Axios: Immigrants’ entrepreneurial spirit

Immigrants’ entrepreneurial spirit
 
Animated illustrated collage of a line of people walking in front of a storefront surrounded by torn receipts, barcode patterns and circles.
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Stock: Getty Images
 
Immigrants play an outsized role in entrepreneurship, launching more than 20% of U.S. businesses while representing just 15% of the populationaccording to a National Bureau of Economic Research paper published in 2024, Axios’ Nathan Bomey writes.About 3.5 million immigrants are self-employedaccording to the Immigration Research Initiative. 

Zoom in: All big businesses started out small — and many of the country’s most valuable companies had immigrant founders.Immigrants or the children of immigrants founded nearly half of Fortune 500 companies as of 2023, according to one analysis.Those include Jensen Huang’s Nvidia, Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Tesla, and Sergey Brin’s Alphabet. 

What they’re saying: “You’re getting the best of the best to come here, and it is helping drive the economy,” says Rajshree Agarwal, director of the Ed Snider Center for Enterprise and Markets at the University of Maryland.

What to watch: Mass deportations and stiffer immigration restrictions could undermine small businesses, as entrepreneurs fret about their own residency, face expensive visa rules and struggle to retain foreign-born employees.
Unknown's avatar

About michelleclarke2015

Life event that changes all: Horse riding accident in Zimbabwe in 1993, a fractured skull et al including bipolar anxiety, chronic fatigue …. co-morbidities (Nietzche 'He who has the reason why can deal with any how' details my health history from 1993 to date). 17th 2017 August operation for breast cancer (no indications just an appointment came from BreastCheck through the Post). Trinity College Dublin Business Economics and Social Studies (but no degree) 1997-2003; UCD 1997/1998 night classes) essays, projects, writings. Trinity Horizon Programme 1997/98 (Centre for Women Studies Trinity College Dublin/St. Patrick's Foundation (Professor McKeon) EU Horizon funded: research study of 15 women (I was one of this group and it became the cornerstone of my journey to now 2017) over 9 mth period diagnosed with depression and their reintegration into society, with special emphasis on work, arts, further education; Notes from time at Trinity Horizon Project 1997/98; Articles written for Irishhealth.com 2003/2004; St Patricks Foundation monthly lecture notes for a specific period in time; Selection of Poetry including poems written by people I know; Quotations 1998-2017; other writings mainly with theme of social justice under the heading Citizen Journalism Ireland. Letters written to friends about life in Zimbabwe; Family history including Michael Comyn KC, my grandfather, my grandmother's family, the O'Donnellan ffrench Blake-Forsters; Moral wrong: An acrimonious divorce but the real injustice was the Catholic Church granting an annulment – you can read it and make your own judgment, I have mine. Topics I have written about include annual Brain Awareness week, Mashonaland Irish Associataion in Zimbabwe, Suicide (a life sentence to those left behind); Nostalgia: Tara Hill, Co. Meath.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a comment