States gear up to work on AI
Startup policy outlook under second Trump term
Executive coaching should be accessible to anyone who is interested, but oftentimes scaling the education is not practical. With her company Zella Life, co-founder Remy Meraz is democratizing professional development using AI. We sat down with her to discuss AI, independent contractors, and more.
After working in the financial sector for over 20 years, Mical Jeanlys-White founded her own company, WealthMore, a wealth tech with a focus on tackling a key financial barrier—wealth building and management. Her company leverages technology to connect everyday Americans with accessible wealth management services, aiming to provide wealth creation for all. We sat down with her to discuss her journey in raising capital, navigating tax policy, the evolving role of AI, and more.
Vance Reavie is no stranger to entrepreneurship. Using his knowledge from previous ventures, he created an AI platform that intelligently automates manual marketing and merchandising workflows and content generation processes for brands and retailers. We sat down with Vance to discuss the startup ecosystem in Arkansas, AI policy and regulation, grant opportunities, and more.
Today in Lisbon, Portugal, a collection of European nations launched the European Startup Nations Alliance, a formal body to support the implementation of the Startup Nations Standard. The standards, originally announced in March, are eight best practices designed to accelerate startup growth on the European continent and “make the European Union the most attractive” place to launch and grow a startup.
The Big Story: Biden puts up key tech, telecom nominees. This week, President Biden announced several long-awaited nominations that, if confirmed, will serve key roles in setting technology and telecom policies that impact the startup ecosystem.
The Big Story: Policymakers turn attention to patent policy. Over the past weeks, there have been several indications policymakers across D.C. are thinking about the various roles patents play in innovation policy—both recognizing their potential to support innovators but also seeking to understand how low-quality patents hurt startups and small businesses.
The Big Story: New tax deal could impact global startup ecosystem. Officials from around the world are moving forward with a new tax deal that would shift current tax laws and stands to impact both large companies and startups. G20 Finance Ministers this Wednesday endorsed the agreement that 136 countries agreed on last week, which would tax businesses based on where their goods and services are consumed—a shift from taxation based on physical presence. The deal would also set a new global minimum tax of 15 percent.
The Big Story: Congress hears about startups’ need for clear data rules. Lawmakers have turned back to discussions of a federal privacy framework, including at a hearing this week on data security, which featured testimony from Engine focused on how startups need clarity and certainty around data security practices.
The Big Story: SHOP SAFE bill advances despite potential to harm e-commerce startups and small businesses. In a first vote this week, the House Judiciary Committee advanced the SHOP SAFE Act, a bill that would create substantial costs and risks for e-commerce startups—making it harder for them to compete—and erect new barriers for entrepreneurs and small businesses who want to sell goods online.
The Big Story: Congress hits roadblock on immigration reform
A potential pathway to citizenship for Dreamers—a group critical to the startup ecosystem—was derailed this week when the Senate Parliamentarian blocked Democrats’ efforts to include immigration reform in the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill. Many Dreamers are entrepreneurs, and, as a group, they employ over 86,000 individuals across the country. Legislators are now considering alternative proposals to ensure immigration provisions remain a priority.
In a series of State Policy Updates, we are exploring how state initiatives are impacting the innovation happening in startup ecosystems across the country. While much of Engine’s work centers on policy advocacy and education in the federal landscape, state-based policymakers impact startup formation and growth through their own work. We’re tracking what’s working for startups, what’s falling short, and what federal policymakers can learn from their state-level counterparts.
The America Invents Act (AIA), signed into law ten years ago today, was the most substantial update to the U.S. patent system in recent memory. Reflecting on the past ten years reveals the ways in which the AIA has supported startup success but also shows room for improvement.
The Big Story: Global governments complicate content moderation. This week, governments across the globe zeroed in on how companies treat user content online, with several countries advancing policies that would make content hosting and moderation more difficult for Internet companies and hinder free expression online.
The Big Story: Startups should watch as Congress works on reconciliation bill. The House this week moved ahead with two major legislative packages that will have varying impacts on the U.S. startup ecosystem. On Tuesday, the House voted to approve a budget resolution creating a path for Congress to write its $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill, which could include immigration, childcare, and tax provisions. It also set a deadline to vote on the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill in late September, which includes billions of dollars for broadband expansion.
The Big Story: Congressional Startup Day brings policymakers and innovators together. This week, members of Congress and startups across the country celebrated Congressional Startup Day, the annual bipartisan, bicameral celebration giving startups a chance to connect with the members of Congress who represent them and identify the ways in which policymakers can encourage innovation and entrepreneurship.
The Big Story: Senate passes infrastructure bill, but crypto problems remain. This week, the Senate approved the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which has several provisions aimed at making broadband more accessible and affordable across the country, increasing opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship. While those provisions are a big win for the startup ecosystem, the bill also contains a contentious provision that would create compliance burdens and data collection requirements on a large part of the cryptocurrency community.
The Big Story: Senate setting up broadband boost as part of infrastructure package. As the Senate moves toward passing the $1 trillion infrastructure bill, startups stand to gain from provisions in the bill that would increase reliable, accessible, and affordable broadband across the country. Although the bill has faced hurdles as it is being considered on the Senate floor—including significant pushback from the cryptocurrency community—the bill overall is a win for startups and Internet users.
Last week, Congress voted to advance the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill which promises to benefit startups by directing an unprecedented $65 billion for broadband development. This news comes at a time where many businesses are more dependent on Internet access than ever. Yet, there are still approximately 30 million Americans who lack broadband infrastructure that provides minimally acceptable speeds.
European policymakers concerned about the risks posed by human biases entering Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems introduced a draft proposal earlier this year that would govern AI within the European Union and American startups operating there. Eliminating bias in AI is necessary to protect human rights, and balanced regulation can provide the legal certainty required to foster socially-beneficial innovation. However, the proposed AI law misses this mark in its current form and instead discourages the uptake of AI in the EU and threatens the vitality of AI startups on both sides of the Atlantic.
As part of its sweeping, must-pass infrastructure bill, the Senate is debating a provision that would create compliance burdens and data collection requirements for members of the cryptocurrency ecosystem, including many startups.. While the language in the bill is meant to target tax evasion in cryptocurrency trading, if enacted, the provision could have broad, unintended consequences.
The Big Story: LIKE Act provides hope for startup visas
A new bill in Congress would create more opportunities for foreign-born innovators and strengthen our diverse startup ecosystem. This week, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), chair of the House Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship, introduced the Let Immigrants Kickstart Employment (LIKE) Act, legislation that would enable foreign-born innovators who meet certain investment benchmarks to embark on their entrepreneurial endeavors in the U.S., while also providing them with a pathway to permanent residency. A startup visa is more critical than ever, as other countries continue to attract founders through visas and investment in entrepreneurial infrastructure.
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