At Engine, we’ve spent the last 10 years talking to thousands of startups across the country about their successes and struggles and how policy can do a better job supporting their companies and their ecosystem.
The startup ecosystem—and the tech industry—isn’t a monolith; no two companies trek the same path, face the same obstacles, or are impacted the same way by ongoing policy debates. There are startups in every state and every congressional district. There are startups that have all kinds of business models and rely on all types of funding. There are startups that operate in every sector of U.S. industry. And all of them will be impacted by policymakers' decisions across a range of issues.
The startup perspective can be often overshadowed when policymakers turn to the work of legislating and regulating in the technology space. Instead, the focus tends to fall on the industry's largest companies. Writing rules in response to concerns about the behaviors of the largest players—without fully considering the consequences for their smaller, newer counterparts that lack longstanding relationships and immense resources—risks creating burdens that fall disproportionately on startups. If policymakers are interested in creating opportunities for innovation and boosting competition, they must ensure an open, level, and consistent playing field across the wide range of policy issues that impact the startup ecosystem.
Heading into 2022, several technology policy debates are already underway in Washington, D.C. As always, Engine aims to be a resource in those conversations, surfacing the startup perspective and highlighting the voices of startup founders who are running small businesses, creating jobs, and building new and innovative products and services. This agenda is a high-level overview of the issues we hear about from startups every day and a jumping off point for policymakers looking to support the technology industry's small businesses.
Read the full report here.
