GTM proximity to US customers still matters — and Indian SaaS founders are voting with their visa applications.

Despite the "build from India, sell to the world" narrative, the data is clear: 75% of Indian SaaS founders who cross $5M ARR move themselves or co-founders to the US within 18 months. GTM proximity, partner-channel relationships, and time-zone alignment with US customers still matter more than the cost savings of building in India. This isn't a failure of the India SaaS thesis — engineering can stay in India for years. But the founder relocation is becoming a near-default. Indian founders who refuse to move tend to either stay in the $5-15M ARR band or get acquired before crossing $25M.