Community - The Vertical

From busboy to millionaire: How this Bangladeshi immigrant made his big break in the U.S. restaurant industry

Lunchbox founder Nabeel Alamgir has worked his way up from bussing tables at a fast food chain to being featured on Forbes’s ‘30 Under 30’ list and securing $20 million in VC funding.

Clubhouse co-founder Rohan Seth. Credit: Rohan Seth/Twitter

How Indian American Clubhouse co-founder Rohan Seth started a global audio revolution

Launched in April 2020, the audio-only app Clubhouse now has more than 10 million weekly active users around the world. Its success has led to Twitter introducing Spaces, Spotify launching Greenroom, and Facebook announcing live audio rooms. Despite the Clubhouse boom, few users are aware that one of the app’s co-founders, Rohan Seth, was born in India and raised in its capital city, Delhi.

Hoppers & curry. Photo by Broken Simulacra. Source: Flickr

Sri Lankan immigrant entrepreneurs bring taste of home to NYC’s Staten Island

Demand for spices, curry powder, and the taste of home Sri Lankans crave has kept Staten Island’s restaurants and groceries afloat during the pandemic.

Untouchables in Varanasi/Luisen Rodrigo, Flickr

India’s “untouchable” Dalits find liberation in American entrepreneurship

Dalits, the lowest caste in the Hindu hierarchy, are victims of thousands of attacks in India each year. In the U.S., Dalit immigrants are escaping discrimination from fellow Indians by creating their own businesses.

Protesters outside the U.S. Embassy in London/Alisdare Hickson

Brands who supported immigrants in 2020 and beyond

Immigration has become a hot topic during the last few years of the Trump administration. Many brands stood up to support immigrants with campaigns advocating for social change. Here are just a few companies that took up the cause in these dark times.

How Sikhs are living the great Indian trucking dream in the U.S.

- Community
- Immigration

In the 1980s, a large number of Sikhs fled a violent insurgency in their home state of Punjab for the U.S. They began their American careers in the trucking and logistics business, where many had worked before in India.

Entrepreneurs against dictatorship: Lukashenko’s regime hurts Belarusian-American founders

- Community
- Entrepreneurs

U.S. tech companies founded by Belarusians have long been a source of pride for Europe’s last dictator Alexander Lukashenko. Now, as entrepreneurs are challenging his 26-year-old rule, they are feeling the same pressure as everyone else. Silicon Valley startups have also taken a hit.

How South Indian classical music entrepreneurs make it in America

- Community

With Indian immigration rising in the U.S. over the last several decades, Carnatic music, a classical system associated with southern India, is thriving.

Black Men Talk Tech: Boris Moyston wants the world to listen

- Community
- Entrepreneurs

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.

This Colombian music entrepreneur’s new project helps creatives find jobs

- Community
- Entrepreneurs

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.