The approach is going to be very fact-specific so it's hard to say in general (and probably requires a phone call) but the options that many entrepreneurs/founders pursue are a concurrent part-time H-1B through their own company or an O-1 through their own company, although both of these come with their own issues and challenges.
@proberts could you share some resources on visa/immigration (and related gotchas) that would be helpful for folks on H1B planning to start their own startup.
