Who is Priyanka Kulkarni? Indian techie who turned Visa struggle into startup success
Indian techie Priyanka Kulkarni, a former Microsoft scientist, has launched Casium, an AI-driven platform that simplifies the U.S. employment visa process by automating case management and reducing paperwork. Backed by $5 million in seed funding, Casium helps employers and applicants navigate visas like H-1B and EB-1 faster and with fewer errors.
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Frustrated by the red tape of America’s complex visa system, Indian techie Priyanka Kulkarni has turned her decade-long struggle into innovation. The 34-year-old machine learning scientist and former Microsoft employee has founded Casium, an AI-powered startup that helps employers and applicants navigate the U.S. employment-based immigration process with greater speed and accuracy.
Casium replaces the maze of manual paperwork and outdated Excel sheets with a digital portal that automates visa case management, from document preparation to legal review. The platform aims to make immigration processing faster, transparent and less dependent on costly law firms.
The startup’s emergence comes at a time when U.S. companies are grappling with shifting immigration policies and rising visa fees. After the Trump-era executive order proposing a $100,000 H-1B visa fee, the demand for tech-led efficiency tools surged across the industry.
“Casium’s software uses AI ‘agents’ that scan public data sources — including research journals and patents — to build a comprehensive applicant profile within minutes,” Kulkarni explained in an interview with Business Insider. “A single click can generate a draft attorney letter outlining eligibility, cutting months of preparation down to a few days.”
According to the report, Casium has already assisted hundreds of applicants with compliance checks, documentation and filings; helping some secure employment in under a month.
The company recently raised $5 million in seed funding from Maverick Ventures, with backing from AI2 Incubator, GTMfund, Success Venture Partners and angel investor Jake Heller of Casetext (acquired by Thomson Reuters).
Kulkarni’s journey from employee to entrepreneur is rooted in personal experience. Born and raised in India, she joined Microsoft straight out of college and spent nearly a decade building AI strategies for products like Office, all while navigating the H-1B visa process herself.
“Honestly, it was exhausting and confusing,” she said. “At times, it can feel very career-limiting. Everything I’ve done has culminated in this — a way to make it easier for others like me.”
Accepted into Seattle’s AI2 Incubator in 2024, Kulkarni founded Casium and soon after applied for the EB-1 ‘Einstein’ visa for individuals with extraordinary abilities, a fitting milestone for a founder redefining how the world moves talent across borders.
