MENT2BE – an Initiative for and with Migrant Entrepreneurs
Did you know? Most Billion-Dollar Startups are founded by immigrants. They are an essential part of the US economy, bringing innovation & jobs.
- Nearly two-thirds (64%) of U.S. unicorns were founded or co-founded by immigrants or the children of immigrants.
- Almost 80% of America’s unicorn companies have an immigrant founder or an immigrant in a key leadership role, such as CEO or vice president of engineering.
- 25% of billion-dollar startup companies in the U.S. have a founder who first came to America as an international student.
The NFAP report shows how important migrant entrepreneurs are for the US startup ecosystem and economy. But on a deeper level: how many of the remaining 45% of America’s startup companies valued at $1 billion or more were inspired, motivated and perhaps even funded by migrant founders?
What does that have to do with “Startup Nation Germany”?
With the newly launched WIN initiative as "Startup Nation Germany," a strong alliance of German economy, associations, and politicians has committed to boosting venture capital for startups in Germany.
By 2030, EUR 12 billion will be invested to strengthen Germany's venture capital ecosystem. This highlights a shared belief that startups are essential to our economy's innovation and competitiveness.
But where will the founders of startups come from? And once the startups are launched, where will they find the talent needed for growth, especially as the economy is already facing a talent shortage?
The US example shows that immigrants are a group of high potentials when it comes to founding and scaling tech companies. If we as Startup Nation Germany want to be competitive on an international level, we need to give this group of founders the necessary attention and support.
Importing & including the culture of entrepreneurship
Starting and successfully scaling a startup is not just a technical and structural challenge. Of course, the founders' skills, along with the structural and economic conditions within the startup ecosystem, are crucial factors.
But the decision to start an own business instead of pursuing a career with a large corporation is, above all, a cultural one. It requires a different mindset, motivation and personal skills like resilience and a willingness to take risks — traits that aren’t typically emphasized in our German society yet. In my view, a startup culture is partly created by “importing” this culture and enriching it with the strengths of our own.
MENT2BE – our initiative for & with Migrant Entrepreneurs in Germany
Last year, we initiated MENT2Be with 2hearts because we believe a strong startup ecosystem is essential for innovation, and tech plays a crucial role in this. To succeed, we must tap into all available talent. That’s why we’re committed to promoting diversity and internationality in Germany's startup ecosystem by showcasing the potential of migrant entrepreneurs —creating a more inclusive and globally competitive startup ecosystem that attracts and retains top entrepreneurial talent.
Migrant entrepreneurs are already making an important contribution to the German startup ecosystem and represent an enormous potential for the future development: According to the German Startup Monitor 2024, 18% of founders in Germany have an immigrant background (14% were born abroad, 4% were born in Germany but both parents were born abroad). But I strongly believe that we are not yet exploiting the full potential.
The stories we heard at this years MENT2BE event showed, that Migrant founders are still facing many additional and racially biased challenges compared to German founder teams. But the stories also proved, that Migrant founders are – or have to be - also extremely resilient and turn obstacles into opportunities.
MENT2BE Founder Stories: Turning challenges into change
Diar Khal: A refugee and cybersecurity engineer, who’s passion for IT began at the age of 14, when he defended his hometown with cyber-attacks from ISIS. After fleeing to Germany, he created NewStarters to simplify the integration process — despite being advised to open a kebab shop instead.
Mpho Mathelemuse: Most often the only black and non-binary person, Mpho often had their expertise questioned, despite degrees in psychology, sociology & data science. So they founded all.txt, an inclusive AI co-pilot — after they had to sign a strictly binary legal contract for their startup.
Dr. Jonathan Apasu: Often not recognized as the doctor during his medical studies due to his Ghanaian roots, Jonathan founded Adon Health to address male health issues within the German healthcare system, starting with testosterone deficiency.
Nana Addison: As the founder of Styleindi GmbH, Germany’s first black, woman-founded CPG startup backed by a tech VC, Nana disrupted the beauty and marketing industry to make it more inclusive - despite facing racism, sexism and classism.
Ali Soysüren: After facing rejections under his real name, Ali created the alter German ego “Dominic Richards” – and successfully bootstrapped his company Simplejobs, a platform for blue-collar industry jobs.
A joint responsibility: Join & support our mission
I am very happy that this year we were able to gain two important partners with Deutsche Startup Verband und Digital Hub Initiative who support this mission with us.
The more supporters a platform like MENT2BE has the more we will be able to address the specific needs and challenges of migrant founders so that they are not faced with disadvantages in terms of access to networks, capital and resources.
It always starts with awareness for a problem or opportunity and mobilization of stakeholders to take action. It’s a journey - it’s a joint responsibility and we just started.
If you want to join and support our mission, get in touch!
