See Also : Demographics

$1 Million Grant from Kauffman Foundation Aimed at Making Community Colleges a ‘Front Door’ for Entrepreneurship 

A model for entrepreneurship education and early-stage funding for startups, born in a community college in northeastern Ohio, will make its way to the national stage with the support of a $1 million grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

A Rising Tide: Financing Strategies for Women-Owned Firms 

Women-owned firms represent an increasingly important segment of the small business sector. According to the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau, there were 7.8 million women-owned firms in the United States in 2007, generating $1.2 trillion in revenues and providing employment for 7.6 million people. A Rising Tide presents the financial strategies that have helped today's bold and creative women entrepreneurs to succeed.

As Baby Boomers Reach Retirement, Many Turn to Entrepreneurship as Next Adventure 

Beginning this September, Kauffman FastTrac will offer a new course specifically designed to help baby boomer entrepreneurs start up their businesses. The customized FastTrac® NewVenture™ course helps aspiring entrepreneurs evaluate their business idea and build a plan to take it to market.  

Baby Boom Generation is Driving an Entrepreneurial Boom Toward Economic Growth, Kauffman Foundation Study Indicates 

Economists know that entrepreneurship will drive the economy back to health, but many people may be surprised to learn that the baby boom generation is behind the wheel, according to a new study by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

Business Dynamics Statistics Briefing: Where Have All the Young Firms Gone? 

Building on a long-term trend, the nation's business startup rate fell below 8 percent for the first time in 2010, marking the lowest point on record for new firm births. New firms as a percentage of all firms continued a steady downward trend in 2010 – going from a high of 13 percent (as a percentage of all firms) in the 1980s to just under 11 percent in 2006 before making a steep decline to the 8 percent in 2010 – the most current year of data available. 

Business Owners, Financial Risk, and Wealth 

This study challenges the across-the-board assumption that entrepreneurs are financial risk-takers, showing that, even though business owners are more likely than non-business owners to be willing to assume above-average risk for financial gain, they generally are more conservative when it comes to saving and borrowing.

Carl Schramm discusses coming entrepreneurial boom on CNBC 

He was interviewed on "Squawk on the Street" with Erin Burnett and Mark Haines. The segment was focused on the role that older entrepreneurs are playing in this recession.

Casting a Wide Net Factsheet: Online Activities of Small and New Businesses in the United States 

The Internet's profound effect on how U.S. businesses operate is even more pronounced among young companies, according to a research report released today by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The study, "Casting a Wide Net: Online Activities of Small and New Businesses in the United States," reveals that new businesses have a higher propensity to use websites, email, and to sell online, and that these inclinations have an impact on capitalization and longevity.

Casting A Wide Net: Online Activities of Small and New Businesses in the United States 

The Internet's profound effect on how U.S. businesses operate is even more pronounced among young companies, according to a research report released by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The study, "Casting a Wide Net: Online Activities of Small and New Businesses in the United States," reveals that new businesses have a higher propensity to use websites, email, and to sell online, and that these inclinations have an impact on capitalization and longevity.

Characteristics of New Firms: A Comparison by Gender 

While the country's 6.5 million privately held, women-owned firms generated an estimated $940 billion in sales and employed 7.1 million people in 2002, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, a Kauffman Foundation research report indicates that women-owned firms have relatively underperformed men-owned firms in a number of measures.

College Freshmen Show Increasing Interest in Entrepreneurship 

Interest in entrepreneurship among first-year college students has risen over time, a recent study reveals. Trends in Business Interest Among U.S. College Students, which is being released today, bases its findings on data available through the Cooperative Institutional Research Program, which for 40 years has conducted the CIRP Freshman Survey, the most ubiquitous survey of college freshmen in the United States.

Education, Funding and Experience Explain Disparities in Minority Entrepreneurship Success, Says New Book 

Education, prior work experience and financial backing are crucial factors in the success of entrepreneurs, according to a new book by Robert W. Fairlie and Alicia M. Robb and funded in part by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The book examines why Asian American-owned businesses do well in comparison to white-owned businesses, and African American-owned firms do poorly in relation to both. The book also explores the broader question of why some small businesses succeed and others fail.

Entrepreneurial Activity Declines as Jobs Rise in 2012, according to Kauffman Report 

According to the annual Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity, the 2012 rate declined slightly from 0.32 percent of American adults per month starting businesses in 2011 to 0.30 percent in 2012.

Entrepreneurship Remains Strong in 2008 with Increasing Business Startups, According to Kauffman Foundation 

New business formation increased in 2008 but, in what may be a potential harbinger of the current economic recession, U.S. entrepreneurship rates increased for the lowest-income-potential and middle-income-potential types of businesses from 2007 to 2008; it decreased for the highest-income-potential types of businesses. This is one of the shifts in firm formation trends found in the annual Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity, a leading indicator of new business activity that provides the earliest documentation of new business development across the United States.

Experience, Professional Networks, Encouragement, Support are Keys to Success for High-Growth Women Entrepreneurs, Kauffman Study Finds 

Despite their majority representation at U.S. colleges and universities and increased participation in science and engineering, women still are under-represented among business founders, particularly in high-tech and other high-growth fields.

Immigrant Entrepreneurship Has Stalled for the First Time in Decades, Kauffman Foundation Study Shows 

A new Kauffman Foundation study finds that high-tech, immigrant-founded startups — a critical source of fuel for the U.S. economy — has stagnated and is on the verge of decline.

Improved Immigration Laws Would Help Foreign Student Entrepreneurs Launch U.S. Companies, Create U.S. Jobs, Says Kauffman Paper 

In the paper "Reforming Immigration Law to Allow More Foreign Student Entrepreneurs to Launch Job-Creating Ventures in the United States," released by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a team of law and entrepreneurship experts from the University of Missouri—Kansas City (UMKC) outline specific measures to modify U.S. immigration law in an effort to attract and encourage talented international students to launch job-creating ventures in the United States.

Infographic: Energizing an Ecosystem: Brewing 1 Million Cups 

"Energizing an Ecosystem: Brewing 1 Million Cups" presents results of an initial survey among 1 Million Cups participants to identify their demographic characteristics, information about whether they were a founder or co-founder of a startup, and their attendance patterns at 1 Million Cups.

Infographic: Entrepreneurship Rates by Veteran Status 

Back to the America's New Immigrant Entrepreneurs Then and Now main page  

Kauffman FastTrac® Receives Sponsorship from AARP to Pilot Entrepreneurship Course for Baby Boomers in 3 U.S. Regions 

Baby boomers residing in New York City, Southern California and South Florida may soon find it easier to pursue their dreams of entrepreneurship thanks to a new sponsorship agreement between Kauffman FastTrac and AARP.

Kauffman Foundation Commits $500,000 to Astia to Advance Women's Participation in High-Growth Entrepreneurship 

While data show that women start more than 50 percent of all businesses, their participation in high-growth startups remains extremely low. In an effort to change this, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation has announced a $500,000 grant to Astia, a premier business accelerator that works with women-led startups. The grant represents a commitment from both organizations to strategically work together to advance the participation of women in high-growth entrepreneurship.

Kauffman Foundation Grant to Aid CODE2040 in Inspiring Underrepresented Engineering Students to Choose Startup Path 

As CODE2040 begins recruiting computer engineering students for its 2013 summer Fellows Program, its efforts will be bolstered by a $330,000 grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity, 1996-2008 

New business formation increased in 2008 but, in what may be a potential harbinger of the current economic recession, U.S. entrepreneurship rates increased for the lowest-income-potential and middle-income-potential types of businesses from 2007 to 2008; it decreased for the highest-income-potential types of businesses.

Kauffman's Hottest Research and Video Topics in 2011: Startup Trends, Jobs and Growth Top the List 

The most popular online content from the world’s largest foundation dedicated to entrepreneurial research focused on annual startup rates, legal reforms for economic growth and job creation trends. As a leading source of economic data for researchers, economists, academics and policymakers, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation has compiled its most downloaded research reports, books and videos in 2011.

Kauffman’s Hottest Trending Content in 2012: Research Reports, Infographics and Video Sketchbooks 

The Kauffman Foundation has compiled its most popular online content in 2012. Trending topics range from annual startup rates, the geography of high-growth firms and the poor track record of venture capital investment funds to inspiring animated video "Sketchbooks" that feature immigrant entrepreneurs and programs for aspiring founders.

Keeping Talent in America: NFAP Policy Brief 

The National Foundation for American Policy released a policy brief that says international students who graduate from U.S. universities with advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) should get a green card with their diplomas. The paper also says such a policy would significantly benefit U.S. competitiveness and the economy overall.

Nation’s Entrepreneurs Expect Profits to Climb in the Year Ahead, Kauffman/LegalZoom Startup Confidence Index Shows 

While a majority of startup business owners do not believe the economy will grow in the next 12 months, 83 percent are nonetheless confident that their own profits will, according to the fourth-quarter Kauffman/LegalZoom Startup Confidence Index, released today by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and LegalZoom.

New Business Startups Declined in 2011, Annual Kauffman Study Shows 

Entrepreneurship is alive and well in the wake of the Great Recession, although the rate of new business creation dipped during 2011 and startup founders remained more likely to fly solo than employ others. That's the big take away from the "Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity," a leading indicator of new business creation in the United States published annually and released today by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

New Kauffman Foundation, LegalZoom Survey Captures Rare Picture of America’s Startups 

In an effort to learn more about the challenges facing today's entrepreneurs, LegalZoom and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation surveyed 1,431 business owners who formed their companies through LegalZoom in 2012.

New Kauffman Videos Feature America’s Great Job Creators: Immigrant Entrepreneurs 

In "America's Great Job Creators: Immigrant Entrepreneurs," U.S. company founders from Korea, Russia, India and other countries share the potential benefits of expanding the number of green cards so more immigrant entrepreneurs can create companies and jobs in the United States. Right now, visa backlogs are forcing high-skilled immigrants to return to their home countries.

New Report Details the Contributions of Immigrants to Cancer Research in America 

More than 40 percent of the cancer researchers at America's top cancer institutes are immigrants, according to a Kauffman Foundation-funded National Foundation for American Policy report released today.

New Research Finds Despite Proposed Legislative Restrictions, H-1B Visas Remain Essential to Attracting and Retaining Talent in the United States 

H-1B temporary visas have been an essential avenue for allowing high-skilled foreign nationals to work in America, according to a Kauffman Foundation-funded National Foundation for American Policy report released today.

New Video from Kauffman Foundation to Aid Teacher Recruitment in Kansas City 

New Kauffman Foundation and Kauffman School video "Teach in Kansas City. Make a Difference," captures the challenges facing our local education system, the school leadership opportunities available, and the lifestyle, economic and cultural advantages Kansas City has to offer teachers and their families.

Overcoming the Gender Gap: Women Entrepreneurs as Economic Drivers 

Women who are capable of starting growth companies that serve global markets may be the nation's secret weapon for achieving sustained economic growth.

Patterns of Financing: A Comparison between White- and African-American Young Firms 

This short report examines racial differences in access to financial capital. We focus on the role of capital injections—that is, injections of financial capital in the early, formative years after the business is started. Our results indicate that stark racial differences in capital injections after a business is formed are an important and under-studied component of the racial gap in new business formation.

Sources of Financing for New Technology Firms: A Comparison by Gender 

Women entrepreneurs launch high-technology firms with less financial capital than men, and continue to follow a different financial strategy over time. Women's reliance on internal funding sources makes a difference: Years after startup, women-owned high-tech firms continue to lag behind men-owned firms in numerous performance measures, including revenues, profits, assets and employment.

Startup Visa Could Create At Least 1.6 Million U.S. Jobs in Next 10 Years, According to Kauffman Foundation Report 

Startup Visas would unleash a torrent of entrepreneurial energy among foreign-born individuals in the United States, according to a white paper released today by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

Successful Education Program Connects Kansas City Entrepreneurs through High-Value, Low-Cost Events and Word-of-Mouth Recruiting 

"Energizing an Ecosystem: Brewing 1 Million Cups" presents results of an initial survey among 1MC participants to identify their demographic characteristics, information about whether they were a founder or co-founder of a startup, and their attendance patterns at 1MC.

The Anatomy of an Entrepreneur 

Although entrepreneurs provide the majority of jobs in the United States, little is known about what makes them tick. The Anatomy of an Entrepreneur fills in some gaps by providing insights into high-growth founders' motivations and their socio-economic, educational and familial backgrounds, as well as their views on what factors determine success.

The Coming Entrepreneurship Boom 

Emerging Kauffman Foundation research indicates the United States might be on the cusp of an entrepreneurship boom—not in spite of an aging population but because of it.

The Immigrant Exodus: Why America Is Losing the Global Race to Capture Entrepreneurial Talent 

In the book, The Immigrant Exodus: Why America Is Losing the Global Race to Capture Entrepreneurial Talent, Vivek Wadhwa, a leading scholar and public voice on entrepreneurship and public policy, draws on fifty years of research and his new Kauffman Foundation report, "America's New Immigrant Entrepreneurs – Then and Now," to show that growth in immigrant entrepreneurship in the United States has peaked, is stagnating, and is on the verge of decline.

Typical Company Founders Are Married with Children and Well-Educated; Strive to Rise Above their Lower-, Middle-Class Heritage 

Although entrepreneurs provide the majority of jobs in the United States, little is known about what makes them tick. Anatomy of an Entrepreneur, a newly released study from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, fills in some gaps by providing insights into high-growth founders' motivations and their socio-economic, educational and familial backgrounds.

Understanding the Economy, One Business at a Time 

Measurement of business activity has advanced scientifically more slowly than measurement of household activity. As a result, many of our limitations in understanding the complexities of entrepreneurship stem from a basic lack of data – something the Kauffman Foundation is working to change.

Untapped Potential for Expanding Women’s Entrepreneurship Holds Promise to Grow the U.S. Economy, According to Kauffman Report 

Women who are capable of starting growth companies that serve global markets may be the nation's secret weapon for achieving sustained economic growth.

Veteran-Owned Startup Rates Declining Across America, According to Kauffman Report 

A new study released today by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation shows, for the first time, business creation by veteran status at the individual level over the past 16 years.

Widening Gap Between Wealthy, Other Classes – and How to Close It – Explored in New E-book from Kauffman Foundation Scholar 

In his new e-book, HUMAN CAPITALISM: How Economic Growth Has Made Us Smarter – and More Unequal, Kauffman Foundation senior scholar Brink Lindsey explores the reasons behind today's economic disparity and, more importantly, suggests actions that may help to improve the situation for future generations. Released today, Lindsey's e-book original is the first for Princeton University Press.

Winner Named in Global Desktop Factory Competition 

The inventor of a machine that turns plastic pellets into affordable filaments for low-cost 3D printers is the winner of the first Desktop Fabrication Competition, a global contest sponsored by the Kauffman Foundation, Maker Education Initiative and Inventables.

Women 2.0 Receives Corporate Sponsorship from the Kauffman Foundation to Fuel Growth of Female-led Innovation 

Women 2.0 today announced that the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, one of the world's largest organizations devoted to entrepreneurship, has provided corporate sponsorship to support Women 2.0 initiatives to increase the number of technology companies founded by women. Kauffman’s sponsorship will enable Women 2.0 to expand its educational resources to the female entrepreneur community via a blog network of relevant content and the expansion of global networking events such as Founder Friday.

Women Launch High-Tech Firms with Less Financial Capital than Men 

Women entrepreneurs launch high-technology firms with less financial capital than men, and continue to follow a different financial strategy over time.

Women-owned Entrepreneurial Startups Underperform Men-owned Firms 

While the country's 6.5 million privately held, women-owned firms generated an estimated $940 billion in sales and employed 7.1 million people in 2002, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, a Kauffman Foundation research report released today indicates that women-owned firms have relatively underperformed men-owned firms in a number of measures.