[steven2012]

Sorry, but this is terrible advice. You should not be counseling someone to lie when they enter into the US. You literally could get them banned from entering the US for many years, or even permanently, if their lie is caught by the agents. And these agents are trained to catch liars, so if the OP uses your advice and gets caught up in his lies, he could be turned away without any hesitation.

[adrianmacneil]

I'm not suggesting anyone outright lie. I am simply saying that your reason for entering the US must not be to look for work, and that it helps to bring along evidence supporting the fact that it would be impossible for you to stay here anyway.

This is fairly well known in startup circles, in fact YC themselves have an internal guide for how to speak to US immigration. The important thing is to know the terms of your visa, and not say anything which could jeopardize that.

I also don't think OP's case is completely hopeless. There are plenty of companies which will sponsor you on a J1 visa, which will usually buy you enough time to apply for an H1B or O1. If he wants to come visit SF and meet/network with people here, then he definitely should do so.

[prodmerc]

Might actually be better for him, judging by all the immigration horror stories. America is great, but not for most foreigners...