Entrepreneurship

This is a pilot program designed primarily for international students who want to become entrepreneurs and seek information about starting their own companies in the United States. This program is being proposed as an alternative form of U.S. employment for students on OPT or other work-related visas.

News Articles and Regulations

International Students and Entrepreneurship
In October 2011, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) director Alejandro Mayorkas announced the Entrepreneurs in Residence initiative. This initiative will help "harness industry expertise from the public and private sectors and increase the job creation potential of employment-based and high-skilled visa categories" by allowing F-1 students to start a business that is directly related to their major area of study and giving them a financial stake in its success.

Entrepreneur Pathways

Entrepreneur Pathways was developed by the Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIR) Tactical Team at USCIS. Entrepreneur Pathways is designed to enhance communications with the entrepreneurial community and provide foreign entrepreneurs with the tools and information they need to determine which visa category is most appropriate for their particular circumstances.

Foreign Students Wanting to Start a Business in the U.S.
This blog post explains how F1 students can pursue an entrepreneurial road while building a business in the United States.

Starting a Business as an International Student by Babson College
Starting a business in the United States requires a lot of legal documentation. Starting a business as an international student is even harder, as visa requirements are complex. To help students who face this issue, Steven R. London from Pepper Hamilton and Lesley Hauser from O'Neill & Hauser P.C. hosted a panel on what to consider when starting a venture as an international student in the United States. This blog post is a recap of what was discussed. If you are an international student entrepreneur, make sure to seek legal counsel.

Starting a Business as a Foreign National
Breaking into the U.S. market can be a rewarding venture for many foreign businesses. Because U.S. citizenship and residency are not required, foreign nationals can start or expand businesses on U.S. soil without facing much more red tape than an American-born business owner would.

Reforming Immigration Law to Allow More Foreign Student Entrepreneurs to Launch Job-Creating Ventures in the United States
U.S. colleges and universities are seeing increasing numbers of international students with a passion for entrepreneurship, and many of those students want to start new ventures in the United States. However, current immigration laws make it difficult — if not impossible — for these budding innovators to establish start-ups while in school or to remain in the country after graduation to grow their companies and create jobs that could bolster the U.S. economy.

IRS Tax Information for International Businesses
This website offers tax information for international businesses.

Starting, Operating, or Closing a Business
Starting a business can be exciting. If you're considering starting a business, start here. The IRS provides resources ranging from a checklist for a new business to information on selecting a business structure and more.

Navigating Employment Based Visas for Start-Ups
Start-ups often seek to hire highly educated employees with degrees in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and science) fields to compete with established businesses. Postgraduate international students have emerged as the leading source of talent for start-ups, as nearly one third (more than 330,000) of all international students are enrolled in STEM degree programs at U.S. universities. However, the lack of a true "start-up visa" makes hiring postgraduate international students and other foreign nationals difficult. The three most common employment-based visas used in staffing emerging companies are H-1B, E-2, and L-1 visas. This article briefly describes the three most common pitfalls faced by postgraduate international students in these employment-based visa categories in relation to employment by start-ups.

Executive Actions on Immigration — USCIS
On November 20, 2014, the president announced a series of executive actions designed to "crack down on illegal immigration at the border, prioritize deporting felons not families, and require certain undocumented immigrants to pass a criminal background check and pay taxes in order to temporarily stay in the U.S. without fear of deportation." These initiatives include "modernizing, improving, and clarifying immigrant and nonimmigrant visa programs to grow our economy and create jobs."

Governor Cuomo Launches New Global NY Initiatives to Attract International Investment and Trade to New York
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo launched new Global NY initiatives — including the $35 million Global NY Development Fund and trade missions to Mexico, Canada, Italy, China, and Israel — to help create new jobs in our state and attract international business investment to New York.

New Challenge expands opportunities for students to realize their ideas and take them to the next level of implementation. Building on The New School's commitment to learning through action, New Challenge helps students develop as changemakers who can make a positive impact on the world. As a campus-wide platform, New Challenge strengthens community across the university, enriching learning and offering opportunities for creative collaboration.

ELab facilitates entrepreneurial pathways after graduation. The eLab program brings alumni closer to the NYC design and entrepreneurial communities by redefining the postgraduate experience for a selected group of graduate students from Parsons' School of Design Strategies, helping them make the transition from students to entrepreneurs.

Established in 2011 with support from the Provost's Office and the deans of the Schools of Public Engagement, Parsons, and Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts, the Social Innovation Initiative offers students and faculty from different colleges of The New School opportunities to participate in interdisciplinary learning, research, and practice that contributes to real-world problem solving through courses, workshops, conferences, and an innovation competition. The initiative equips students to address contemporary environmental and social challenges in innovative ways, whatever their career paths may be.

NYC Media Lab connects technologists in digital media and technology companies with New York City's universities in order to drive innovation and talent development. A public-private partnership launched by the New York City Economic Development Corporation, Columbia University, and New York University, the lab hosts events and seeds projects to foster collaboration across a range of disciplines central to the future of media.

"The New York Small Business Development Center (NYSBDC) provides small business owners and entrepreneurs in New York with the highest-quality, confidential business counseling, training, and business research at no cost.

"We work with real people and real businesses. Our assistance helps people like you achieve real success, as it has for more than 30 years."

Entrepreneur the Arts helps organizations build their sales and export skills and develop ideas into products and services.

Succeeding as a professional musician — whether through augmenting income, standing out in a competitive field, adding variety to activities, or establishing an empire — requires much more than talent and luck. David Cutler explores mindset, career, projects, marketing, money, and more in this music entrepreneurship blog.

The Enterprising Musician’s Guide to Performer Contracts provides detailed, plain-language explanations of the clauses commonly found in legal agreements such as engagement (gig) contracts, artist-management contracts, and producer agreements. Musicians of all genres will be able to decipher contracts offered to them and improve terms to their benefit. Clearly and in detail, David Williams dissects the most common clauses in performer contracts, explaining  how to avoid pitfalls and properly amend content to address each musician’s needs. 

Seasoned performers, emerging artists, and music students at all levels will find this handy volume an invaluable compendium of guidance as they navigate their careers in the music industry.

Gerald Klickstein explores music practice and performance, creativity, collaboration, entrepreneurship, career development, technology, wellness, and myriad aspects of living a musician's life.

SEA is a program geared to helping emerging visual, performing, literary, and media artists acquire the resources and connections they need to be successful self-employed artists.

Artists Music House is a website designed to help musicians and music entrepreneurs create sustainable careers.

Unshackled is a revolutionary angel fund founded by entrepreneurs and backed by more than 80 top investors, designed for all teams, including those with members on work visas.

FWD.us supports comprehensive immigration reform, advocates for improving the quality of American education, and promotes investment in scientific innovation. With teams located across the country, FWD.us brings together a diverse group of organizers, entrepreneurs, and innovators who develop and deploy online and offline direct advocacy tools at the district, state, and national levels.

The Invisible Dreamers is a Tumblr blog showcasing stories of immigrants to the United States and highlighting challenges they have faced, whether they are actors, such as Andy Garcia; directors, such as Oscar winner Alejandro G. Iñárritu; or students pursuing their dreams.