join us on our mission to create a more inclusive startup ecosystem
When it comes to innovation, diversity is a crucial component of a thriving and vast ecosystem. But underrepresented founders are facing barriers—in accessing capital to fund their companies, gaining mentorship, and more—that stifle their ability to innovate. That’s why we’ve spent the last two years fostering advocacy conversations about creating an ecosystem where every entrepreneur—no matter where they live or what they look like—can thrive. Policymakers need to craft pro-innovative policies that support inclusivity and equity in the ecosystem. Read about those conversations and the policy recommendations in our report.
Check out What The Engine Team & startup Founders have been up to as part of Innovation For All.
An introduction to Innovation for All
Learn more about Engine’s two-year project working to spotlight ways policymakers can better support underrepresented founders.
What we heard: Women Startup Leaders’ Roundtable
Hear from the women startup leaders who participated in the first of a series of roundtables.
Want More Problem-Solving Solutions? Invest In Black Female Voices
Op-ed from Carolyn Pitt, Founder & CEO of Productions.com, in BLAC highlighting ideas shared during an Innovation for All Women Startup Leader Roundtable.
Letter for Congressional Hearing Record
From Tani Chambers, Founder & CEO of RAVN, on the need to expand the accredited investor definition.
What we heard: LGBTQ+ Startup Leaders’ Roundtable
Hear from the LGBTQ+ startup leaders who participated in our latest roundtable.
Letter for Congressional Hearing Record
From Carter Malloy, Founder & CEO of AcreTrader, on the challenges and state of rural entrepreneurship.
Letter to Members of Congress
From women startup founders urging Congress to permanently enhance the child tax credit.
What we heard: Black Startup Leaders’ Roundtable
Hear from the Black startup leaders who participated in our latest roundtable.
Advancing Tech Startups Act
From Engine discussing our Innovation for All project to provide a full understanding of the impact of startups on the U.S. economy and what the government is and is not doing to support the startup ecosystem.
Startup letter on modernizing H-1B
From startup founders and ecosystem members asking the Biden Administration to support startups by improving high-skilled immigration program.
What we heard: Rural Startup Leaders’ Roundtable
Hear from the Rural startup leaders who participated in our latest roundtable.
Broadband, the ACP, and an equitable startup ecosystem
Startups, their founders, and their users can come from anywhere across the country. But the digital divide — or a lack of accessible and affordable broadband in some places and some communities — means many are unfairly shut out of the startup ecosystem, hurting those people, their communities, and U.S. innovation overall.
With support for Black founders under attack, policymakers must step up to ensure innovation is for all
Innovation can and should be accessible to all.
Supporting mothers is supporting entrepreneurship
The problem of inaccessible and unaffordable child care only increases that disparate access to the startup ecosystem for women, and it’s about to get a lot worse.
Letter for Congressional Hearing Record
From Renee King, Founder & CEO of Fund Black Founders, on Discrimination in Financial Services.
Letter for Congressional Hearing Record
From Lee Lance, Founder & CEO of Ecobot, on Capital & Broadband Accessibility for Regional Innovators.
What we heard: Immigrant Startup Leaders’ Roundtable
Hear from the immigrant startup leaders who participated in our latest roundtable.
Creating Spaces for Women Entrepreneurs in NC
Op-ed from Lauren Marturano, Founder & CEO of Zinnia, in Women AdvaNCe discussing policies to benefit women entrepreneurs.
Letter for Congressional Hearing Record
From Aditya Vishwanath, Co-Founder and CEO of Inspirit, on increasing K-12 STEM program representation with high-speed connectivity.
Entrepreneurship is for everyone. Investing in entrepreneurs should be, too.
Op-ed from Tani Chambers, Founder & CEO of RAVN, in Technical.ly DC on how policymakers can expand access to capital.
Letter for Congressional Hearing Record
From Kathryn Rose, Founder & CEO of wiseHer, on the importance of supporting women entrepreneurs and startup founders.
Inclusive Trade Comments
From Engine urging the USTR to advance more inclusive, worker-centered trade policy.
Want to expand the economy and boost women in startups? Expand the child tax credit.
Op-ed from Liz Tenety, Co-Founder of Motherly, and Kate Tummarello on the importance of expanding the child tax credit.
Black women entrepreneurs need support, not attacks.
Op-ed from Sonja Ebron, Founder & CEO of Courtroom5, in The Charlotte Post on the current leagal challenges against programs and resources for underrepresented entrepreneurs.
What the ecosystem needs to ensure Innovation for All
The U.S. startup ecosystem is built on the foundation that entrepreneurship is for anybody with an idea — but in practice, systemic inequities and socio-economic factors hold back many founders and would-be founders.
What we heard: Startup Leaders’ of Color Roundtable
Hear from the startup leaders of color who participated in our latest roundtable.
Invest in women to ignite innovation
To be clear, this is not a plea for help. This is a call to invest in our country’s future.
