If you’re lucky enough to have received a Covid-19 vaccination, you probably have an immigrant entrepreneur to thank. Not only are Pfizer, BioNTech, and Moderna pioneers in the field of mRNA-based vaccine research; they were all founded or cofounded by immigrants.

Why is it that so many immigrants take the risk of starting a company? This is the question Peter Vandor addressed in his recent study “Why immigrants are more likely to become entrepreneurs” published in the Harvard Business Review. The results clearly shows, among other factors, personality-based self-selection – that is, a high willingness to take risks – contributes to immigrant entrepreneurship. Overall, the study illustrates the entrepreneurial potential of immigrants and has broader implications for how public policy can support immigrants in their pursuit of opportunities abroad.

The full article is available here: https://hbr.org/2021/08/research-why-immigrants-are-more-likely-to-become-entrepreneurs