‘Despite the trip being company-sponsored, visa was rejected’: Indian AI startup Founder says US Visa got rejected because of 'low' salary

AI startup NeoSapien founder Dhananjay Yadav said that his application for a US visa was rejected, pointing to the challenges faced by Indian entrepreneurs under the Donald Trump administration's stringent immigration policies. He further revealed that his visa was rejected despite receiving an invitation from a US-based investor in his company.

Startup founder dejected on Visa rejection for 'minimal' salary

Yadav took to the social media platform X to share his disappointment over the rejection.

"In Delhi today. My US visa got rejected this morning, and still trying to understand why. I had an invite from a close friend and investor in NeoSapien, Hari Valiyath (Co-founder, Pyxis), to meet him and potential partners. Pyxis has raised over $200M, and is US-based. I have studied in the US before and worked in Berlin,” the founder said.

“So, had no intent to stay back. When asked about the purpose, I said - investor meetings and B2B partnerships. Then came a question on salary, and despite the trip being company-sponsored. As a founder, my salary is minimal. Shortly after, the visa was rejected. Hard to understand the logic,” he added.

The entrepreneur elaborated that the visa was sought for investor meetings and B2B partnerships, sponsored by his company, with no intent to overstay.

Netizens echoed his frustrations, and many remarked that high rejection rates for business visas in recent months were often unrelated to applicants' profiles or funding success.

In Delhi today. My US visa got rejected this morning, and still trying to understand why.

I had an invite from a close friend and investor in NeoSapien, Hari Valiyath (Co-founder, Pyxis), to meet him and potential partners. Pyxis has raised over $200M, and is US-based.

I have…

— Dhananjay Yadav (@imDhananjay) February 3, 2026

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About NeoSapien

NeoSapien was founded in 2024 by brothers Dhananjay Yadav and Aryan Yadav in Bengaluru to build a 'second brain' ecosystem through hardware-native AI. Dhananjay serves as CEO at the AI startup.

NeoSapien's flagship product, Neo 1, is India's first AI-native pendant-style wearable device that acts as a personal assistant.

It captures daily conversations and actions, transcribes them, provides summaries, and offers contextual insights via the Neo AI bot, boasting features like 'Infinite Memory,' emotion analysis, and support for over 100 languages.

Powered by the proprietary Second Brain OS, Neo 1 plays up privacy with ISO 27001 certification and no long-term audio storage.

Dhananjay Yadav’s company recently secured a patent for its adaptive AI coaching system, which breaks down long-term goals into real-time micro-tasks.

The startup has deployed over 15,000 devices in corporate settings and established more than 20 B2B enterprise partnerships.

Priced at Rs. 11,999, the NeoSapien product Neo 1 is now available in India via the company's website and Amazon. It has plans for expansion into new form factors like glasses and rings.

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