During the second week of August, more than 40 members of Congress met with over 100 entrepreneurs across the United States as part of Congressional Startup Day. This annual, bipartisan celebration of startups brings together founders and policymakers to discuss the challenges and successes of entrepreneurship in America. Although the COVID-19 outbreak forced many of the meetings this year to be held virtually, lawmakers still spent the week around Congressional Startup Day conversing with entrepreneurs in their states and districts about the policy needs of startups—particularly about the ways in which Congress can better support the country’s startup community amidst the pandemic.

Thanks to @JobShareToday, @realdriverDOC, @eventvesta and @HerHeadquarters for participating in our Congressional #StartUpDay2020 roundtable! You can watch the video at https://t.co/LlZtqK4WS3 pic.twitter.com/ax7SpRTKXJ
— Rep. Don Bacon (@RepDonBacon) August 12, 2020

Congressional Startup Day takes place every year during the August recess, when policymakers are at home in their districts and states. In order to foster more open discussions about the needs and concerns of startups, Engine coordinates meetings between House and Senate lawmakers and their entrepreneurial constituents as part of the nationwide celebration. Each year, the event is co-chaired by a bipartisan, bicameral set of policymakers who have focused on issues pertaining to startups and entrepreneurs while in Congress. Engine appreciates the contributions of this year’s congressional co-chairs, including Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.), and Reps. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) and French Hill (R-Ark.).

This year’s celebration included a broad representation of startups and entrepreneurs, ranging from co-working spaces and entrepreneurial support organizations to agtech- and cybersecurity-focused startups. Meetings took place all across the country, including in New York, Omaha, Houston, Spokane, and South Bend. In Alabama, Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.) held a virtual minority business roundtable with some of the state’s entrepreneurs to discuss ways of better supporting underrepresented founders.

Rep. Harley Rouda (D-Calif.) on a video call with entrepreneurs from the OC Startup Council.

Feedback from entrepreneurs and startups that met with their policymakers highlights the importance of direct engagement with members of Congress. In California, Democratic Rep. Harley Rouda held a meeting with entrepreneurs from the Orange County startup ecosystem to learn more about their innovative work and concerns. Scott Fox, the CEO of the OC Startup Council—which helped host the event—said Congressional Startup Day “was an excellent opportunity for our community to come together to communicate directly with our congressman.”

“Our members really appreciated the dialogue and the chance to share the business issues that are most important to their companies and our startup ecosystem,” Fox said. “This is the kind of non-partisan, information-sharing, and relationship-building that we need more of to help accelerate innovation and entrepreneurship in the United States.”

Happy to virtually meet with leaders at the @AR_Conductor for #CongressionalStartUpDay. They are helping build central Arkansas’s reputation as one of the top innovation hubs in the south and have been helping businesses overcome the challenges created by #COVID19. #FullSteamAR pic.twitter.com/mGSzygL2S1
— French Hill (@RepFrenchHill) August 12, 2020

Since entrepreneurs have the most intimate knowledge of the U.S. startup ecosystem, the goal of Congressional Startup Day is to allow the founders and startups themselves to advocate for pro-startup policies that will further strengthen the country’s hubs of innovation.

As Tiffany Henry—the Director of Entrepreneurial Communities at the Conductor in Conway, Arkansas—pointed out in a blog post following a Congressional Startup Day meeting with Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.), “for policymakers to know how to best serve entrepreneurs, they need to hear the stories, see the data, and understand what is happening in local communities.”

While this annual event takes place every August, Engine works year-round to foster conversations between startups and members of Congress. If you’re a startup looking to interact with your representatives, or a congressional office hoping to meet with entrepreneurs that you represent, please feel free to reach out to us at comms@engine.is.