AAO research

AAO EB-1A decision APR162026_02B2203

Venture capital financing cannot be used to satisfy the EB‑1A awards criterion; the award must be a recognized prize or honor, not merely funding. Venture capital funding does not meet the definition of a prize or award; Membership did not demonstrate outstanding achievement or selective judging; Pu

Decision Snapshot

Field Value --- --- Decision ID APR162026_02B2203 Decision date not stated Outcome dismissed Field or occupation Not stated in the extracted decision plan. Final merits discussed No / not stated

Criteria Discussed

  • awards

  • high_salary

  • leading_critical_role

  • membership

  • published_material

  • scholarly_articles

Criteria Accepted

Not stated in the extracted decision plan.

Criteria Rejected

  • awards

  • leading_critical_role

  • membership

  • published_material

  • scholarly_articles

Core Lesson

Venture capital financing cannot be used to satisfy the EB‑1A awards criterion; the award must be a recognized prize or honor, not merely funding.

Evidence Issue

  • Venture capital funding does not meet the definition of a prize or award

  • Membership did not demonstrate outstanding achievement or selective judging

  • Published material was not about the beneficiary and was not in major trade or professional publications

  • The article lacked academic features and peer‑review evidence required for scholarly articles

  • Insufficient evidence to support the leading or critical role determination

How This Connects

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Source Note

Non-precedent AAO decisions are used as evidence examples. They are not binding authority and do not predict any individual case.