymaker who trained as an evolutionary biologist. He served as Senior Advisor to the Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services from 2021–2025 and as Assistant Director for Entrepreneurship in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy from 2010–2017. As an entrepreneur, he was the co-founder and president of Boundless, and the co-founder and CEO of Playscripts, Inc

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

Doug Rand's transition from evolutionary biology to a key role in U.S. immigration policy
Modernization of the H-1B program and its impact on global talent mobility
Biden administration's changes allowing startup founders to qualify for H-1B visas
Extension of employment authorization documents to address backlog issues
Challenges and opportunities for immigrant entrepreneurs in the U.S.
Importance of issuing more green cards to retain top AI talent in the U.S.
Collaborative potential between government and startups to support innovation and immigration policy

Follow and Review:

We’d love for you to follow us if you haven’t yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.