In the pre-COVID-19 era, a common sound at a Mumbai Starbucks was a loud American accent. U.S. citizens with Indian backgrounds are returning to their motherland, and technological prowess is moving back with them.
Last year, serial entrepreneur Boris Moyston launched a new conference, Black Men Talk Tech, focused on the contribution of people of color in the innovation economy. He is now looking to bring the event to Europe and Africa.
While discovering the New York music scene, Tomas Uribe, a composer and bass player from Colombia, realized that something was missing. He decided to create a tool for artists searching for new opportunities. Today, his platform, Stereotheque, has users from 277 cities and 38 countries.
Colombian-born entrepreneur Rosario Casas launched a free-of-charge support program for her compatriots in the U.S. to help them move their businesses online.
In the midst of the pandemic, many foreign entrepreneurs have been experiencing visa application delays. The situation is improving, but the U.S. approach to immigration could become far more punitive.
Feargal O’Sullivan runs an outsourcing sales firm focused on international fintech startups. Early this year, his company, USAM Group, hit the five-year mark. Since launching, O’Sullivan has matched hundreds of US financial institutions with dozens of new tech solutions.
In 2019, Chloe Vichot’s restaurant Ancolie evolved into Fresh Bowl, a tech startup. While Ancolie sold sustainable lunches served in mason jars, her new startup plans to set up 100 fresh vending machines in the following year.
Sebastiano Cappitta has seen it all — celebrities, 9/11, city-wide blackouts. He moved to New York from Malta, created a restaurant empire, and sold almost all of it shortly before the pandemic. His remaining venue is now delivering free meals to healthcare workers.
Camilla Barungi has advocated for sustainability in fashion for over 20 years as an advisor and model. She believes the trillion-dollar industry is now more open to diversity and inclusion than ever before.
Because of the uncertainty in the U.S., American tech giants could be more willing to look into buying foreign startups, in particular ones based in the countries where lockdown measures are loosened soon.