Priyanka Kulkarni | Source | Founder & CEO at Casium
Priyanka Kulkarni
Priyanka Kulkarni is the Founder and CEO of Casium, a company focused on providing fast, transparent U.S. immigration solutions for exceptional global talent. With over 10 years of leadership experience at Microsoft's Azure AI, MS Office, and Bing Ads divisions, she spearheaded growth in Azure's AI for Language services before launching her startup in 2024.
As an Entrepreneur in Residence at AI2 Incubator, Priyanka combines deep technical expertise with strategic innovation. She holds dual Master's degrees in Computer Science and Applied Computational Mathematics from the University of Washington and Johns Hopkins University.
Priyanka's core skills include applying artificial intelligence (especially LLMs and NLP) to real-world problems, public speaking, leadership, and strategic planning. Her academic background specialized in machine learning, artificial intelligence, game theory, computational linguistics, and statistics.
A passionate advocate for empowering global innovators, Priyanka's mission at Casium stems from her personal immigration journey and aims to help over 1 million of the world's brightest minds create and innovate in the United States.
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Casium (https://www.casium.com/)
Founder & CEO
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Breaking Borders: Fueling America's Next Innovation Wave - SXSW 2025
SXSW 2025 HIGHLIGHT: "Talent flows where it is welcomed and innovation is going to be that bridge towards connecting this talent to this economy." This compelling insight from our Founder & CEO, Priyanka Kulkarni, during her fireside chat with Forbes' Maneet Ahuja spotlights how global talent drives U.S. innovation. At "Breaking Borders: Fueling America's Next Innovation Wave" in Austin, Priyanka explored the global talent ecosystem that has led immigrants to found over 55% of America's billion-dollar startups. The discussion examined how countries competing for the world's brightest minds must create environments where international talent can thrive and contribute.
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Navigating U.S. Tech Education: Visa Challenges for International Students
Priyanka highlights the impact of visa policies on international students' career plans, noting a gap between industry demand for AI talent and immigration realities. She observes trends among students from India and China and how companies adapt hiring strategies amid uncertainties. As an immigrant and tech leader, Priyanka offers a unique perspective on these challenges. -
Trump-Era Immigration Policies Threaten U.S. Science and Tech Innovation
Priyanka highlights how Trump-era policies deter global talent, affecting innovation and research quality. She notes, "Uncertainty drives top talent elsewhere," citing delayed projects and economic losses. With firsthand experience and client insights, Priyanka emphasizes the urgent need for policy reform to maintain U.S. leadership in science and technology. -
UK's Global Talent Visa: A Game-Changer for Startups
Priyanka highlights the Global Talent Visa as a strategic move to ease the "talent mobility bottleneck." By streamlining immigration for tech sectors, it prevents startup stagnation and fosters innovation clusters. The endorsement model, partnering with bodies like Tech Nation, ensures genuine talent recognition. This visa offers "founder optionality," enabling startups to thrive where opportunities are strongest.