Why One Woman’s Visa Frustration Sparked a Global Tech Revolution

Rose Odette
Oct 26
3 min read

Introduction -Visa Frustration Sparked a Global Tech Revolution

Sometimes the spark of innovation comes from the deepest kind of exhaustion — the kind that says “there has to be a better way.”

That’s exactly where Priyanka Kulkarni found herself. Born and raised in Mumbai, India, Priyanka dreamed of working in advanced AI research. She earned her degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Mumbai, then came to the U.S. for her master’s in Applied Mathematics at Johns Hopkins.

After landing a role at Microsoft in Seattle, she spent nearly a decade in the company’s Azure AI division, building cutting-edge systems for the future. But while she was coding innovation by day, she was stuck in an outdated immigration process by night — renewing work visas, waiting for approvals, watching friends’ careers stall in limbo.

So she decided to change the system itself.

In 2024, Priyanka founded Casium, an AI-driven immigration-tech startup that automates the entire U.S. work visa process. From job matching and form generation to legal documentation, Casium uses AI agents to complete applications in ten business days — what normally takes months.

Now, based in Seattle, Priyanka and her small team (incubated at the AI2 Innovation Lab) are in the early growth phase — scaling their pilot with tech companies and immigration law partners.

💰 Funding the Future In October 2025, Casium raised $5 million in seed funding led by Maverick Ventures with participation from AI2 Incubator, GTMfund, Success Venture Partners, and angel investor Jake Heller, co-founder of Casetext. This early backing proves what Priyanka always believed — that the immigration process isn’t broken beyond repair; it’s just waiting for smarter architecture. Investors are betting that Casium will become the blueprint for the next generation of immigration automation.

Five Ideals That Built Casium

Frustration Fuels Innovation – The hardest problems we face often become the blueprints for our greatest breakthroughs.
Empathy Creates Better Tech – Priyanka didn’t build Casium for profit first — she built it to stop others from feeling what she felt.
AI Is the New Paralegal – Automation doesn’t replace lawyers; it empowers them to focus on strategy and advocacy.
Your Story Is Your Strength – The credibility of living a struggle makes your solution unstoppable.
Innovation Loves Constraints – Bureaucracy tried to slow her down; she used it as the test case for her genius.

Five Actions to Take

Write Down Your Biggest Frustration – Then ask: “What if this were solved with technology?”
Build From Lived Experience – Don’t chase abstract ideas; solve what you’ve personally survived.
Learn the System Before You Break It – Like Priyanka, master the rules first — then redesign them.
Partner with the Process Keepers – Build allies inside the systems you’re trying to transform.
Stay Local, Think Global – Priyanka built Casium in Seattle, but her mission is global — yours can be, too.

Conclusion

Priyanka Kulkarni’s journey reminds us that innovation isn’t born in a lab — it’s born in the pressure cooker of lived experience. She turned years of visa frustration into a movement to empower global talent through AI. Visa Frustration Sparked a Global Tech Revolution Casium is more than a startup; it’s a declaration that we can rewrite the rules when the rules no longer serve us.

So when the system slows you down, don’t give up. Design the system that sets you free.

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