A recent study by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) revealed that at least 46% of the innovators of the first power in the world are immigrants or children of immigrants. About 4.7% of them come from Latin America.
The study, conducted in the United States, included a sample of 900 successful people who had won awards in innovation and had made a significant economic impact. They were organized by age, sex, country of origin and work performed.
While the United States has brilliant innovators like Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg, the study found that most of those who innovate in the country are immigrants with advanced academic degrees.
These are the key findings of the report:
- 35.5% of U.S. innovators were born outside the country. In addition, 10% of American innovators have at least one immigrant parent.
- 11.7% of innovators are women.
- 47 years is their average age, which means they have many years of work experience.
- Half of the innovators have specialized in some kind of engineering, and more than 90% percent attended some STEM (acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) as a college student.
- 80% of innovators have at least an advanced degree (master), and 55% has earned a doctorate in a STEM.
- 60% of private sector innovations originate in companies with over 500 employees and 16% come from companies with fewer than 25 employees.
- Within the 30% of respondents who faced barriers to market their innovations, 9% indicated that they faced regulatory challenges, while 16% admitted that they lacked funds for development efforts.
Every immigrant who wants to grow as an entrepreneur in the United States, with proper visa and the ideal advice, can achieve their dreams of professional development. Beltran Brito LLP has wide experience in advising immigrants on the difficult path to understanding immigration laws. For more information, do not hesitate to contact us.