Immigrants Find Success in Silicon Valley

 

Some of the most successful technology business owners in Silicon¹ Valley are immigrants. Silicon Valley is an area of northern California that is home to major technology companies like Apple, Google and Facebook.

For some immigrants, just living in the United States is the goal. But others have bigger dreams, like Qasar Younis.

Younis is the chief operating officer of Y Combinator. Y Combinator is an investment company. It gives money to new technology businesses in return for part ownership.

If the company is sold or offers its shares for sale to the public, Y Combinator can make a lot of money.

Younis is from the Punjab area of Pakistan. He says he was just a normal child. But, he says he believed from an early age that he could be successful in the U.S.

Another Pakistani immigrant, Dilawar Syed, owns the software company Freshdesk. It provides customer support services.

Syed said the people who live in Silicon Valley create big opportunities for themselves and each other.

“The idea of making an impossible, possible is the way we operate.”

And, he thinks Silicon Valley is unlike any other place.

"I think the valley is unique. In that ecosystem², there is an interesting mix of enabling factors that allow people to develop themselves, to push themselves, to take risks, fail often and then succeed quite often in a spectacular fashion.”

Many entrepreneurs around the world dream of coming to California and starting a business. But how do they do it?

There are organizations that can help.

Mohammad Ibrahim’s Leaders is one such group. It invites leaders of start-ups from the Palestinian territories to attend a one-month program in Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley experts provide training and advice to the visitors.

They learn how to market and grow their businesses. They find ways to increase sales. And Ibrahim says Leaders can connect the start-ups that need money with investors³.

Google has a similar program called Launchpad Accelerator. It offers problem-solving for people who started businesses in parts of Latin America and Asia. Those who come to the program spend two weeks at Google’s headquarters and then get access to Google experts for six months.

Another way people get their start is through internships. Internships are mostly unpaid⁵ training positions at companies. Interns⁴ can gain valuable connections as well.

The tech company Mozilla, known for their web browser⁶, offers three-month paid internships. Some Silicon Valley interns earn as much as $5,000 per month.

Nichole Gibson finds interns for Mozilla.

“So here at Mozilla we are looking for the best and the brightest, but we also focus on diversity and inclusion. So, we have a wide range of interns that we actually hire. Since we are an international company, we can hire interns from all over the world, which is great. We hire into non- technical and technical roles so we have a wide range of positions that they can apply for.”

Words in This Story

start-up – n. a new business

opportunity – n. a chance to do something or act

spectacular – adj. causing wonder and admiration⁷; very impressive

unique– adj. used to say that something or someone is unlike anything or anyone else

accelerator – n. an organization that helps a business improve

entrepreneur – n. a person who starts a business and is willing to risk loss in order to make money

diversity – n. the state of having people who are different races or who have different cultures in a group or organization?

inclusion – n. the act of making something or someone part of a group

1 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。

2 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

3 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

4 interns   

n.住院实习医生( intern的名词复数 )v.拘留，关押( intern的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Our interns also greet our guests when they arrive in our studios. 我们的实习生也会在嘉宾抵达演播室的时候向他们致以问候。 来自超越目标英语 第4册
• The interns work alongside experienced civil engineers and receive training in the different work sectors. 实习生陪同有经验的国内工程师工作，接受不同工作部门的相关培训。 来自超越目标英语 第4册

5 unpaid   

adj.未付款的，无报酬的

参考例句：

• Doctors work excessive unpaid overtime.医生过度加班却无报酬。
• He's doing a month's unpaid work experience with an engineering firm.他正在一家工程公司无偿工作一个月以获得工作经验。

6 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

7 admiration   

n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕

参考例句：

• He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
• We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。