The Big Story: Removing barriers to entry for women entrepreneurs. Although the number of women-founded companies across the globe has doubled over the past decade—from 10 percent in 2009 to 20 percent in 2019—women entrepreneurs still face significant roadblocks when competing in the largely male-dominated technology sector. The gender disparity in the technology sector, driven in part by systemic sexism and responsibilities like child care and family caregiving, makes it more difficult for women entrepreneurs to break into the space with their own unique ideas and visions. Women represent just 11 percent of venture capital investment partners across the U.S., and women-led companies raise an average of 13 percent less in funding than their male counterparts. Women-led startups received only 2.8 percent of VC funding in 2019, while Black and Latino women founders combined to receive just 0.64 percent of total VC investments. That’s why it’s so critical for the startup community and policymakers to confront the challenges women entrepreneurs face and ensure that a diverse range of individuals are able to pursue entrepreneurship.

The Big Story: House passes legislation extending pathway to citizenship for Dreamers. House lawmakers voted yesterday to approve legislation that would give approximately 2.3 million Dreamers—undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as minors—certain protections from deportation and would provide a pathway to citizenship if they meet certain criteria. The bill’s passage is a critical step for millions of talented immigrants who help drive innovation and job creation across the tech sector.

The Big Story: PRO Act would limit startups’ access to independent contractors. House lawmakers this week passed legislation—known as the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act—that would, in part, change the definitions of employees and independent contractors. By expanding the definition of an employee, the bill would make it more difficult for startups and other small businesses to hire the outside contractors they need to launch and grow their companies.

The Big Story: Despite progress, barriers still stand in the way of Black founders. Although the U.S. startup ecosystem is increasingly vast and diverse, Black entrepreneurs across the country still face barriers to entry—such as a lack of equitable access—that make it more difficult for them to compete with their peers. And the pandemic has only exacerbated some of these disparities, with a report from the Center for Responsible Lending finding that approximately 95 percent of Black-owned firms stood almost no chance of receiving a first round Paycheck Protection Program loan from a traditional bank or credit union.