Immigrant entrepreneurs are twice as likely as native-born Americans to start new businesses, but the firms they launch are often small and slow-growing. As a rule, they also fail more often than businesses started by native-born Americans. Why is this so? What unique obstacles confront immigrant entrepreneurs? And what can be done to address these challenges?

Opportunity America explored these questions with a survey and a series of roundtable sessions with immigrant entrepreneurs. Wellesley College economist and senior research scientist Sari Pekkala Kerr and Next Wave Impact founder and CEO Alicia Robb provided research support.