Thanks to our team of superstar delegates, Startup Day on the Hill 2014 was a rousing success. Members of Congress and their staffs are increasingly involved with the startup community and the technologies and services we’re building; they are starting to understand that they must support what we do for the good of the whole economy.
Our Women in Technology event on Tuesday night was attended by more than 100 people and DC luminaries, including visits from startup-friendly members of Congress including Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-TX), and DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL), who gave the evening’s inspirational remarks.
The packed celebration was also an opportunity for us to introduce Engine’s new Executive Director, Julie Samuels, who is committed to the issue of women in technology and has laid plans to bring on a senior fellow to advise on the subject. By focusing on the under-representation of women as engineers, founders, and investors, we hope to create better policies to give women an equal opportunity.
(Here’s what Politico had to say about the evening!)
Startup Day itself was packed with incredible experiences, vibrant conversations, and bold actions – all aimed at providing members of Congress more tools and resources to support startup communities and create better public policy.
In having these conversations, we already succeeded in bringing the startup community closer to policymaking in Washington -- at least for a day. But we also hope to have had an impact as the Senate continues to work towards patent troll reform, as the House works on immigration reform, and as Congress begins to tackle the numerous issues we face as a community.
Take a look at pictures from the day!
Stay tuned, also, for new installments to our Startups Speak series -- putting a human face on the policy issues we face.
We’re thankful to CEA for their generous support, and we look forward to continuing our work together. We also thank WeWork for hosting our team at their beautiful Wonder Bread Factory, Franklin Square Group and S-3 for their assistance in getting our events together, and to our Congressional co-hosts for their assistance in the coordination of the event.
We can’t wait for Startup Day 2015!
