@Engine, Weekly Digest, Digest, Issues, Talent, Access to Capital, Tax & Trade, IP
The Engine Team
Startup News Digest 10/24/25

Startups push back on new immigration barriers 

Startup News Digest 10/24/25
#StartupsEverywhere
Mitchell Winter
#StartupsEverywhere: Alexandria, Va.

Getting all your ducks in a row when moving can be stressful and expensive. Phil Salesses is working to ease moving-related tensions and lower costs through his company, MoveAI. We sat down with Phil to talk about his company, his ecosystem experience in D.C. compared to San Francisco, and the ambiguity that comes with the patchwork policy problem.

#StartupsEverywhere: Alexandria, Va.
Blog, Competition, Access to Capital
Nathan Lindfors
The new “exit,” how policy choices led us here, ...

Broadly, there are three types of startup exits: going public, being acquired, or failing.

The new “exit,” how policy choices led us here, and what it means for startups
#StartupsEverywhere
Mitchell Winter
#StartupsEverywhere: Rochester, N.Y.

Julia Somerdin is the founder and inventor of Labby, a Rochester-based startup providing diagnostic hardware and software for dairy farmers to improve the quality of their herds’ milk. We sat down with Julia to talk about her company, how she has benefited from government grants supporting innovation, the impact of tariffs on American tech companies, and more.

#StartupsEverywhere: Rochester, N.Y.
#StartupsEverywhere
Mitchell Winter
#StartupsEverywhere: Atlanta, Ga.

Carl Peterson is developing a platform to tackle the shortage of graphics processing units (GPUs)  in AI development. Thunder Compute rents out space on GPUs for cheap by using software to improve GPU utilization. We sat down with Carl to discuss his company, their experience in markets abroad, and the challenge of navigating varying state rules as a small startup.

#StartupsEverywhere: Atlanta, Ga.

Blog

,

Uncertainty Surrounding the BEAD Program and Its Impact on Startups

,
Uncertainty Surrounding the BEAD Program and Its Impact on Startups

A federal program to boost broadband — a necessary component of startup founders and users ability to access the startup ecosystem — in states across the country is facing headwinds and delays as policymakers move the goalposts and risk making progress on closing the digital divide.

,

Sacrificing Patent Quality for the Sake of “Efficiency”

,
Sacrificing Patent Quality for the Sake of “Efficiency”

The Trump administration’s push for “efficiency” is undercutting key programs and tools that maintain balanced intellectual property frameworks that protect startups against low-quality patents and meritless, but expensive and time consuming, litigation.

,

Supreme Court reviews the Universal Service Fund: what it means for startups and the future of broadband programs

,
Supreme Court reviews the Universal Service Fund: what it means for startups and the future of broadband programs

The fate of some of the largest broadband subsidy programs, key to bridging the digital divide for all consumers, including startups and their users, depends on the outcome of the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) v. Consumers’ Research case before the Supreme Court.

, ,

AI Essentials: What is a foundation model?

, ,
AI Essentials: What is a foundation model?

This blog continues our series called “AI Essentials,” which aims to bridge the knowledge gap surrounding AI-related topics. It discusses what a foundation model is, how startups are leveraging them to drive greater innovation in the AI ecosystem, and what policymakers need to keep in mind.

, , , ,

Opportunity Zones are expiring and startups need Congress to act

, , , ,
Opportunity Zones are expiring and startups need Congress to act

2025 will be a pivotal year for startups and tax policy, and one instrumental program that has been crucial to the success of the company I co-founded, Event Vesta Inc, is at risk of sunsetting.

 

Your privacy is important to us. To better protect your privacy we provide this notice explaining our online information practices and the choices you can make about the way your information is collected and used.


Careers

CONTACT US

700 Pennsylvania Ave. SE
Washington, DC 20003
info@engine.is
comms@engine.is