Originally published by Creel Price on LinkedIn: Calling All ‘Amerigrants’ Down Under
America doesn’t need a wall to keep immigrants OUT – but it may need a wall to keep its talented emigrants IN. The fact the Canadian Embassy’s website crashed just hours after the election votes were tallied gives some indication of how many Americans are prepared to leave. Yet there is of course a potential silver lining in a sudden outflux of talent.
America, what will make you great again is for your best human capital and future leaders to get a new perspective on the world outside your increasingly insular society. Just like Australia, the United States became great because of the dramatic immigration of people groups from all over the world arriving on your golden shores. These diverse perspectives and cultures shaped an incredibly successful country and ultimately leadership of the free world. But today it feels like this power base is becoming tenuous at best. And it started to crumble years, if not decades before this most recent long-winded election campaign which was more reminiscent of an episode of the Kardashians than a society we can entrust to lead us towards a united and sustainable Planet Earth.
So if you are disenfranchised by your political system and the increased fracturing of your society, it is time to vote with your feet. And not just 46% of you, but gather 100% of your disappointment, shock and fear for the future of your children then jump in an aerial U-Haul (known as Qantas in our neck of the woods) and head Down Under or to the myriad of other countries that will welcome you with open arms.
The world needs ‘Amerigrants’ in every corner of the world - not just through the silver screen and our social media feeds - but real live Americans who are gaining a broader and more tolerant worldview. Australia doesn’t have all of the answers, in fact our immigration policies have much to be improved. But like Canada, Australia is an easy place for Americans to feel at home away from home. In fact, Australia is the only country in the world to have received more American migrants than the US has accepted from here.
Our growing startup community is screaming out for the best founder and tech talent. America has this in spades. The Australian startup ecosystem is a new frontier on an incredible growth curve with impressive businesses such as Canva, Atlassian and Campaign Monitor leading the charge and always on the look-out for talent.
Even within Investible, the company I cofounded last year, we have positions and opportunities for leading trainers, hackers, tech talent and cofounders. Club Investible is also looking for VC experienced investors to not only join the club but our team of analysts and to foster investor relations. If you add our growing portfolio of next generation companies then the talent we require is compounded and we are just the tip of the iceberg in a community that would welcome experienced talent or the return of some of our Aussie stars previously attracted by the gravitational force that is Silicon Valley.
Now is the time to not only experience a new country, but to gain a worldview that when you or your children return home will help you make America great again.