The Engine Team 8/7/26 The Engine Team 8/7/26

Startup News Digest 08/07/26

Senate committee advances bills that will require age verification

Mitchell Winter 8/7/26 Mitchell Winter 8/7/26

#StartupsEverywhere: New York, N.Y.

After an idea conceived and prototyped in business school went viral, founder and CEO Chris Lucas raised a $2 million pre-seed round for his company Secondsense, a platform that aggregates data across resale listings to determine the fair market value of commercial goods on the secondhand market. We sat down with Chris to talk about his company, the perception of algorithms versus their actual use, and more.

The Engine Team 7/31/26 The Engine Team 7/31/26

Startup News Digest 07/31/26

Consistent, predictable AI policy key to startup success

Nathan Lindfors 7/31/26 Nathan Lindfors 7/31/26

Predicable, consistent policy and open source key to startup competitiveness

Startups need to be able to know that the AI tools they invest their limited time and resources in as they build their companies will remain available as they scale.

Jade Smith 7/31/26 Jade Smith 7/31/26

#StartupsEverywhere: Los Angeles, Calif.

Offleash’d, a Los Angeles, CA area-based startup, is building a social ecosystem to bridge the gap between digital connection and physical community for pet parents. Since its launch in 2022, Offleash’d has rolled out its proprietary AI companion and added hyper-local features. We spoke with Terry James, CEO & Co-founder, about scaling responsible content moderation, introducing their AI agent “EVE,” the unique pet-parent demographic, and advocacy for policy changes to make pet parenthood more accessible.

The Engine Team 7/24/26 The Engine Team 7/24/26

Startup News Digest 07/24/26

Administration pieces trade authorities together to keep up tariffs

Jade Smith 7/24/26 Jade Smith 7/24/26

#StartupsEverywhere: New York, N.Y.

New York-based startup Barnwell Bio is modernizing disease analysis in the poultry industry without compromising the efficiency and biosecurity that farmers depend on. Their metagenomic sequencing platform—analyzing all DNA present in a sample—converts traditional reactive disease testing into a proactive health management system. We sat down with CEO and co-founder, Michael Rhys, to discuss his transition from COVID-19 wastewater tracking to animal agriculture, the role of AI in characterizing the microbiome, and his experience navigating federal grants and research funding.

The Engine Team 7/17/26 The Engine Team 7/17/26

Startup News Digest 07/17/26

Federal funding changes will harm innovation ecosystem

Jade Smith 7/17/26 Jade Smith 7/17/26

#StartupsEverywhere: Austin, Texas

Austin-based startup EcoPulse uses AI to help large manufacturers manage complex supply chain risks related to Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), or “forever chemicals,” and compliance. We sat down with founder and CEO Jenny Yu to learn about her fundraising journey, the role of AI in environmental safety, and the regulatory challenges manufacturers face.

Jade Smith 7/10/26 Jade Smith 7/10/26

#StartupsEverywhere: New York, NY.

New York City-based startup ALCOVE designs productivity pods to help professionals find privacy and focus in high-traffic settings, such as hotels. We sat down with CEO and founder Helen Knight to discuss the complexities of scaling and multi-state hiring, the challenges of founder parenthood, and the need for accessible grant funding for diverse entrepreneurs.

The Engine Team 7/10/26 The Engine Team 7/10/26

Startup News Digest 07/10/26

Congress, courts, states push ahead on age verification

Natalia Estela-Velez 7/1/26 Natalia Estela-Velez 7/1/26

As policymakers debate U.S. territories, they should consider potential for their startup ecosystems

As policymakers return to the question of how best to support U.S. territories and their lagging economies, they should include a focus on a critical but often under-recognized engine for economic development: the local startup ecosystems.

The Engine Team 6/26/26 The Engine Team 6/26/26

Startup News Digest 06/26/26

California tees up AI data disclosure bill, adding to the state patchwork

Jade Smith 6/26/26 Jade Smith 6/26/26

#StartupsEverywhere: Raleigh, N.C.

Scale Social, a Raleigh, North Carolina-based startup, helps brands capture authentic user-generated content (UGC) by integrating technology into mobile apps or activating via on-site quick response (QR) codes, building a centralized library of real customer moments with full marketing rights. We sat down with Founder and CEO Runbin Dong to discuss his journey from IBM Watson and a family dumpling business to founding an AI-native startup, the challenges posed by the H-1B visa system, and how the R&D tax credit and Qualified Small Business Stock (QSBS) exemption can shape a tech startup's journey.

Alexander Wall 6/25/26 Alexander Wall 6/25/26

As the state AI patchwork grows in 2026, chatbots, kids, and high-risk areas become the focus

As most state legislatures wrap up their work for the year, the focus on artificial intelligence across the country is unmistakable, creating new rules in several states for startups developing and deploying AI.

The Engine Team 6/12/26 The Engine Team 6/12/26

Startup News Digest 06/12/26

New report examines the necessary components of startup ecosystems

Alexander Wall 6/12/26 Alexander Wall 6/12/26

#StartupsEverywhere: New York, N.Y.

Based in New York, Brainify.AI is developing a brain data platform that combines portable Electroencephalography (EEG) hardware with AI to help create more effective treatments and diagnostics for neurological conditions. We sat down with Mariam Khayretdinova, founder and CEO, to discuss her experience navigating data privacy regulations, fundraising, and patents.