Virginia Szepietowski is the co-founder and CEO of Nyad, an early-stage startup developing software for the water industry. Originally from London, UK, she and her team relocated to Alabama to be closer to customers and partners. She obtained an O-1 visa and shares how the process—often overwhelming for founders—became clear, structured, and ultimately transformative through Tukki.
Q: Why did you decide to move to the U.S.—and to Alabama in particular?
V: We joined Techstars and found a great startup ecosystem here. We found customers, investors, and academic partners, and many of our customers are in the Southeast. We like working in person, we have a team here now, and it makes a big difference to build properly rather than try to work remotely.
Q: What worried you most about the visa process before starting?
V: It's a big upfront cost without knowing for sure if you'll be accepted. We put in a lot of work before applying, making sure we met at least three of the O-1 criteria. It’s a long process and not cheap, but absolutely worth it.
“The O-1 visa gave our investors confidence that we could actually operate in the U.S.”
Q: How was your experience with Tukki and its platform?
V: My Techstars managing director recommended Tukki. He said a couple of other Techstars companies had used them and had good experiences, so it was a strong recommendation to follow.
V: Tukki's interface and dashboard were great—at a glance I could check progress across all the different areas. I didn’t want a standard law firm approach where the work only starts after every piece of evidence is collected.
“I wanted it to be a piecemeal process so that by the time I actually completed the last bit of evidence, the rest of the application was good to go. I think it sped up the process a fair bit.”
Q: How was working with Tukki's legal team?
V: The team was very responsive and clearly knew what they were doing. There was a significant team behind the scenes, including senior attorneys, and I felt like a priority.
V: It also surprised me that there was such a substantial team involved—not just one person—and that included more senior attorneys who guided the case even if they were behind the scenes.
“Tukki made a fairly unfamiliar process for me as a foreigner more reassuring; it was always good to have someone on the inside who knows what they’re doing.”
Q: How did you feel when you found out your visa was approved?
V: Oh my god, it was the biggest relief in the world. We had our interview at the U.S. Embassy in London, were told it was approved, got our passports back, and we were on a flight almost the next day.
V: The uncertainty around the visa had taken up a lot of brain space for me and my co-founder. Getting it sorted freed up time and energy that we can now fully apply to building the company.
Q: What would you recommend to someone choosing between a traditional law firm and a legal-tech option?
V: Meet the team you'll work with and make sure they’re responsive and willing to go the extra mile. Get a couple of clients to vouch for them. Transparent, upfront costs matter—it removes the hesitation to ask questions or send follow-ups. Having all the costs up front was really nice with Tukki—you know what it will cost, so you’re not afraid to reach out or ask questions.
“My experience with Tukki in a few words: Hands-on. Transparent. High priority.”