Fergie's Tech Blog

Immigrants Behind 25% of High-Tech Startups in U.S.

An AP newswire article by Rachel Konrad, via The Boston Globe, reports that:

Foreign-born entrepreneurs were behind one in four U.S. technology startups over the past decade, according to a study to be published Thursday.

A team of researchers at Duke University estimated that 25 percent of technology and engineering companies started from 1995 to 2005 had at least one senior executive -- a founder, chief executive, president or chief technology officer -- born outside the United States.

Immigrant entrepreneurs' companies employed 450,000 workers and generated $52 billion in sales in 2005, according to the survey.

Their contributions to corporate coffers, employment and U.S. competitiveness in the global technology sector offer a counterpoint to the recent political debate over immigration and the economy, which largely centers on unskilled, illegal workers in low-wage jobs.

posted by Fergie @ 1/03/2007 06:18:00 PM