#StartupsEverywhere
Mitchell Winter
#StartupsEverywhere: Driftwood, Texas

Fertility is a critical concern for both humans and the animals we share our world with. Whether addressing the rising rates of human infertility, finding ways to feed the global population more efficiently, or working to save endangered species, Dr. Cara Wells is tackling it all. Through her company, EMGenisys, Dr. Wells is advancing the science of embryonics for the 21st century. We sat down with her to discuss her product, patents, and access to capital.

#StartupsEverywhere: Driftwood, Texas
Filings, Statements & Releases, Tax & Finance
The Engine Team
Engine Statement regarding Small Business ...

Engine Statement regarding Small Business Investment Act of 2025

Engine Statement regarding Small Business Investment Act of 2025
#StartupsEverywhere
Emma Peters
#StartupsEverywhere: Durham, N.C.

With a background in economic development and a startup itch, Lauren McCullough co-founded Tromml, helping the automotive industry understand sales dates. We sat down with her to discuss her company, the role of open source in AI, navigating intellectual property rights, and more.

#StartupsEverywhere: Durham, N.C.
#StartupsEverywhere
Emma Peters
#StartupsEverywhere: Covington, Ky.

Founded in 2022, Flamel.ai helps multi-location and franchise brands stay true to their brand guide while delivering content at scale. With a background in venture capital, co-founder Paul Ehlinger is a seasoned expert on issues facing startups today. We sat with Paul to discuss AI, open source, and more.

#StartupsEverywhere: Covington, Ky.
#StartupsEverywhere
Mitchell Winter
#StartupsEverywhere: Berkeley, Calif.

Navigating the fine print of commerce as a consumer is, at best, tedious and obscure. Kamal Nahas, co-founder and CEO of pap!, is using AI to cut through the tangled web of laws and policies and get consumers money back on their purchases. We sat down with him to discuss his company, the privacy policy landscape, and the American visa process.

#StartupsEverywhere: Berkeley, Calif.
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Startup News Digest 10/16/20

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Startup News Digest 10/16/20

The Big Story: Spotlight on content moderation ahead of election. With the presidential election weeks away, and Americans increasingly relying on Internet services amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, digital platforms are working overtime to identify and moderate user-generated content that could cause real-world problems. But policymakers are turning up the heat on the already difficult and contentious issue of content moderation, with platforms’ efforts to combat the spread of conspiracy theories and misinformation leading to partisan pushback and claims of supposed censorship.

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Startups Need Lawmakers to Find a Roadmap for Recovery

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Startups Need Lawmakers to Find a Roadmap for Recovery

TLDR: U.S. startups are in need of further economic relief to support their business operations amid the coronavirus pandemic. In a recent survey conducted by Engine, a majority of respondents who received federal assistance said the financial support they obtained was insufficient, and entrepreneurs voiced support for a variety of more-targeted policy proposals—such as equity investments, forgivable loans, a startup fund, tax credits, and grants—that could help provide them with the assistance they need during this difficult time.

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Startup News Digest 10/09/20

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Startup News Digest 10/09/20

The Big Story: House antitrust report suggests sweeping changes to tech landscape. After spending the past 16 months investigating allegations of anti-competitive practices by Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google, the House Judiciary Committee’s Democratic leadership this week released a 449 page report proposing that lawmakers overhaul existing U.S. antitrust laws, including limiting large tech firms’ ability to acquire startups. While policymakers proposed taking a variety of steps to address claims of market dominance and abuse—such as breaking up the largest firms and providing more regulatory authority and resources to federal agencies overseeing the tech industry—lawmakers must remain vigilant that their overall recommendations do not harm competition by hindering startup growth and innovation.

#StartupsEverywhere: Miami, Fla.

#StartupsEverywhere: Miami, Fla.

Miami-based startup CitiQuants uses “decisional data” on cities’ livability, workability, sustainability, and governability assets to help other startups and established businesses make important hiring and expansion decisions. The focus on city-level data has also pushed the company to start developing tokenized city stocks that can be used to generate public investments in local communities. We spoke with Philip Peters, CitiQuants’ Founder and CEO, to learn more about his startup, his PEV Token concept, and steps that policymakers can take to support growing startups—particularly those affected by the pandemic.

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Supreme Court Case on Interoperability Will Have Significant Ramifications for Startups

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Supreme Court Case on Interoperability Will Have Significant Ramifications for Startups

TLDR: The U.S. Supreme Court will hear argument this week in the almost decade-long dispute between Google and Oracle over the permissible use of software interfaces—known as application programming interfaces (APIs). Startups and developers rely on APIs as a fundamental tool for developing new software and enabling interoperability. Oracle is asking the Court to upset a long-held understanding that APIs cannot be subject to copyright infringement claims. And a ruling in Oracle’s favor would expose U.S. startups and software developers to sizable new risks, generate more litigation, and increase barriers to startup growth and innovation.

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Startup News Digest 10/02/20

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Startup News Digest 10/02/20

The Big Story: Congress must keep startups in mind while reviewing the DMCA. The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing this week about § 512 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”)—a critical area of the law for startups which provides a balanced and certain framework for addressing allegations of online copyright infringement. As we have explained, if Congress were to consider any revisions, it is essential they carefully weigh how important § 512 is to startups. While much of the Committee’s hearing ignored those needs, there were indications some lawmakers and witnesses are still mindful of startups and the users and Internet-enabled creators who rely on them.

#StartupsEverywhere: Owings Mills, Md.

#StartupsEverywhere: Owings Mills, Md.

Dr. Edouard Siregar, a former researcher with NASA, founded Sofia Labs as a way of using human-centered artificial intelligence to help users lighten their workloads and finish complex projects. We recently spoke with Dr. Siregar to learn more about his company’s product, what policymakers should do to support startups affected by the pandemic, and how the government can best advance emerging technologies.

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As Congress Politicizes Section 230, Startup Concerns Get Left Out

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As Congress Politicizes Section 230, Startup Concerns Get Left Out

TLDR: Many members of Congress are calling for changes to Section 230—a bedrock Internet law that allows Internet platforms to host and moderate user content without having to worry about ruinous lawsuits. But Democrats and Republicans see very different problems with Section 230 and Internet platforms' content moderation practices, and most policymakers’ criticisms focus exclusively on a handful of large companies while ignoring the outsized impact that changes to Section 230 would have on startups.

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Digital Services Taxes Will Increase Costs for Startups and Users

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Digital Services Taxes Will Increase Costs for Startups and Users

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to cripple economic growth across the globe, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) and policymakers need to be prepared for trading partners seeking to recoup lost revenues through new international taxation measures. Specifically, more nations are considering implementing or have implemented digital services tax (DST) frameworks that would largely discriminatorily target U.S. tech companies to help cover budgetary shortfalls.

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Startup News Digest 09/25/20

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Startup News Digest 09/25/20

The Big Story: Reflecting on the life and career of Justice Ginsburg. Over the past week, extraordinary attention has rightfully been paid to the life and legacy of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the future of the Court she leaves behind. While Justice Ginsburg’s contributions—and celebrity status—are often couched in terms of her being a bulwark for certain liberal values, her legacy and contributions are not so limited and the reach of her work is woven into the fabric of the country. Indeed, it is apparent her contributions benefited U.S. startups, and her absence on the Supreme Court may soon be felt by the startup community.

#StartupsEverywhere: Gaithersburg, Md.

#StartupsEverywhere: Gaithersburg, Md.

Postagraph is a recently launched social messaging app that works to connect verified users with their family and friends in a private environment. By focusing on creating a digital community free of filtered falsehoods, Pelumi Olatinpo—Postagraph’s CEO—is working to create an authentic user experience for those tired of the digital noise and lack of privacy on other social media and messaging platforms. We recently spoke with Olatinpo to learn more about Postagraph, his thoughts on social networking platforms, and steps that lawmakers should take to support the startup community and underrepresented founders.

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Senate Considering Flawed Copyright, Section 230 Bill That Would Hurt Startups and Their Users

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Senate Considering Flawed Copyright, Section 230 Bill That Would Hurt Startups and Their Users

This year has been difficult for every individual and company in the country. During a global pandemic, which has caused widespread economic damage and uncertainty, startups are struggling—struggling to find funding, struggling to navigate existing government relief programs, and struggling to maintain jobs and operations (let alone sustain growth). And across the country, people are looking to Washington for support and guidance.

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Startups Need Balanced Copyright Provisions in the U.S.-U.K. Trade Agreement

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Startups Need Balanced Copyright Provisions in the U.S.-U.K. Trade Agreement

As negotiations continue on a trade deal between the United States and the United Kingdom, it is crucial that policymakers push for balanced and commonsense intellectual property frameworks around the world so that startups can grow globally. This July, the U.S. and the U.K. entered the third round of negotiations on an expected trade agreement, following the U.K.’s withdrawal from the European Union earlier this year. While a number of topics are on the table, including critical digital trade provisions, the intellectual property provisions will prove essential to U.S. startups.

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Amid Shifting Legal Landscape, Startups Need Congress to Act on Privacy

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Amid Shifting Legal Landscape, Startups Need Congress to Act on Privacy

TLDR: While the European Union has moved in recent years to take the lead on enforcing global privacy standards, Congress has let states like California largely dictate the country’s privacy laws as a result of federal inaction on a national data privacy framework. As lawmakers prepare to discuss the importance of crafting comprehensive privacy legislation this week, it’s critical they pursue a framework that balances strong consumer privacy protections with much-needed clarity for startups and entrepreneurs.

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Startup News Digest 09/18/20

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Startup News Digest 09/18/20

The Big Story: Acquisitions, content moderation become focus of antitrust hearing. A Senate antitrust panel held a hearing this week to examine the impact of Google’s online advertising market on competition, but in what is becoming a routine occurrence, policymakers shifted their focus to other areas, spending considerable time airing unrelated and unsupported claims about Google’s supposed anti-conservative bias and the alleged harms of acquisitions.

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To Support Tech Companies, U.S. Should Embrace High-Skilled Workers

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To Support Tech Companies, U.S. Should Embrace High-Skilled Workers

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has brought change to every facet of life and government. While Congress’ focus has largely been on providing direct relief for workers and business owners struggling with the financial impact of the outbreak, recent actions taken by the Trump administration on immigration issues stand to impact the talent needs of American businesses.

#StartupsEverywhere: El Paso, Texas

#StartupsEverywhere: El Paso, Texas

Based in El Paso, Pioneers 21 is a nonprofit incubator working to unleash the creative and economic potential of the U.S.-Mexico border by supporting startups and small businesses. We recently spoke with Pioneers 21’s Executive Director, Carlos Martínez-Vela, to learn more about the organization’s work supporting local entrepreneurs, the El Paso startup ecosystem, and the importance of attracting talented workers.

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Engine Submits Comments To USTR on China’s Compliance With WTO Commitments

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Engine Submits Comments To USTR on China’s Compliance With WTO Commitments

On both the domestic and global scale, startups need balanced, certain IP frameworks and policies which allow the free flow of data in order to grow and succeed. While efforts currently underway in China signal some potential progress on those fronts, there are indications that China’s evolving policy landscape may continue to present impediments to startups hoping to grow across the world.

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Startup News Digest 09/11/20

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Startup News Digest 09/11/20

The Big Story: The importance of balanced copyright rules for startups. Startups need balanced, commonsense copyright rules in order to effectively operate at home and abroad. And several ongoing, international discussions about copyright policy are putting this issue in the spotlight. Especially given the outsized role startups play in innovation and economic growth, it is critical to ensure that the startup voice is heard when it comes to crafting policies dictating whether and when platforms can be liable when their users are accused of copyright infringement.

 

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