Indian-origin entrepreneurs create unicorn record in US amid immigration backlash
While Indian immigrants find themselves at the centre of the US's anti-immigrant push, a new report shows that India-born entrepreneurs founded or co-founded more US unicorns than immigrants from any other country. Indians topped the list with 96 unicorns, ahead of founders from Israel, the UK, China, Canada and Russia.
While sections of American conservatives and the MAGA movement have increasingly targeted and shown hatred against Indian immigrants over issues ranging from H-1B visas to tech-sector jobs, a new report reveals that the Indian diaspora is contributing highly to the US economy.
Indian-origin entrepreneurs have founded or co-founded 96 billion-dollar startups in the United States. The figure is the highest among all immigrant communities in the US, making Indians the leading contributors to America's unicorn ecosystem, according to a report by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP), a US-based non-profit research organisation.
A unicorn is a privately held startup company valued at $1 billion or more without being listed on a stock exchange.
The finding comes even as Indian immigrants keep facing online campaigns by anti-immigration attackers who portray foreign-born professionals as a burden on American workers. But the NFAP data tells a different story.
TWO-THIRDS OF UNICORNS IN THE US FOUNDED BY IMMIGRANTS
As many local voices claim that Indians in the US are taking away opportunities from Americans, Indian-origin immigrants have emerged as some of the biggest creators of jobs, wealth, and innovation in America.
Their companies are forming a significant share of the US's unicorn ecosystem, the startups valued at over $1 billion, which collectively contribute trillions of dollars to the US economy and employ thousands of people.
The NFAP report found that immigrants have founded or co-founded 455 of America's 775 unicorn companies, accounting for 59% of all privately held billion-dollar startups in the country.
Indians lead the list, having founded or co-founded 96 unicorns, far ahead of immigrants from Israel (60), the United Kingdom (47), China (41), Canada (30), and Russia (23).
The findings of the report reveal the reality that the United States' status as the world's innovation powerhouse has been built in large part by immigrants. From Silicon Valley boardrooms to artificial intelligence labs, Indian-origin founders have played a central role in creating companies that attract investment, generate employment, and keep the US at the forefront of technological competition.
INDIAN-ORIGIN ENTREPRENEURS ARE MAJOR JOB CREATORS IN THE US
One of the most prominent examples of a startup being founded by an individual from India is Perplexity AI, the fast-rising artificial intelligence company. It was co-founded by Indian entrepreneur Aravind Srinivas. Perplexity is valued at around $20 billion, and it is among the most valuable private startups in the US.
Several Indian-origin entrepreneurs, including Mohit Aron, Jyoti Bansal, Ashutosh Garg, Arvind Jain, Sachin Nayyar, and Ajeet Singh, have gone a step further by building multiple unicorn companies in the US, according to the NFAP report.
The report also found that nearly two-thirds of US unicorns were founded by immigrants or their children. At the same time, almost 80% have either an immigrant founder or an immigrant in a key leadership role.
Together, immigrant-founded unicorns are worth roughly $5 trillion and employ an average of 833 people each, the report revealed.
The NFAP report's numbers challenge the narrative that immigrants, including those from India, are merely beneficiaries of the American system. In reality, many of America's most successful companies, cutting-edge technologies, and high-paying jobs owe their existence to immigrants who arrived seeking education and opportunity.
As debates over immigration continue to dominate US politics, especially under the Donald Trump administration, the NFAP findings highlight an uncomfortable answer for anti-immigration voices in the US. Among the biggest drivers of America's startup economy and Silicon Valley's global dominance are the very immigrant communities they often target, with Indians leading the unit.
While sections of American conservatives and the MAGA movement have increasingly targeted and shown hatred against Indian immigrants over issues ranging from H-1B visas to tech-sector jobs, a new report reveals that the Indian diaspora is contributing highly to the US economy.
Indian-origin entrepreneurs have founded or co-founded 96 billion-dollar startups in the United States. The figure is the highest among all immigrant communities in the US, making Indians the leading contributors to America's unicorn ecosystem, according to a report by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP), a US-based non-profit research organisation.
A unicorn is a privately held startup company valued at $1 billion or more without being listed on a stock exchange.
The finding comes even as Indian immigrants keep facing online campaigns by anti-immigration attackers who portray foreign-born professionals as a burden on American workers. But the NFAP data tells a different story.
TWO-THIRDS OF UNICORNS IN THE US FOUNDED BY IMMIGRANTS
As many local voices claim that Indians in the US are taking away opportunities from Americans, Indian-origin immigrants have emerged as some of the biggest creators of jobs, wealth, and innovation in America.
Their companies are forming a significant share of the US's unicorn ecosystem, the startups valued at over $1 billion, which collectively contribute trillions of dollars to the US economy and employ thousands of people.
The NFAP report found that immigrants have founded or co-founded 455 of America's 775 unicorn companies, accounting for 59% of all privately held billion-dollar startups in the country.
Indians lead the list, having founded or co-founded 96 unicorns, far ahead of immigrants from Israel (60), the United Kingdom (47), China (41), Canada (30), and Russia (23).
The findings of the report reveal the reality that the United States' status as the world's innovation powerhouse has been built in large part by immigrants. From Silicon Valley boardrooms to artificial intelligence labs, Indian-origin founders have played a central role in creating companies that attract investment, generate employment, and keep the US at the forefront of technological competition.
INDIAN-ORIGIN ENTREPRENEURS ARE MAJOR JOB CREATORS IN THE US
One of the most prominent examples of a startup being founded by an individual from India is Perplexity AI, the fast-rising artificial intelligence company. It was co-founded by Indian entrepreneur Aravind Srinivas. Perplexity is valued at around $20 billion, and it is among the most valuable private startups in the US.
Several Indian-origin entrepreneurs, including Mohit Aron, Jyoti Bansal, Ashutosh Garg, Arvind Jain, Sachin Nayyar, and Ajeet Singh, have gone a step further by building multiple unicorn companies in the US, according to the NFAP report.
The report also found that nearly two-thirds of US unicorns were founded by immigrants or their children. At the same time, almost 80% have either an immigrant founder or an immigrant in a key leadership role.
Together, immigrant-founded unicorns are worth roughly $5 trillion and employ an average of 833 people each, the report revealed.
The NFAP report's numbers challenge the narrative that immigrants, including those from India, are merely beneficiaries of the American system. In reality, many of America's most successful companies, cutting-edge technologies, and high-paying jobs owe their existence to immigrants who arrived seeking education and opportunity.
As debates over immigration continue to dominate US politics, especially under the Donald Trump administration, the NFAP findings highlight an uncomfortable answer for anti-immigration voices in the US. Among the biggest drivers of America's startup economy and Silicon Valley's global dominance are the very immigrant communities they often target, with Indians leading the unit.
