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Indian-origin founder once denied US F-1 visa recalls journey to entrepreneurial success: 'US has been kindest to me'
The entrepreneur reflected on his journey from a rejected student visa applicant to building multiple businesses serving the US market.
An entrepreneur has caught the internet's attention after recounting how a visa rejection early in his life ultimately shaped his career and entrepreneurial journey.
In a post on X, entrepreneur Vijay Thirumalai reflected on his journey from a rejected student visa applicant to building multiple businesses serving the US market. "Many years back, right after undegrad, i had the opportunity to go to US for my Masters in CS with 100% scholarship to -UTD @ Texas," he wrote.
However, Thirumalai said that despite securing a full scholarship, his F-1 visa application was rejected because his family could not demonstrate enough money in their bank account. "Got my F1 rejected coz we were not able to show enough funds in our bank account ( had like 1 lac in bank balance, that too borrowed from 5 different relatives)," he wrote.
Unable to afford another visa application or apply to universities in Europe or Canada, he said that he had no choice but to let go of his plans. "We were too broke to re-apply and didnt have money to apply to other countries in Europe / Canada to diversify visa risks & we let it pass. All my friends who were far less accomplished than me went to US and were chiling out. Next 4-6 months were traumatic, thought the whole world crumbled," he recalled.
Thirumalai said that he eventually picked himself up and joined ADP Dealer Services as a networking engineer. Then within a year, he shared that he travelled to the US on a B1/B2 visa as part of a pilot team that helped him scale the company's India operations significantly.
He said that he later launched a startup inspired by Palantir that worked with the US government to streamline the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The company, he claimed, crossed $15 million in revenue within 3 years before he exited by selling his stake.
Today, Thirumalai said that he runs Goldwater, a company that helps highly skilled Indians build careers in the US and North America. He added that he now holds Canadian citizenship, is awaiting a US green card through the EB-5 investor programme, has a UAE Golden Visa, and has built a high-figure business alongside an 8-figure investment portfolio.
Looking back, Thirumalai credited the US for much of his professional success. "US has been the kindest to me, my professional success has been largely on US-centred businesses," he wrote.
"Sharing this because, anyone remotely ambitious + high agency has the potential to achieve 10x of what I did in US," he added.
(Also Read: ' ₹42,000 for medicines, ₹23,000 doctor's fee': Indian man left stunned by US medical costs)
Social media reactions
The post resonated with many users, who praised his perseverance.
One user wrote, "Incredible job, Vijay! Thanks for sharing this. Stories like yours remind people that setbacks are often just the beginning."
"Getting rejected hurt at the time, but it clearly wasn't the end of the journey. Success rarely follows the path we plan it follows the one we keep walking despite setbacks. The first 'no' is often just a detour, not the destination," commented another.
"Thank you for writing this. Makes me believe everything's possible when you work hard and are ambitious," wrote one user.
