Book Summary

Book: They Made It!: How Chinese, French, German, Indian, Iranian, Israeli and other foreign born entrepreneurs contributed to high tech innovation in the Silicon Valley, the US and Overseas.

Great leaders have been the stuff of many business books over the years with authors often promising to deliver THE key ingredients that can guarantee the readers success in their own careers.

As we all know by now, there is no "secret sauce." But there are a number of "recipes for success" with specific ingredients that if applied, may smooth the path upward.

These recipes are the result of conversations with foreign-born (as well as US) Silicon Valley/US entrepreneurs who tell it as it is. Each leader tells a unique, personal story of how s/he came to the US and ultimately made it.

If you plan to immigrate to the U.S. and establish yourself in Silicon Valley, or if you are just curious to find out what make these extraordinary individuals tick, you can listen to these foreign-born professionals and gain personal insight into the fulfillment of their ambitions and dreams.

Why you should read this book:

• To gain insight into the way leaders from different countries and cultures act and think
  
• To understand cultural differences and what influences these differences can have
  
• To get to know leading entrepreneurs from a more personal, approachable side
  
• To know what awaits you if you plan to come to the US/Silicon Valley to work or develop your own start-up
  
• To hear the individual voices speak about their own development - what did they have to face, what obstacles did they overcome?

Readers of this book will benefit from seeing the personal side of these Silicon Valley/US/Overseas executives interviewed and by getting insight into how they live and how they got to where they are today. Many inspiring stories will motivate you to emulate those interviewed for the book. Additionally, there are lessons learned, 12 Recipes for Success and policy implications based on the status of H1-B visas, the employment of foreign-born professionals and the potential for missing out on attracting future leaders from abroad.

Book Table of Contents

• Preface
  
  • Silicon Valley: A Slice of Life
    Susan Lucas-Conwell, CEO, SDForum
    
  • Acknowledgements
    
• Introduction
  
  • First Impressions
    
  • The Interviewees
    
  • Why the Book
    
  • Selection of executives to interview
    
  • Silicon Valley today: latest survey data from benchmark studies
    
  • The Foreign-born Entrepreneurs: Overview
    
  • The Interviews: Major Categories
    
• Ch1: The VCs
  
• Ch2: The Engineer(s)
  
• Ch3: The Academic Businessmen
  
• Ch4: The Start Up Wizards
  
• Ch5: The Corporate Wizards
  
• Ch6: The CEOs
  
• Ch7: The Overseas Entrepreneur
  
• Ch8: The Philanthropic Entrepreneurs
  
• Ch9: The American Hosts
  
• Ch10: Conclusion: Lessons from successful foreign-born entrepreneurs
  
  • Lessons learned
    
  • 12 Recipes for Success
    
  • Policy Implications
    
  • Closing Thoughts
    
• Appendix A: List of Questions Asked
  
• Appendix B: List of Universities Interviewees Attended
  
• Appendix C: List of Primary Jobs Held