Which Startup Programs Your Status Can Apply To (SBIR · STEM OPT · Brain Pool · K-Tech Pass)
Eligibility splits on immigration status, and the two sides split in opposite directions. SBIR needs majority ownership by US citizens or permanent residents; K-Tech Pass is a visa, so it is for foreign nationals only. One grid showing where each door opens and closes.
At a glance — where each door opens and closes
People looking for funding usually start with "what programs exist." What actually stops them is almost always "am I even eligible," and answering that means reading five separate announcements and working out your own row.
The US side — status is what closes the door
| Program | Confirmed requirement |
|---|---|
| SBIR / STTR |
More than 50% of the equity must be directly owned and controlled
by individuals who are US citizens or permanent residents.
"Individual" means an actual person — a company does not count.
So a student on F-1 or OPT cannot be the majority owner.
You can join the company or be employed by it, but you cannot hold the
controlling stake. The structure has to put 51% or more with a
citizen or permanent resident co-founder.
13 CFR 121.702 · 500 employees or fewer, affiliates included
|
| Post-completion OPT 12 months · self-employment |
Self-employment is allowed. Three conditions: you hold the proper business licences, you are actively engaged in the business, and the work is directly related to your major. In SEVIS you record where you actually perform the work — a residence counts. SEVP Policy Guidance 1004-03 |
| STEM OPT 24 months · self-employment |
This is where it splits. You may take part in a venture
as an employee, but you cannot be your own employer and cannot sign
Form I-983 on the employer's behalf.
The employer must be enrolled in E-Verify, must pay you on par
with similarly situated US workers, and must have the resources to deliver the
training plan. An employer "in name only," or working unpaid, does not qualify.
So "found my own company on STEM OPT" does not really work.
It needs a co-founder or another authorised signatory, and the company
has to be in E-Verify.
|
The Korean side — nationality and location close it instead
| Program | Confirmed requirement |
|---|---|
| K-Tech Pass Top-Tier visa F-2-T |
Gives a residence visa and settlement support to
overseas talent who has signed an employment contract with a
Korean advanced-industry company. The benefits are substantial —
50% income tax reduction for up to 10 years, spouse work
authorisation, permanent residency eligible after three years.
But it is a visa, and visas are issued only to foreign nationals.
Anyone still holding Korean citizenship — including a Korean citizen
with a US green card — is not eligible. A Korean citizen neither needs
nor can receive a Korean visa. Conversely, someone who naturalised as a US
citizen and thereby lost Korean nationality does qualify.
Quantitative track: master's or above from a top-100 engineering school,
experience at a global top-500 company or research institute, or salary at
3× per-capita GNI. Korean language requirement waived from 1 June 2026.
|
| Brain Pool NRF overseas scientist programme |
The only one that does not ask about nationality.
Open to doctorate holders currently residing outside Korea
(the individual track asks for at least one year of residence abroad as of the
hiring date). For companies and corporate research institutes, five or more years
of industrial R&D experience abroad can substitute for the doctorate.
Living abroad is the requirement, not the obstacle.
The programme exists for overseas Korean researchers considering a return,
which describes a doctoral student or postdoc in Boston precisely.
|
| Pre-startup Package Ministry of SMEs and Startups |
For prospective founders who hold no business registration in their own
name and no legal representative authority as of the cut-off date
(22 January for 2026). The 2026 window is
6–24 March, applied for online through K-Startup.
What we could not confirm.
We did not find any nationality or Korean-residence requirement in the
announcement, and whether a foreign national may apply is also unconfirmed.
Because a selected applicant registers a business and operates it in Korea,
returning to Korea looks like a practical precondition — but that
is our inference, not a confirmed fact. Check the full K-Startup announcement
and ask the administering agency before you apply.
|
In short
- US money closes on status. On OPT or STEM OPT you cannot be an SBIR majority owner, and on STEM OPT you cannot be your own company's employer either
- Korean programmes close on nationality. The most generous one, K-Tech Pass, is unavailable to anyone who keeps Korean citizenship
- Brain Pool sidesteps both. It looks only at a doctorate and at living abroad — quite possibly the one programme you are eligible for right now while you are in Boston
- A green card opens the US side and closes one Korean door. There is no state in which both are open
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Schools and agencies change these without notice. Confirm on the official pages below before you act.
- eCFR — 13 CFR 121.702 (SBIR·STTR 규모·자격 기준)
- SBIR.gov — Eligibility Requirements FAQ
- Study in the States — Employers and the Form I-983 (STEM OPT)
- USCIS — Optional Practical Training Extension for STEM Students
- SEVP Policy Guidance 1004-03 — Update to Optional Practical Training (자영업)
- 법무부 출입국·외국인정책본부 — 탑티어(Top-Tier) 비자 신설
- KOTRA — K-Tech Pass 제도 소개
- 외교부 재외공관 — 해외우수연구자 정부초청 지원프로그램(Brain Pool)
- 기업마당 — 2026년 예비창업패키지 예비창업자 모집 공고
- K-Startup 창업지원포털
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