#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: Berkley, 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: Berkley, Calif.
Research, Statements & Releases
The Engine Team
Engine releases 2025 Startup Agenda

Engine released the 2025 Startup Policy Agenda showcasing how smart, thoughtful policy facilitates and encourages startup activity, leading to more innovation and more economic and job growth. The Agenda gives those working on policy an overview of the issues that are currently impacting—and the debates that stand to impact—startups. 

Engine releases 2025 Startup Agenda
Research, Statements & Releases
The Engine Team
Engine releases Startup Policy Playbook for 2025

Engine released the 2025 Startup Policy Playbook to give members of the startup ecosystem—founders, employees, investors, and support organizations—an overview of the policy conversations happening this year and how they can get involved in amplifying the startup voice. There’s lots to do, and lots to do better, and this playbook highlights why shaping innovation-friendly policies matters to startups.

Engine releases Startup Policy Playbook for 2025
#StartupsEverywhere
Emma Peters
#StartupsEverywhere: Davis, Calif.

After a career in corporate finance, Shweta Gandhi transitioned into the education sphere after recognizing the impact of data-driven solutions in addressing educational disparities. With experience in both nonprofit work and EdTech, she founded Strived.io, a program using AI to transform how schools utilize data for personalized learning. We spoke with Shweta about her journey, the future of AI in education, and more. 

#StartupsEverywhere: Davis, Calif.

#StartupsEverywhere: New York, NY.

#StartupsEverywhere: New York, NY.

After many encounters with financial advisors who failed to understand her on a cultural and personal level, Tani Chambers wanted to create a judgment-free space for Black women to achieve their wealth goals. As Founder and CEO of RAVN, a wealth-planning platform that matches women with finance professionals and peer accountability groups based on their values and goals, she’s done just that. We spoke with Tani about her background, how RAVN operates within state-based privacy frameworks, and how policymakers can step in to make capital access more equitable for startups.

Creators defend key Internet law to the Supreme Court

Creators defend key Internet law to the Supreme Court

Internet creators, storytellers, educators, authors, artists, and more joined together in defense of a foundational Internet law currently being challenged in front of the Supreme Court. Through its Digital Entrepreneur Project, Engine helped organize a first-of-its-kind brief filed with the court today, arguing that Section 230 has helped make it possible for anyone, anywhere in the world to launch and grow a business and build an audience online.

Statement on Engine filing Section 230 briefs with Supreme Court

Statement on Engine filing Section 230 briefs with Supreme Court

"Section 230 has led to so much of the creativity and innovation on the Internet today. While it's easy to focus on how the law impacts large companies, every startup that hosts user content and every creator and digital entrepreneur that uses the Internet to share content and build an audience needs Section 230. Their perspectives should be front and center for policymakers and the court as it considers this case."

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Startup News Digest 01/13/23

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Startup News Digest 01/13/23

The Big Story: President Biden’s new tech priorities, and their impact on startups. President Joe Biden outlined a series of proposed changes to tech policy, including several likely to impact startups. In an op-ed this week, the president highlighted common ground with Republicans about perceived issues wrought by large tech companies, but each of the issues—data privacy, intermediary liability, and competition—also directly impact startups. As the president and Congress chart a path forward, it’s important they recognize how legislative decisions impact smaller businesses and startups when considering tech policy.

#StartupsEverywhere: San Francisco, Calif.

#StartupsEverywhere: San Francisco, Calif.

Throughout his time working with environmental, social, and governance data in the finance industry, George Lee knew there had to be a better way to manage and analyze the data than manual entry spreadsheets. Now he’s the Founder & CEO of Hydrus.ai—a startup working to tackle that challenge. We spoke with George to learn more about the Hydrus platform, his experience working with internationally-based employees and clients, and what policymakers should keep front of mind while thinking about developing technologies.

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Startup News Digest 01/06/23

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Startup News Digest 01/06/23

The Big Story: Congress off to rocky start while 2023 startup policy to-do list grows. The 118th Congress is off to a rough start this week as the House remains unable to move forward until they elect a Speaker, which doesn’t bode well for the long and growing list of startup priorities that Congress should act on this year. Those priorities, including key startup issues, like access to talent, broadband availability, and data privacy, must move through a Congress that appears as fraught as ever. 

#StartupsEverywhere: San Francisco, Calif.

#StartupsEverywhere: San Francisco, Calif.

Premier pet tech industry leader Petcube keeps owners connected to their pets by providing  cameras that offer real-time video monitoring and other interactive features. We spoke to Co-Founder Andrey Klen on the impact of being a Ukrainian-founded company, their experience fighting abusive patent assertions, and how they’ve navigated various privacy rules, both in the U.S. and abroad.

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Startup News Digest 12/16/22

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Startup News Digest 12/16/22

The Big Story: Independent contractor proposed rule risks startup growth. More than two dozen startups and ecosystem support organizations are warning policymakers about a proposed change that would impact access to flexible talent. In comments this week to the Department of Labor (DOL), Engine and 28 members of the startup ecosystem spotlighted the important role independent contractors play in the startup ecosystem and the likely negative impact on innovation if startups’ ability to hire contract labor is restricted. 

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Startup News Digest 12/09/22

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Startup News Digest 12/09/22

The Big Story: Digital Services Taxes passed on to end users, including startups. Efforts to implement a global tax deal that would help avoid sector-specific taxes on digital services ran into additional roadblocks this week. The development follows new government reports confirming that the digital services taxes (DSTs)—which are often imposed upon large technology companies—are actually paid by their end users. As a result, startups, who often build their companies with services from other large tech firms, can face increased costs to building and growing their businesses.

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Startup News Digest 12/02/22

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Startup News Digest 12/02/22

The Big Story: Time is running out for Congress to save imperiled immigration program. As the end of the year quickly approaches—and with it, the end of this session of Congress—the future of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA) remains uncertain. DACA recipients play a key role in the startup ecosystem as entrepreneurs and STEM talent. Without Congressional action, the future of the program will likely end up in the hands of the Supreme Court, which could invalidate the program. Senate Democrats are pushing to provide permanent status for Dreamers before that happens.

#StartupsEverywhere: Los Angeles, Calif.

#StartupsEverywhere: Los Angeles, Calif.

After building her own medical practice, Dr. Renee Dua has relied on that experience to found and grow two innovative tech startups in the healthcare space. The company she currently leads, Renee, as Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer, provides members with a generic medication subscription service as well as an automated health assistant to support the care of elderly or sick individuals. We spoke with Renee about the important healthcare access benefits of her caregiving platform, the lessons she has learned about navigating the fundraising ecosystem as a two-time company founder, and why companies, as well as policymakers, need to be thoughtful in how they approach automated systems.

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Startup News Digest 11/18/22

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Startup News Digest 11/18/22

The Big Story: Online sales tax back in the spotlight with watchdog report. A government agency is recommending that Congress address the patchwork of state laws that govern online sales taxes, an issue that has burdened e-commerce businesses, including many startups. In a new report this week, the Government Accountability Office examined the “substantial uncertainty” and complexity of the current remote sales tax landscape and recommended that Congress work with states to streamline requirements and minimize the burdens currently imposed on businesses across the country.

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Startup News Digest 11/04/22

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Startup News Digest 11/04/22

The Big Story: Affirmative Action cases will impact innovation ecosystem. This week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard two cases that could upend race-conscious admissions policies used by many universities and alter the pipeline for STEM talent in the innovation ecosystem. Eliminating the ability to consider race in college admissions would have an outsized impact on on-campus diversity, the racial and ethnic diversity of many employers hiring college-educated talent throughout the country, and the makeup of the startup ecosystem and the breadth of innovation it produces.

#StartupsEverywhere: Miami, Fla.

#StartupsEverywhere: Miami, Fla.

People Clerk’s innovative legal technology platform works to create a more accessible legal system and helps users of different social, economic, and cultural backgrounds navigate the bureaucracy of small claims courts. Co-Founder Camila Lopez spoke with us about why she decided to start People Clerk, the challenges that arise when complying with state patchwork privacy laws, and the unique challenges founders face when building a legal tech company.

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Startup News Digest 10/28/22

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Startup News Digest 10/28/22

The Big Story: Engine releases report on the role of acquisitions in the startup ecosystem. Engine, in partnership with Startup Genome, released a new report this week examining the role exits play in the startup ecosystem, highlighting the importance of exits via acquisition, and emphasizing the experience of founders that have had their companies acquired. The report—“Exits, Investment, and the Startup Experience: the role of acquisitions in the startup ecosystem”—should equip policymakers with a solid foundation from which they can advance pro-innovative policies that startups need to thrive.

#StartupsEverywhere: New York, N.Y.

#StartupsEverywhere: New York, N.Y.

Noula Health is a data-driven virtual care platform offering personalized, accessible health care through at-home hormone testing and 1-on-1 coaching from experts. Noula helps its customers craft reproductive health care plans tailored to their individual needs with science-backed recommendations determined from a quick finger prick test and ongoing assessments. Founder & CEO Noelle Acosta, motivated by her own health care journey, shared with us her story, her unique experiences raising capital, and the future outlook of her company.

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Engine Releases Report on the Role of Acquisitions in the Startup Ecosystem

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Engine Releases Report on the Role of Acquisitions in the Startup Ecosystem

The U.S. startup ecosystem is defined by dynamism. Startups are constantly being founded, earning investment, growing, exiting, and—yes—failing in cities and towns all across the country. Startup exits and investment are two intimately related and important drivers of this dynamism critical to economic growth and innovation in the startup ecosystem. Startup exits—both those that are profitable and those that are not—promote the building of knowledge, recycling of talent, and flow of capital through the ecosystem. Each of those components are key to building new startups and stimulating the investment needed to grow them to scale.

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Startup News Digest 10/21/22

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Startup News Digest 10/21/22

The Big Story: Judge strikes down Maryland tax on digital advertising. A Maryland judge struck down the U.S.’ first tax on digital advertising, which faced vocal challenges including from technology companies and would have resulted in taxed companies passing down its cost to customers, including startups. In a ruling on Monday, the court found the tax, implemented by Maryland lawmakers to raise revenue, unconstitutional and a violation of the Internet Tax Freedom Act.

#StartupsEverywhere: Brooklyn, N.Y.

#StartupsEverywhere: Brooklyn, N.Y.

Carefully is a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based platform enabling parents to collectively share the responsibilities of childcare. We spoke to the Founder & CEO Leslie Borrell about how working as a single-mom inspired the creation of Carefully, why policymakers should prioritize solving the childcare crisis, and how founder support programs were critical to helping her build a startup.

 

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