While some argue that America has an immigration problem, others see immigration as the country’s greatest economic promise.
Despite representing just 13 percent of the population, immigrants now start more than a quarter of new businesses in this country, and fast-growing businesses, too. Between 1995 and 205, immigrant founders started 52 percent of all new Silicon Valley companies.
On November 15th, Stephen S. Tang, the president and CEO of the University City Science Center, will make the economic case for immigrant entrepreneurs in our region in a talk titled, “The Power and Potential of Immigrant Entrepreneurs.”
Tang has been at the helm of the Science Center for nearly a decade now. Under his leadership, the 53-year-old University City research campus has become a beacon of innovation for the region through commercialization programs like Phase 1 Ventures, company incubators like Innovation Center@3401, and community forum spaces like the popular Quorum.
The Science Center’s latest economic impact report found that Center had an economic output of $12.9 billion in the Greater Philadelphia economy through the 155 firms incubated through its programs. And one in 100 jobs in the region are directly or indirectly impact by these Science Center-incubated firms.
As one of the region’s leading “civic entrepreneurs,” Tang now wants the region to think about how to attract and retain immigrants who bring an unparalleled understanding of what it means to take risks.
Tang himself is the son of Chinese immigrants—his father a research engineer and his mother a chemist. We’ll hear more about his plan to support immigrant entrepreneurs at the talk.
Join us on November 15th at the Convention Center for this one-day event where Philly’s smartest people share their biggest ideas. Check out the full lineup of speakers and get your tickets today.
