Migrant Founders Monitor 2022 (Startup-Verband)

Summary

• 22% of startup founders in Germany have a migration background, of whom 59% are first-generation migrant founders born abroad.p.4
• First-generation migrant founders have a university graduate share of 91%.p.4
• 43% of founders with their own migration experience have difficulty raising capital, versus 36% in general.p.4
• 75% of first-generation migrant founders plan internationalisation, more than the general startup average (69%).p.14
• In the IPO ambition, 30% of first-generation migrant founders see an IPO as an exit route versus 25% in the general startup average.p.15
• German startups already employ 415,000 people.p.3

Key insights

1. 394 founders with a first- or second-generation migration background took part in the DSM 2021.p.8
2. Eastern Europe (23.3%) and Southern Asia (13.8%) are the most important regions of origin of first-generation migrant founders.p.9
3. 62.9% of first-generation migrant founders studied in Germany and 37.1% studied abroad.p.13
4. Capital raising is a challenge for 42.6% of first-generation migrant founders versus 36.1% in the DSM 2021.p.20
5. Missing networks are the central challenge, named by 34.5% of first-generation migrant founders.p.23
6. 32.6% of first-generation migrant founders report racist experiences during founding activity, and 51.4% of those who studied abroad.p.26
7. On average 50.6% of first-generation migrant founders' employees come from abroad, versus 28.0% in the DSM 2021.p.14
8. 53% of first-generation migrant founders see themselves as more risk-tolerant than other founders (41% on average).p.15