My father arrived in America with $400, no English skills, and an unshakeable belief that anything was possible. As the host of Founders and Empanadas, I've interviewed countless entrepreneurs, but none quite capture the unique intersection of grit and optimism like immigrant founders. And none have shaped my own entrepreneurial journey quite like my dad, Gene Eidelman.

When he left the Soviet Union at 17, his family became stateless refugees after immigration officials confiscated their passports. Landing in Los Angeles, he started in a liquor store where his name changed from Gennady to Gene on day one - a small symbol of the broader identity shifts that lay ahead.

What strikes me most about immigrant founders is their relationship with risk. For my father, failure wasn't an option - there was no family wealth to fall back on, no established network to lean into. This created a particular kind of resourcefulness. While many founders chase rapid growth through venture funding, he built businesses that could reach profitability quickly. "You need to move a little bit slower than a lot of entrepreneurs want to move," he told me, "because you can't expect there's going to be money from a venture fund in the very near future."

This measured approach might seem at odds with today's "move fast and break things" startup culture. But there's wisdom in it. At Azure Printed Homes, his current venture revolutionizing sustainable housing construction, they spent two and a half years developing their technology while running traditional construction projects to fund R&D. This patience allowed them to perfect their approach to 3D-printed homes using recycled materials, leading to $35 million in pre-orders.

Perhaps the most powerful advantage immigrant founders bring is their ability to see opportunities others miss. Coming from different cultural contexts, they notice gaps in the market that might be invisible to others. My father's journey from real estate to education to sustainable housing construction wasn't just about building businesses - it was about solving problems he understood deeply from his unique perspective.

Growing up, I had a front-row seat to this entrepreneurial education. While other kids were going to summer camp, I was traveling to five continents on business trips with my dad, learning how to navigate different cultures and spot opportunities. These experiences gave me and my siblings what he calls "the best of both worlds" - the advantage of being born in America combined with the immigrant's eye for opportunity and appetite for hard work.

One story particularly stands out. Early in his real estate career, his manager challenged everyone in the office to make 100 cold calls. While others dismissed it as just another sales tactic, my father stayed late, pushing through rejection after rejection, his thick accent making each call a challenge. On call 36, he landed his first client - who not only bought multiple properties but became a long-term business partner.

This persistence, this ability to push through discomfort and rejection, is perhaps the greatest gift of the immigrant founder mindset. It's not about being a chameleon, as my father points out, but about having a strong core mission while adapting your approach to different audiences and circumstances.

Today, as I build my own companies, I find myself drawing on these lessons constantly. The immigrant founder story isn't just about overcoming obstacles - it's about transforming those very challenges into competitive advantages. It's about seeing opportunities where others see barriers, and having the patience and persistence to bring those opportunities to life.

‍