From a refugee camp in Istanbul to supplying luxury fashion houses like Prada and Gucci, Dr. Neri Karra Sillaman’s 25-year journey reveals what academic research keeps missing: immigrant-founded businesses don’t just start more frequently—they last longer and build differently. In this masterclass on business longevity, Neri unpacks why 46% of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants, the eight principles behind their enduring success, and how non-immigrants can adopt the immigrant entrepreneur mindset to create sustainable, purpose-driven enterprises in any industry.
What you will learn
- Why immigrant-founded businesses statistically outlast native-founded ones, even as 90% of startups fail
- The eight principles of business longevity: cross-cultural bridging, visionary thinking, homophilic ties, right-profit generation, community building, reframing rejection, frying in your own oil, and creating luck
- How bootstrapping and self-reliance create sustainable competitive advantages without external investors
- The difference between profit-driven and problem-solving business models, and why one lasts and one doesn’t
- Concrete mindset shifts corporate leaders can implement to regain agency and escape the hero complex
Key discussion topics
- Fleeing communist Bulgaria in 1989 and discovering the power of education as an escape route
- How a chance business card led to a global leather goods empire supplying Prada, Miu Miu, Gucci, and Versace
- Cross-cultural understanding as competitive advantage and bridging two markets innovatively
- Homophilic ties: how immigrant entrepreneurs build trust with suppliers, distributors, and employees
- The immigrant mindset applied to corporate leadership: humility, ecosystem thinking, and abandoning the hero complex
- Why constant growth and endless profitability are unsustainable, and what sustainable business models look like
- Navigating real-world business challenges: employee health issues, distributor departures, and tough decisions
Guest background
Dr. Neri Karra Sillaman is an Entrepreneurship Expert at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, and co-founder and creative director of Neri Karra, a B Corp certified luxury leather goods manufacturer employing 175 craftsmen and producing for global brands including Prada, Miu Miu, Gucci, and Versace. With over 25 years of building a bootstrapped family business while earning a PhD from Cambridge, Neri bridges academia, entrepreneurship, and sustainability to champion purpose-driven business longevity. Her 2025 book, Pioneers: Eight Principles of Business Longevity from Immigrant Entrepreneurs, was named a Thinkers50 Top 10 Best New Management Book and Financial Times Reader’s Choice.
Connect with Neri Karra Sillaman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neri-karra-sillaman/
Get engaged
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Additional resources
- Pioneers: Eight Principles of Business Longevity from Immigrant Entrepreneurs by Neri Karra Sillaman (2025)
About Business Unbound
Every week, your host Florian Haufe dives deep into conversations with visionary global leaders to bring you insights, inspiration, and the real stories behind success.
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