
David Ajoku
5.0
(1)
Ex-Apple, NVIDIA, Tesla • 2x Founder + EB-2 Visa — Coaching Int'l founders
Studied at Harvard University
Worked at Apple
Successful clients at
Available tomorrow at 6:30 PM UTC
Only taking on 3 clients this quarter.
Questions? Start chatting with this coach before you get started.
David's Coaching Offerings
Custom hourly · $499/hr
Get help with Ideation, Market Research, and .
David also coaches for Career Coaching and MBA. View all.
David’s Startup Founders Qualifications
Coaches professionally
Experience level: Executive
David has helped clients get into these companies:
I run two AI companies while finishing my master's at Harvard. Demystifyd, a career platform serving 2,000+ international students across 38 countries. Aware.ai, an AI maternal health platform. Before founding, I shipped product at Apple, NVIDIA, and Tesla. The U.S. government awarded me an EB-2 National Interest Waiver green card for my work in AI and entrepreneurship. I coach a specific kind of founder: international builders who want to start, scale, and stay in the U.S. — without losing their visa, their company, or their runway in the process. Most founder advice assumes you're a U.S. citizen with no clock running. International founders are operating under conditions almost no startup advice accounts for. The visa decisions you make in years 1-3 of your company shape whether you're still building it in year 7. The fundraising decisions you make affect your immigration options in ways most lawyers and most advisors don't connect. The structure of your company, your role inside it, the timing of when you incorporate, who you raise from, when you file what — all of it interacts with your visa pathway. What I help international founders with: - Founder-track immigration strategy: O-1, EB-2 NIW, and the long game beyond H-1B - Company-building decisions that protect your visa runway (incorporation timing, role definition, fundraising structure) - Positioning your venture for credibility — with investors, with USCIS, with universities and accelerators - Navigating the school question: when grad school helps your venture, when it hurts it, when to defer - AI startup positioning specifically: category, go-to-market, narrative for the current funding climate - Deciding what to build, what to kill, and what to delay — through a founder-with-a-clock lens I'm not an immigration attorney. I'm a founder who built and structured my way through this system, and now I help a small number of others do the same. I take very few founder-track clients per cohort because the work is intensive and the stakes are high. If you're an international builder serious about scaling a U.S.-based company and protecting your future here, book a free 30-minute consult.
David can help with:
Ideation
Market Research
Go-to-Market Strategy
Branding
Web Development
Business Strategy Development
Hiring
Interview Prep
App Development
David also coaches for Career Coaching and MBA. View all.
About David
I came to the United States as an immigrant on an F-1 visa without a clear roadmap. Over time, I built a career working with companies like Apple, NVIDIA, and Tesla, earned degrees from Carnegie Mellon University, and am currently completing my Master’s at Harvard Kennedy School. I also successfully navigated the U.S. immigration system and received an EB-2 National Interest Waiver (green card) based on my work in technology and entrepreneurship. Because of that journey, I understand the unique challenges international professionals face when trying to build a career in the U.S. My coaching focuses on helping immigrants and international students break into elite tech companies, craft powerful professional narratives, and position themselves for long-term immigration success, including strategies around sponsorship, career positioning, and entrepreneurship pathways. In addition to my work in industry, I’m the founder of Demystifyd, a platform dedicated to helping international professionals access better career opportunities and navigate the complexities of building a life and career in the United States. If you're an ambitious international professional looking to break into top tech companies and build a long-term future in the U.S., I’d be excited to work with you.
Why do I coach?
I coach because I remember how difficult it was to navigate my career in the United States as an immigrant. When I first arrived, there was no playbook for how to break into top tech companies, build the right network, or understand how career decisions could affect long-term immigration opportunities. Much of what I learned came through trial and error, mentorship from generous people along the way, and a lot of persistence. That journey eventually led me to opportunities with companies like Apple, NVIDIA, and Tesla, as well as degrees from Carnegie Mellon and Harvard. But I know how overwhelming the process can feel when you're trying to figure it all out on your own. I coach because I want to shorten that learning curve for others. If I can help someone avoid years of confusion, make smarter strategic career moves, and build a stable future in the United States, that’s incredibly meaningful to me. Watching someone gain clarity, confidence, and access to opportunities they didn’t think were possible is one of the most rewarding parts of the work.
Work Experience

Founder, Chief Product Officer
Demystifyd
2023 - Present
Hiring Manager
AI-powered career platform for international students serving 2,000+ users across 38 countries and 16 universities. Built and shipped from zero. Learn more: www.demystifyd.com

Founder, CEO
Aware.AI
2022 - Present
Hiring Manager
AI maternal health platform inspired by my mom. Shipped mobile apps on the App Store and Google Play. Drove 70M+ organic views and 100x follower growth through AI-native marketing strategy. Recognized by the U.S. government and awarded an EB-2 National Interest Waiver green card for this work. Learn more: https://www.getaware.ai/for-partners

Venture Advisor
Oneday
2025 - 2026
Advised founders on AI product strategy, go-to-market, and fundraising strategies.

Head of Product Strategy - AI and Blockchain
Kava Labs
2024 - 2025
Owned strategic vision and roadmap for 3 next-generation blockchain products targeting a combined $10B+ market opportunity.

Senior Engineering Program Manager, iPhone
Apple
2022 - 2023
Led the iPhone 15 engineering program @ Apple

Product Engineer - Deep Learning GPUs & AI Superchips
NVIDIA
2021 - 2021
Worked on NVDIA Grace chips, and NVIDIA GPUs. Speaker at GTC 2022

Product Engineer - Drive System (Model S/X/Y)
Tesla
2019 - 2020
Worked on Tesla model 3, model X, and model S.

Chief Engineer - Global Actuators
CTS Corporation
2017 - 2019
Led the end-to-end development of the $0.25 Billion Smart VGT Actuator product from concept to launch, managing a global team of 40+
David was also given offers to work at

Meta

Amazon
Education

Carnegie Mellon University
Masters, Engineering & Technology Management
Distinguished Alumni | Tartan on the Rise: https://www.cmu.edu/engage/events/tartans-on-the-rise/2026/david-ajoku

Carnegie Mellon University
Masters, Mechanical Engineering
Licensed U.S. Professional Engineer (P.E.) in Mechanical Engineering Top graduating student: https://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2020/december/agma-award.html

Western Michigan University
Bachelors, Aerospace Engineering
Top graduating student in class.

Sichuan University
Study Abroad, Manufacturing Technology
International immersion that informed my early thinking about cross-cultural product development and global supply chains.

Harvard University
Masters, Technology & AI Policy
2025 - 2027
In progress
David was also personally admitted to

Tuck School of Business
1 Review
Overall Rating
5.0
David has helped clients get into these companies: