A startup co-founder, once on an H-1B visa in the US, shared his inspiring “return to India” story – calling it the best decision of his life. While many might have seen it as a questionable move at the time, Prashanth Shenoy chose to stay committed to building products from India. Eleven years later, he says he’s not just living the American dream, but creating the American-Indian (AI) dream from India. He also said that many are giving up their H-1B visa and returning to India.

‘I once had an H-1B’

“I once had an H-1B,” Shenoy wrote on X (formerly Twitter), before adding, “I had a great software engineering job in the US, was on H-1B after my F1 and built great products. Loved my job.”

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He went on to say, “One fine day in 2010, I decided to quit that job, sold my car, broke my lease agreement, and 2 weeks later I moved back home to Mangaluru.” This he termed the best decision of his life as he built a product which is a primary source for people in the US legal tech landscape. 

“Met my co-founder, Josh Blandi and started Uni Court in 2014. We are going 11 years strong, and today are the primary source for court cases and litigation analytics in the US legal tech landscape.” 

Shenoy further noted that one can not only “build the American dream” but also the “American-Indian (AI) dream from India”.

“So have no fear, you can today, not just build the American dream but now build the American-Indian (AI) dream from India, like how our Prime Minister Narendra Modi put it in one of his visits to the US – the AI Dream,” he ended his post on a positive note. 

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Social media users found his journey ‘impressive’

Many drew inspiration from his post and wished him luck. 

“A gentle nudge like this is much needed now than ever,” said one social media user. 

Another added, “Very impressive and genuine respect for those like you who make this move back and succeed. However, please do share your financial situation when you made the move. I know many who made such a move, publicised it, but they did so when they had a solid cushion to fall back on.”

While many found it inspiring, some even asked how they could apply for a job in their organisation.