When policymakers think about changing the rules for how companies host and moderate user content, they focus on three or four large Internet companies. But we know from talking to startups across the country every day that all kinds of companies host user content online. They may not be the companies that are top of mind when policymakers write rules, but they’re the companies least equipped to deal with compliance and litigation costs designed with the large industry players in mind.
We made a video game to show the highs and lows of the startup experience
The startup ecosystem is incredibly broad and diverse, with startup founders launching small businesses with different business models, in different industries, and in cities and towns across the country. But one thing that startup founders from across the spectrum share the knowledge of how difficult it is to run a startup. Founders are often faced with hard choices about how to invest their already limited time and resources against a policy backdrop—which impacts business decisions, investment opportunities, compliance requirements, and more—that can change on a dime and is often written without startups in mind.
Ten Times Startups Spoke Out on Policy in the Last 10 Years
The startup ecosystem is not a monolith. Startup founders, investors, and support organizations all have different missions, priorities, and business models, and none of them have the time or resources to spend following policymakers’ every move. But when startups join together to speak with one voice, policymakers listen. As Engine turns 10, we’re celebrating a decade of work to #StandWithStartups and how we’ve raised the startup perspective for policymakers in D.C. Here are the 10 biggest ways that startups have influenced policy conversations in the last 10 years.
Engine@10: A Decade of Pro-Startup Policy Work
The tech ecosystem looks a lot different than it did when Engine launched 10 years ago. There has been an explosion of innovation, entrepreneurship, and startup growth across the country. Throughout 2022, we’ll be celebrating the milestone of our 10th anniversary by highlighting the biggest wins we achieved with the startup ecosystem and inviting our network to support our efforts through our Engine@10 initiative.