States have long courted international entrepreneurs in an effort to attract investment and capital to their countries. However, existing immigration legislation is poorly equipped for evaluating today's digital companies. Startup visa policies were developed in an effort to meet the needs to tech founders who wish to bring their companies to new markets. However, they often remain ill-suited for digital startups, and the impact thus far has been limited. While these visa programs aim to lower the barriers of entry for today’s technical entrepreneurs, new innovations in the evaluation process have created additional hurdles that have impacted success. A growing private role in the evaluation of these visa applications has created a new and unique challenge for prospective entrants, while fundamentally changing the way that immigrant visas are granted.