A College Student’s Guide to Financing a Startup

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Creating a startup while in college is no walk in the park. But it’s worth doing, considering some of the most successful businesses today were founded by college students.

In addition, aspiring student entrepreneurs have lots of resources and opportunities they can leverage and make their dreams a reality–from student entrepreneur programs to mentorship programs. But for any startup to be successful, it needs one thing—funding. So, how do you fund your startup once you’re convinced you have a billion-dollar idea? Here’s how.

  1. Organize Yourself

Being a student, you probably don’t have enough money to fund your startup. To convince people to invest in your business, you must get organized. Come up with a great and compelling pitch for investors and write a winning business plan.

Sole proprietorships face many legal challenges when it comes to funding, so most financing companies, venture capitalists, and angel investors will require you to incorporate your business before lending you money. Create a corporate structure for your startup before approaching any financing institution.

Also, get a proper bookkeeping and accounting system so you can track all your monetary transactions. This is particularly important if you borrow money from different lenders.  

  1. Understand How Startup Loans Work Before Applying

Students have many options when it comes to funding their startups—getting loans is one. However, it’s important to understand how startup loans work before applying. This ensures you get the best one.

Whether you choose an SBA loan or a conventional loan, each has its own terms, like interest rates and fees. The more you know about all the available options, the more confident you’ll be when choosing a loan for your startup.

Even students who wish to use car title loans to fund their startups must do thorough research. For instance, if you prequalify for a car loan, you can get a better deal from another lender. Familiarize yourself with the language and terminologies lenders use so you can gain an edge.

  1. Get Funding

After you get a proper understanding of how startup loans work, you can apply for funding. Here are some funding sources you can consider.

  • Startup competitions: Startup competitions like Pear Competition are excellent sources of funding–all you need is a strong pitch. Such platforms also offer great networking opportunities. You also gain lots of valuable experience–even if you don’t win.
  • Crowdfunding: This involves requesting the general public to fund your startup. You can then offer rewards to donors once business picks up.
  • Angel investors: Angel investors evaluate your startup’s potential and fund it in exchange for a stake.
  • Government-backed loans: These have very low interest rates. The US Small Business Administration connects lenders to entrepreneurs who qualify.
  • A bank loan:  This is a good option if you’re confident that your startup will prosper.
  • Personal networks: Friends and family can help you raise funds for the startup if your pitch fascinates them.

So, if you’re thinking of building a startup from scratch while in college, go for it. Choose the right lender and your business is bound to succeed.

All You Need To Know About I-601 Waiver Form

You can apply for a waiver if you are considered inadmissible to the United States throughout your immigration application procedure. However, the waiver process is lengthy, difficult, and unclear, and is known as Form I-601 . Moreover, there are no fixed promises that your waiver will be approved but again requesting one does provide an inroad for you to continue your immigration process smoothly.

What Should I Know About the I-601 Waiver?

An I-601 Waiver relates to grounds of inadmissibility, which allows a foreigner to immigrate to the US, change their status to permanent residence, or request for admission to the US into a non-immigrant status, if certain grounds of inadmissibility, situations, or manner prevent them from being otherwise admissible.

Outsiders or foreigners who think they are inadmissible for admission to the US due to certain grounds of inadmissibility may file an I-601 waiver application.

You cannot apply for a waiver for unlawful and illegitimate presence that lasted less than one year or more than one year during a single stay utilizing the I-601 application. As an alternative, you may fill out Form I-601A, which is called a provisional unlawful presence waiver application.

You may apply for the I-601 Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility under INA section 212(a)(9)(B) in case you are seeking a waiver owing to a 3-year or 10-year bar based on your unlawful presence in the country.

How Do I Apply For I-601 Waiver?

You may be able to apply for a waiver of inadmissibility if you are living overseas and a US consular officer has concluded that you are not qualified for an immigrant visa or a nonimmigrant K or V visa because you are inadmissible to the US.

If the consular officer says, you’re qualified for a waiver, then fill out the Form I-601 (and Form I-212 if you’ve been deported or removed from the US) and submit it to the USCIS. This can be done over the phone and over email. Following that, the USCIS will continue reviewing your application and notify both you and the consular officer of the outcome.

You must furnish supporting documentation and particulars for the waiver when you submit your form. This may be a time-taking affair (the typical processing period for an I-601 waiver is about 31-34 months), and all the waiver petitions are cautiously evaluated, hence you need to make sure the information you provide is correct, true, and comprehensive.

What If My I-601 Waiver Is Denied?

In case, the USCIS denies your waiver request, you still have the alternative to file a motion to reassess and reopen, or submit a fresh application for it. Again, by doing so, your chances of approval may not essentially get a boost, unless you are able to determine what might have gone wrong the first time. You can influence a new decision-maker that your qualifying relative really would experience extreme hardship, or that you otherwise meet up the standards for the waiver in problem.

Four Reasons Students Should Use VPN Services and Which Ones to Pick

Students in the digital world have the greatest access to the largest amount of information, of varying degrees of usefulness, than any previous generation. This is something of a double-edged sword. 

On the one hand the world is literally open to every single individual student, wherever they may be based. Be they sat in a study room in a sprawling metropolis or sat on the floor of a dusty outcrop in the back of beyond.

However, though their access to knowledge is unparalleled, so is the threat they can face from potential attacks and scams that can not only compromise their ability to learn but also the very real possibility of some form of identity theft.

As students become more and more dependent on their online access it’s ever more important they can access it safely, that’s just one of the benefits they can secure from a strong, reliable VPN service.

What is a VPN

A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is essentially creating a private gateway to the internet, one that masks your IP (Internet Protocol). In doing so the user is protected by a secure and encrypted connection.

This becomes all the more important if you are accessing the internet from a public service, such as one a student would use in a school or college setting and there are other demonstrable benefits you can secure from a VPN, more on these below.

Security 

The best thing about using a VPN relates to the reason behind their original inception. With a VPN you can freely use the internet without having to fear that your activity is being tracked or that your data is being compromised. 

The issue of security has never been as clear a threat as it is in 2021. Frankly, if you are accessing the internet without some level of protection, such as that provided by a viable VPN, then you are inviting criminal activity upon yourself.

Speed Up Your Internet

A good VPN can help your connection from avoiding ‘throttling’, which basically means it can reduce and separate internet traffic and in doing so give you more bandwidth. This will lead to a smoother usage of the internet which will leave you free to research and study without having to sit around waiting for documents and pages to fully load.

Unblocking Access Based On Your Location

Now this aspect of a VPN is more commonly associated with access to streaming services but can be hugely advantageous for students also. Using a VPN you can hop onto another server and disguise your location. 

This could give you access to material that may not be available in your part of the world. For some, in truly authoritarian regimes this is huge. Clearly in some countries your very access to the internet is restricted and a VPN can ‘fool’ your ISP into thinking you are based somewhere else.

Maximizing Your Down Time

Students, like the rest of us, need their down time. Whether that means gaming or just making the most of your Netflix and Chill time, a VPN will make your personal free time far more rewarding and time efficient.

A VPN can give you access to games and services that may not be available where you are currently based and that is doubly true of streaming services, where some shows and films may be blocked from where you are viewing from.

What are the Best VPN Services?

When it comes to selecting a VPN you should take into account your specific needs and as a student these will be different to for instance, a gamer or an employee of a company working remotely. 

Finding a good VPN is easier than ever due to the near infinite amount of reviews and feedback on the services out there. The top 10 VPN services differ according to the characteristics of the provider, with some being more relevant for example when it comes to speedy internet access or one that is built chiefly for security.

Here’s a list of the three best VPN services available today.

ExpressVPN

Almost certainly the most popular VPN provider in the world, ExpressVPN offers the fastest speeds (when compared to all other competitors) and has great breadth when it comes to their service. This provider has over 3000 servers based in over 150 countries, meaning these guys are near untouchable when it comes to the service they offer users.

Surfshark

In comparative terms Surfshark is relatively new but has already developed a reputation as a good place to start. They are particularly popular with gamers and the fact their VPN can be used on an unlimited number of devices is very useful for those who access and use the internet from a plethora of means.

NordVPN

NordVPN are considered a good value alternative to those cited before. They are also very good when it comes to protecting your privacy, due in part to them being based in Panama, as well as providing a good level of security.

101 Guide To Using 9anime

The genre of anime has always been popular with its mind-blowing and eye-catching series and movies. It’s not like some ordinary cartoon but a masterpiece full of emotions and lessons which you won’t generally find elsewhere. As the name says, it all “animated”, but still, it grabs the attention so much quicker due to the standard and meaning it provides. The anime culture has been growing rapidly in the last few years, and people worldwide find satisfaction in it. But the problem lies in where to see it, as not all platforms provide anime as a genre, and even if some do, the quantity is very limited to a few.

Moreover, not all countries can showcase the anime on television, and that’s when the websites provide free access to several anime’s so you can watch them without any further delay. One such website is 9anime, which offers different anime’s on a single platform, so you won’t have to search here and there. And it’s free!

What 9anime offers?

It is an online streaming anime website that offers several anime series and movies that you can’t get anywhere easily. The thing that differentiates it from others is the quality this site provides. It provides top-notch quality animation at a great speed. What if you want to download it and save it for later? Well, you have that option too. Just download your favourite anime and watch it whenever you’re free.

Now you may think, what about the language? Not everyone is familiar with their language, especially when it’s Japanese? Well, this website has got you covered in that part too, as it provides English subtitles, and along with it, most of them are English dubbed too.

How to use 9anime?

It is available on all devices, be it a tablet, smartphones or laptops. Just go on their website and search for whatever anime you want on the search bar. Once you find it, you’re good to download. Just make sure that you have a stable connection, so it doesn’t stop midway.

The other way you can use it is through software, especially if you’re planning to watch it on your computer. However, if you prefer to watch your anime on your phone, several apps can help you out with it.

Is 9anime legal?

Depends.

9anime is one of the most effective streaming platforms, but it all depends on which country you live in and their laws. Many countries have restriction on using this kind of website due to copyright issues. However, if your country law allows you to download it and permits you, then you’re good to go.

9anime is one of the best anime streaming platforms out there. This website offers top-notch quality series and movies without any cost. All you need is just your internet and phone or laptop, and you’re good to go. Of course, if you’re thinking about security, then it depends on which country you live in and whether using this is legal there or not. The best thing about this website is that it provides English subtitles and dubs, making it easy for its users to watch.