Want To Start Up In America? Open Atlas Summit 2026 Can Help

Open Atlas Summit 2026, presented by Manifest, will give aspiring entrepreneurs direct access to founders, investors and technology leaders who have built companies and careers in America.

Starting a company is difficult anywhere. For immigrant founders in the United States, the challenge can be even more complicated.

Alongside product development, hiring and fundraising, founders may also need to think about immigration status, company structure, intellectual property, employment rules and the long-term ability to remain in the country where they are building.

They may also be managing immigration challenges outside the company itself. Some may be stuck in the EB-2 or EB-3 backlog, need H-1B stamping appointments or be looking for sponsor-friendly employment while preparing to launch a company.

At Open Atlas Summit 2026, aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs will be able to learn from people who have already navigated parts of that journey.

The two-day event will take place on August 21 and 22, 2026, at the India Community Centre in Milpitas, California.

Hear from people who have built

One of the Summit’s headline sessions will feature Mani Krishnan, founder and CEO of Shastha Foods, discussing how he built an immigrant food business from the ground up.

His session will explore what it takes to create a company around a community need, build trust with customers and grow an immigrant-founded brand in the United States.

Prabakar Sundarrajan, founder and chief strategist at The Fabric, will participate in a conversation titled, The Founder Playbook: Lessons from Building, Scaling and Surviving.

The session is expected to focus on the realities behind entrepreneurship: making decisions with limited information, surviving difficult periods and building a company beyond the initial idea.

For deep-technology founders, Raj Pai, a former NASA technology leader, will join investors and entrepreneurs for - Deep Tech Startups: AI, Space and the Frontier.

The panel will also include Anshu Agarwal of Converge VC and Pranjal Mehta, formerly associated with ePlane.

Pitching, funding and building without venture capital

Open Atlas Summit 2026 will not present venture capital as the only route to building a successful company.

A session on reaching $1 million in annual recurring revenue without venture funding will examine how founders can bootstrap, find customers and build sustainable businesses.

Later in the day, Pitching to VCs as an Immigrant Founder will bring together:

Jyotika Gupta of Z21 Ventures
Kamal Singh of WestBridge Capital
Dhravya Shah, founder of Supermemory

The session will help founders understand what investors may evaluate beyond a polished presentation, including market opportunity, founder credibility, differentiation and the ability to execute.

Lajja Shah of gener8or will also lead a session on what founders need to understand about applying to Y Combinator.

Participation does not guarantee funding or accelerator admission. However, hearing directly from investors, founders and programme leaders can help entrepreneurs better understand how their businesses may be evaluated.

Visa, legal and founder guidance in one place

The Summit’s value for entrepreneurs extends beyond business advice.

Immigration sessions will cover O-1, EB-1A, NIW, cap-exempt H-1B, EB-5 and other pathways that may be relevant to qualifying founders and professionals.

Attendees will be able to meet O-1, EB-1A and EB-5 recipients, former USCIS directors, top immigration attorneys and sponsor-friendly employers. For entrepreneurs balancing company-building with their own immigration status, these interactions can make the broader landscape easier to understand.

The dedicated Legal Desk will allow attendees to discuss company formation, founder interests, intellectual property and immigration planning with attorneys.

The first day will also include a Hackathon from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, giving builders an opportunity to collaborate, test ideas and meet potential teammates.

After that, the Startup Job Fair will connect growing companies with people looking to join them from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

A larger platform in 2026

Last year’s Summit brought hundreds of immigrants together for founder conversations, career sessions, legal guidance and networking.

Open Atlas Summit 2026 is expanding the format for more than 1,000 attendees, with a broader speaker lineup and practical programming across five rooms.

For aspiring founders, the event offers something that online founder content cannot easily reproduce: the chance to learn from successful entrepreneurs, speak to investors, understand immigration considerations and meet people who may eventually become collaborators, employees or advisors.

Anyone serious about building a startup in the United States should not have to figure out every part of the journey alone.

Join the Open Atlas Summit on August 21 and 22 at the India Community Center in Milpitas.

Registration is available through the official Luma event page.

Book Summit Tickets: https://luma.com/8c4qusfp
Book Hackathon spots: https://luma.com/s6pv7mw1
Participate in JOB FAIR: https://luma.com/OASJobfair
Visit the Open Atlas Summit Website: https://theopenatlas.org

Published on: Thursday, August 13, 2026, 08:39 PM IST