The Immigrant Journey Behind A Silicon Valley Success Story 

My parents fled Uzbekistan due to antisemitism. Living in NY as a 9 year old was both very stressful and exciting. I went to school without knowing any English. After about a year of watching cartoons and reading books I became somewhat conversational. I found my zen in exploring music and design apps on the computer. I started working as a graphic designer in high school and eventually started 2 companies, one of which reached 7 figures in revenue and I'm now on my 3rd (YC application pending 😅)

My journey as an immigrant is that everything was uncomfortable, fought for and earned. My father grew up unstable on a farm, where sometimes they had to skip meals and walk 3 hours just to go to school. He worked really hard so our family had financial security. However, this came with significant psychological debt as it conflicted against everything I wanted to do in life which is expand my horizon and solve real world problems through entrepreneurship. In school, teachers and professors looked down on me because I didn't start off strong in that environment, I constantly had to work harder and think more creatively than my peers to achieve what they could easily obtain on their first try. By graduation, I consistently finished at the top of my class in every school and landed my dream job in NY. That was only half the battle, at home I constantly had to argue and upset my father because I didn't live the life he wanted. I could never "fit in", that dream job in NY I mentioned earlier? He forbade me to leave my hometown and I had to upset him to work there. Like Tracy, this past year I overcame my personal barriers of starting a startup (lack of family support due to financial risk, being an asian CEO, etc.). Unlike other talented individuals who could get into YC, we've been rejected, twice actually. While the first rejection was heartbreaking, the application process and these videos were so helpful that today we received support from the government, and we have VCs inquiring. While it would be really cool to have YC's support because it's an organization I really resonate with and could use their expertise, this just might be another example of where I have to take the harder route of not having YC in order to achieve success once again. If anyone has advice to make our journey easier, come see what we're doing to solve the housing crisis, I'd love to hear from you. We're first time founders so we're bound to make mistakes, the Contact Us CTA goes straight to my personal email :) cachehomes. ca

@@BigWangLee what a great story you have. I read it all and I have to say you are one strong fighter..... Good luck with your journey in the housing industry. A RU-vid user from Nigeria named Emmanuel is rooting for you.

😂😂

I am just glad he uploaded at all. But yes the editing is not yc.

I thought same when I watched it 😂

It's disheartening to hear that talking to VC's has been almost useless for me. However, I managed to secure an initial $30k check from an angel investor in Brazil and another $50k through a WeFunder campaign. Currently, my team at DOJO+ consists of three dedicated individuals, and we're building an innovative Martial Arts platform for schools, which celebrates our Asian heritage.

Sadly, I've noticed that many VC's hesitate to invest in first-generation immigrants, solo founders, or individuals outside of prestigious universities. This situation makes it challenging to find the support and funding needed to grow my business. I would love to connect with more people like myself and investors who understand and value the potential of immigrant entrepreneurs.

​@@junojo 이미 엄청 훌륭하신데요? 우연히 댓글을 답니다만, 잘되실거에요! Yeah!

Hey Emilie, rooting for you💪

Do you by any chance have an opening for a product designer at your company?

Good question... it's usually all of it

how is it jobs taken by immigrants if they’re starting their own businesses?

immigration means moving to another place/country permanently. Doesn't matter if you do it when you are 20 years old or 1 week old.

@@hasaniqbal233 it matters.