2020
Chapter
The Roles of Immigrants and Foreign Students in U.S. Science, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship

Immigrant Networking and Collaboration: Survey Evidence from CIC

By: Sari Pekkala Kerr and William R. Kerr

Format:Print

Abstract

Networking and the giving and receiving of advice outside of one's own firm are important features of entrepreneurship and innovation. We study how immigrants and natives utilize the potential networking opportunities provided by CIC, formerly known as the Cambridge Innovation Center. CIC is widely considered the center of the Boston entrepreneurial ecosystem. We surveyed 1,334 people working at CIC in three locations spread across the Boston area and CIC's first expansion facility in St. Louis, Missouri. Survey responses show that immigrants value networking capabilities in CIC more than natives, and the networks developed by immigrants at CIC tend to be larger. Immigrants report substantially greater rates of giving and receiving advice than natives for six surveyed factors: business operations, venture financing, technology, suppliers, people to recruit, and customers. The structure and composition of CIC floors has only a modest influence on these immigrant versus native differences.

Keywords

Immigrants; Networking; Advice; Entrepreneurs; Inventors; Start-up Employees; Venturing; Co-working; Agglomeration; Immigration; Entrepreneurship; Networks; Innovation and Invention; Social and Collaborative Networks

Citation

Kerr, Sari Pekkala, and William R. Kerr. "Immigrant Networking and Collaboration: Survey Evidence from CIC." In The Roles of Immigrants and Foreign Students in U.S. Science, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship, edited by Ina Ganguli, Shulamit Kahn, and Megan MacGarvie. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2020.