Dan

Always learning 📚 ML during the day; Random range at night

[Dan @DanOverflow]

I started occasionally writing on Substack, instead of just reading about my multiple interests I thought of sharing thoughts to spark conversations about things I find unexpectedly intersect.

Hoping to get feedback and for the ideas to be critiqued.

https://t.co/X6q47JlSgo

[Dan @DanOverflow]

@nicknorwitz @Thermobolic isn’t this very similar to what you do?

[Dan @DanOverflow]

@ElvisSinosickk The Joe Rogaine Experience

[Dan @DanOverflow]

@BioavailableNd Is the theory that this is from a hormetic effect or is it that the virus is symbiotic and doing this to help us which helps it reproduce?

[Dan @DanOverflow]

@SeedOilDsrspctr @TimurNegru But once it turns to midnight it becomes quintessentially Mexican 😂

[William Meijer @williameijer]

An extreme commitment to the truth makes relationships acutely dysfunctional but systems chronically functional (think Elon Musk).

An extreme commitment to kindness makes relationships acutely functional but systems chronically dysfunctional (think Sweden, UK)

[Dan @DanOverflow]

@lauradang0 I’ve hosted a couple of similar dinners, I got a couple of curious and creative generalists that I could bring!

[Dan @DanOverflow]

@SidBendre @oleve_co To the moon 🚀

[$!D @SidBendre]

$6m ARR, 4.5 million users, & profitable in 9 months w/ a 5-person team.

We’re building @oleve_co, a HoldCo of iconic consumer software.

We aim to build a $1B revenue portfolio over the next decade

We are looking for ambitious engineers, designers, and marketers to come to work with us in NYC. Come help us reach $20M ARR by eoy :)

[Dan @DanOverflow]

@mgiar2015 Good luck you guys!! 🚀

[Mike (we're hiring) @mgiar2015]

POV: You put the blinders on and actually shipped

> $1M -> $6M ARR in 1 year
> 4.5M users across 2 products
> 5 full-time team members

We’re building the SEAL Team 6 of consumer apps. Welcome to Oleve.

We are hiring: oleve[dot]co

[Dan @DanOverflow]

@magattew @naval Found the interview:

https://t.co/BL4bKZ3SPa

[Dan @DanOverflow]

@noampomsky Amor Fati, love of your own fate.

[Dan @DanOverflow]

@PTembhekar50924 @immigrationgirl My understanding is that “Executive Order 14110 of October 30, 2023 (Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence).” from the previous admin got revoked and as such it could affect what she talks about.

[Dan @DanOverflow]

@IterIntellectus Well humans will still care about humans so personal trainers, emotional development, healthy relationships, and strong communities, are things we can turn our attention to create stronger, wiser, and healthier people.

We are still missing spiritual development.

[Dan @DanOverflow]

@SidBendre Sid, your story is the definition of how America is a land of opportunity and a place where hard work gets rewarded!

So happy to see you share your story!

[$!D @SidBendre]

A catan box stacked with 800 docs let me, an immigrant founder, build a $6M ARR firm in the US

The O-1: America's "genius visa" - no lottery, no limits, no bs, pure evidence of impact

Here's the blueprint I used that got USCIS to declare me 'extraordinary' 🧵

March 2024: Applied
April: Approved
July: Stamped and finally hugged my grandparents after 5 years
---

1/ The O-1A isn't just a visa - it's an official recognition of extraordinary ability

no caps, no lottery, pure merit

the ultimate visa for builders and innovators shaping the future of tech

out of 8 criteria, you need to meet 3+ (aim for 4-5 to be bulletproof). we're talking major press, nationally recognised awards, citations on technical innovations and traction

more details on the USCIS eligibility page
---

2/ Summer 2021, LA. During my sophomore year, I confided in @DanOverflow over dinner about the visa trap:

I had to pass on an offer to @OpenStore at ~14 people because I couldn’t drop out and join, couldn't take off-season dream internships due to credit requirements, and watched side project ideas I couldn't monetize launch months later making 6 figures

I was itching to graduate.

but even then, most visas meant playing it safe when I wanted to build ambitious products, take unconventional paths and bet on myself.

"There's another way," he said.

The O-1A conversation that followed changed everything - the visa's criteria became my blueprint for success. Here are some of my strongest evidence pieces:
---

3/ The power of building something meaningful: @quizardai checked multiple O-1 boxes. Here are the metrics at application time (Feb 2024):

• distinguished rep: $1.6M+ ARR (we’re now at $6M ARR), #15 in global education charts, top 10 in multiple countries (later in 2024, we hit #4 in the US education charts), backed by @neo 🚀
• original contribution: built novel AI architecture powering 70M+ reliable tutoring sessions
• critical role: co-founder and CTO scaling to 1M+ users (now 4M+ globally!)
• and finally, press coverage across major tech media outlets
---

4/ For "nationally recognized awards," I showed a range:

• grand prize at stanford @hackwithtrees (top 1% of 1000+ hackers),
• quizard got selected for the gsv cup 50 @gsvventures @asugsvsummit (top 5% of global edtech startups)
• venture backing from @neo & prominent angels like @iamcal, maria zhang, @russelljkaplan
• category winner at X/twitter’s codechella 2021
• and receiving the next genius scholarship covering my tuition

Each win validated the potential for success and impact
---

5/ Memberships proving excellence: @neo accelerator (top 1-2% globally), @zfellows (<1% acceptance), @AWSstartups education accelerator (top 1.5% globally), neo scholars program, and @notablecap next gen 2021 fellow.

Each required rigorous validation from industry experts.
---

6/ Other highlights:

• Founder Hack: startup equity counts as "high compensation" - your valuation matters!
• published research in @IEEEorg (leading CS journal) on ML-powered wildfire prediction
• thank you to @kesava_kirupa for the reference letter 🫡

Each achievement demonstrated meaningful impact 🚀
---

7/ Reality check - this process isn't easy. The final application:

• 800 pages (600MB PDF!)
• every project documented with metrics & impact
• screenshots of every feature launch
• press coverage archived systematically
• social proof collected religiously
• growth metrics tracked weekly

The work starts long before you apply
---

8/ The most validating moment came at the OOO summit last august (by @andruyeung & @ankurnagpal/@carryhq_)

@rauchg described how coming from Argentina, he turned O-1 requirements into a playbook for impact - each criterion becoming a milestone toward excellence

now he's built @vercel

this visa isn't just about proving extraordinary ability - it's about becoming extraordinary
---

9/ After going through this journey, here's what I learned:

• think in evidence from day one - every project is a story of impact
• build for scale - small wins compound into extraordinary proof
• share your journey publicly - visibility creates opportunities
• cultivate meaningful relationships early
• most crucially: Let these criteria elevate your ambitions, not constrain them
---

10/ Grateful to @LegalpadIO/@deel for making this journey possible, and grateful to be in the US the ultimate playground for innovation.

there’s truly no better place for ambition and innovation 🇺🇸🦅

If you're on your O-1 path and have questions, my DMs are open - happy to help clarify your process or share insights 🚀

[Dan @DanOverflow]

@StatisticUrban Boston is a great city! Not as chaotic as nyc but still with plenty to do. Winter this year started late so it became way more bearable!

[Dan @DanOverflow]

@akirathedon Thank you once again for another great year of music! 🌊🦞💪

Grateful to you and the music you’ve made that became part of my daily living, gotta stay vigilant.

Would love for you to make a meaningwave keychain!

[Chrisman @chrisman]

Build an education system that systematically crushes personal agency.

End up with a sprawling bureaucracy that does the same.

[you are here]

But life will find a way. The vitality of the human spirit cannot be kept down for long.

[Dan @DanOverflow]

@StatisticUrban Would be nice if they did it as units per 100,000 habitants so it would be normalized.