Looking for a change in scenery, spending a gap year working abroad or an alternative for a student exchange?
Or are you simply afraid of the dark and long winter?
– No problem, California may be just one application away!
Applying for Startuplifers program is your chance to experience the world’s largest tech ecosystem while working and living in San Francisco Bay Area for 12-18 months.
Startuplifers supports you to accelerate your career!
Through the program we offer you a chance to connect with multiple open positions in startups, located in California and other US hubs. Facilitating your journey to Silicon Valley, and guiding you with the next right steps.
Startuplifers program is intended for tech, design and business students and recent graduates from Finnish or Swedish universities and universities of applied sciences.
In addition, you should have 1-2 years of work experience in your field.
1. Apply with one application (opens on August 28th)
2. Once you are accepted, connect with other participants and join our workshops. Bring your CV to the next level and boost your networks!
3. During the matching period we pitch your profiles to the startups. Startups proceed with the selection of the candidates that will continue the interview process further.
4. Rock the interview and land that job.
5. Startuplifers handles your visa and flights and helps you with relocation to the US. In addition, we connect you with fellow lifers and our community in the Bay Area.
6. Get ready for an experience of a lifetime
While the recruitment process length varies case by case, you should expect to start in your new job after 2-3 months from accepting a job offer. Startuplifers handle the US visa process and flights.
We welcome applications from all students and recent graduates of Finnish and Swedish universities/UASs, regardless of your gender, racial, ethnic, or social origin, color, religion, belief, sexual orientation, or whatever else makes you YOU. We want to see you!
Batch allows you get introduced to multiple startup jobs in Silicon Valley with one single application.
The great education system fosters innovation and an entrepreneurial mindset in students. Students in Nordic countries have commonly gained work experience in their own field, often abroad or in a very international setting. Startuplifers alone has sent over 250 talented people from Finland and Sweden abroad. Silicon Valley companies know the benefits of hiring Nordic talent (if not, don’t be shy to highlight the benefits mentioned above) and they are happy to hire more!
Tech, design, and business students and recent graduates from Finnish or Swedish universities or universities of applied sciences. You must be pursuing or have pursued a degree from these institutions (i.e., no exchange studies). In addition, you should have 1-2 years of work experience in your field.If you are uncertain whether your university qualifies, please reach out to us 🙂
1. Apply with one application (application period for the spring 23 Batch: 14.2 – 7.3)
2. Once you are accepted, connect with other participants and join our workshops. Bring you CV to the next level and boost your networks!
3. During the batch-match we pitch your profiles to the startups. They proceed with the selection of the candidates that will continue the interview process further.
4. Rock the interviews and land a job.
5. Startuplifers handles your visa and flights and helps you with relocation to the US. In addition, we connect you with fellow lifers and our community in the Bay Area.
6. Get ready for an experience of a lifetime!
The rough estimate is 2,5 months. It can be more, it can be less.
There are 3 steps to the process, and their timelines do not overlap:
1. Preparing the J-1 documentation and training plan, in conjunction with the J-1 host company. This will take a few weeks.
2. The DS-2019 (which is needed for the J-1 visa appointment). This takes up to one month.
3. The J-1 visa application appointment in the U.S. Embassy in Helsinki. You can check the estimated wait times here.
2) PRACTICAL CAREER TRAINING (PCT) type; max 18 months (+ max 2 months grace period) – for this category, the applicant should be:
This means thatif the job contract exceeds 12-18 months, you will need to apply for an alternative visa later, e.g. H-1B.
For the applicant (you): USD 160 Machine Readable Visa (MRV) fee.
For the startup: about USD 6000. As a non-profit organization, Startuplifers only charges for the costs that arise from the visa process, legal services, and flights.
Your visa and flights are covered by the company. We will facilitate the process. Salary is subject to negotiation and varies across different companies and positions. You should expect a salary of USD 5000/month at a minimum (e.g. junior developer) in San Francisco. However, many will receive a higher salary based on their expertise. Also, bear in mind that the salary can be increased over time depending on your performance. With this salary level, you can be sure to be able to cover living expenses in San Francisco.
You may be able to start the process while you are overseas, however, generally you have to be outside of the US when applying for a visa. Also, you will have to visit a US Consulate (e.g. in Helsinki) for a visa interview when you reach that point in your application process. Please contact us for more information.
We are here to help and answer any questions you might have! Get in touch with our Head of Community at isaura@startuplifers.org or isaura_hedez on on telegram.
Isak Wärnman is the newest Sila Nanotechnologies, Inc. team addition in Alameda, CA. He will start in the strategy team this summer, through the Staruplifers
Today we want to share with you a recap of Aleksandar’s story! Aleksandar is a Swedish-based Startuplifers alumnus who has been part of the program
Over the past decade, Startuplifers has connected hundreds of talent from the Nordics with fast-growing startups in Silicon Valley and beyond. After the program, many
