New Democrat Coalition Members Visit Engine Advocacy

Engine hosted representatives Ron Kind of Wisconsin and John Carney of Delaware today in a roundtable on issues impacting startups. Carney, a recent addition to Congress in 2011, serves on the House Financial Services Committee while Kind, who has served since 1997, sits on the House Ways and Means Committee. These congressional bodies set budgetary, tax, and financial policy in the United States.

The congressmen are members of the New Democrat Coalition, a group of moderate democratic legislators. Engine discussed issues including patent, financial regulation, skilled immigration, education, and broadband and spectrum. The meeting brought together entrepreneurs from a variety of Bay Area startups as well as Engine’s steering committee members including Techdirt’s Mike Masnick, Marvin Ammori of The Ammori Group, and Luis Arbulu who serves as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The event underscored the need for Congress to address “no-brainer” policies that will boost small business, entrepreneurship, and startups. Engine is committed to continuing to connect entrepreneurs and policymakers on the issues that will shape the future of our economy.

We can make a difference

Rutul Davè is an entrepreneur with over ten years of experience in software and marketing. He immigrated to United States to pursue a master's degree in Computer Science, fell in love with the land of opportunity and innovation, and founded Bright Funds to connect donor capital to the most effective nonprofits in the world. @letsfixtheworld

As a kid growing up in India during the 1980s, there was one public service video on television that I vividly remember even today. It was a simple message on unity, and the video showed how by joining forces one can overcome any threat that is considerably bigger and stronger.

More than 20 years later, the significance of that message was again evident to me last week. On June 19th-20th, the Bright Funds team joined 17 other startups from all over America on a two-day event on Capitol Hill. Engine Advocacy, a group with the mission to create a platform for innovators and entrepreneurs to connect with government and policymakers, put together the event and invited Bright Funds to participate.

One message was loud and clear - startups can make a difference and have a say in the government and in policy decisions.

As someone who participated in the event with some skepticism, it took me some time to come to that realization. As entrepreneurs we are busy building businesses in the face of uncertainty, and as startups we feel we are too small to have any impact on government. But sitting in a room alongside smart, driven, like minded entrepreneurs and having a conversation with congressmen from both sides of the aisle, it became clear that when united, our voices will be heard. We are the engines of economic growth and job creation. When we ask questions, present our point of view, and tell our stories, we can influence policy decisions that make it easier to start and run businesses and build the future.

We’ve shown that we can come together to influence policy decisions, with the movement to prevent poorly drafted copyright bills SOPA and PIPA from passing earlier this year. The ground-up movement was an excellent example of the strength of the technology and startup community to unite and influence a policy that would have severely limited our freedom to innovate.

I realized that my voice counts. As someone who immigrated to United States, earned a masters, and am fortunate to be a part of the innovation happening in Silicon Valley, I have had the opportunity to participate in the impact that entrepreneurship, startups and high-skilled immigration has had on the economy.

I couldn't help but make the parallels in the approach used at Startup Day and the one we use at Bright Funds, a startup that I co-founded earlier this year. Through this service, we are connecting donor capital to the most effective nonprofits in the world. We are building a community that believes in uniting the support for the most effective nonprofits that are instrumental in solving the social challenges of our time. And the biggest weapons we have in our arsenal are the technologies enabling this effort, and the unity and focus of our actions. Social challenges like ensuring access to clean water for everyone, preserving the environment, and eliminating poverty look large and intimidating, but we can achieve these goals when we join forces and we unite. Besides the passion behind solving a problem for our customers, that inspiration alone was enough to build Bright Funds.

If you are a startup, join me at Engine Advocacy and let's make a difference.

Uber at Startup Day

Uber Technologies, a San Francisco based technology startup, is innovating at the intersection of mobile technology, transportation and logistics. Uber connects people who want a convenient and classy ride with professional sedan car drivers who are available to provide it. Uber allows users to dispatch, track, and pay for rides given by licensed for-hire vehicles in more than 12 cities, from their mobile phone. Our service works with iPhone, Android, via the web and with any SMS capable device.

What impact does Uber have on your community and on the country?

Uber is all about moving people around their cities more efficiently and in style. Uber’s technology makes it easier to live in neighborhoods poorly served by public transportation and taxis. It makes it easier to go to dinner or get to business meetings in hard to reach neighborhoods. Uber also means fewer cars on the road. For every Uber car we add to a city, we’re taking at least 6 cars off the road and out of parking garages. And while prices are more than a taxi, they are significantly less than traditional limousine companies.

We model how many cars need to be on the road, and where they need to be positioned to serve customers most efficiently. For example, the Nationals, events at the Kennedy Center and Fourth of July fireworks all drive significant demand in DC -- we are constantly collecting this information and communicating it out to drivers to ensure that the right number of drivers are in the right places at the right times. We’ve even gotten pretty good at knowing exactly what drop in demand we can expect when Congress is out of session!

Uber also provides a platform for sedan drivers to make an honest living. Before Uber, sedan drivers often worked for large limousine providers (or “hustled” for rides illegally) and their paycheck and schedule was at the mercy of dispatchers. Uber empowers drivers to work when they want and how they want. The increased earnings and predictability of earnings has allowed many drivers to add cars and hire drivers. For the first time their earning potential goes well beyond their hours on the road.

Do you feel that Uber is supported by government, local and federal?

Uber has definitely faced challenges from local regulatory authorities and local government officials in many cities we have entered. When it comes to transportation, cities have done business a certain way for decades, and that means resistance to change, even if that change is good for its citizens. Rather than see how Uber’s technology is improving transportation and life in the city, local regulators don’t take the time to learn about Uber. Many have tried to limit Uber because it doesn’t fit into existing regulatory frameworks or tried to categorize Uber as a taxi or limousine rather than a technology company.

Why are you attending startup day and why do you think it’s important for startups to have a voice in Washington?

Policymakers need to better understand an important engine of economic growth and job creation: entrepreneurs who have an idea, execute on it, and create new markets. Decisions made in Congress or in local governments can either make it easier to start new businesses and create jobs or harder. Uber has created thousands of middle class jobs across the country by empowering licensed drivers to start their own businesses; we have created a great customer experience, and are bringing tax revenue to local and federal governments. Since startups don’t always have resources for big lobbying firms, it’s important for policymakers to create opportunities like this event, to have startups tell their stories and hopefully help lawmakers think differently about the issues they face.

Have you in your business faced any particular challenges related to policy?

Definitely -- we have faced challenges right here in DC. One example is upon arrival in DC we found that the limousine licencing office had not accepted a new application in nearly four years. A moratorium on licences that was only supposed to last for two years had suddenly become nearly four. There was no public documentation on this decision and drivers have been given no information on when it will re-open.

Another example is the pressure we have faced from local regulators who originally declared Uber’s model illegal without having taken the time to understand us. Going forward, I hope that regulators and legislators remain focused on the best outcomes for the citizens of their city rather than on politics or lobbying interests.

Ultimately Uber is all about choice - our goal is to roll out an efficient and reliable transportation alternative to as many people and in as many cities as possible. We are committed to using our technology to empower entrepreneurs and continue to ensure that consumers have access to the best possible transportation service at the best possible prices.

AgLocal at Startup Day

Today marks the kickoff of Startup Day on the Hill, an event launched by Engine to bring 18 startups from across the country to meet with policymakers to demo their products and talk about issues confronting small businesses. We caught up with AgLocal, who is attending the event. AgLocal is a web based marketplace and buyer management platform specific to meat producing farms, meat buyer/distributors, and retailers. 

What impact does your business have on your community and on the country?

Rural job creation, future farm sustainability and viability via food supply innovation.

AgLocal's mission is to use the web as a tool to remove many of the barriers to the market for independent family farms, giving them higher margins and incentivizing sustainable and ethical practices. By doing this we will use the efficiency created to drive the market with new options for buyers large and small.

Cost easement, quality and transparency will hand power to the meat lovers!

Do you feel that your business is supported by government, local and federal?

I do! Many policy makers and administrators have been supportive of our mission, there is also a lot of education and sharing that must continue in order to continue the momentum gained.

Why are you attending startup day and why do you think it’s important for startups to have a voice in Washington?

Even before I founded AgLocal and from my time at the Kauffman Foundation, traveling to DC and in Silicon Valley, I've learned of the importance of startups to the

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unique foundation of American innovation and wealth creation. Now more than ever is a chance to set a road map for future innovation and wealth, because of what we know about innovation in America. A good portion of wealth is created during economic down cycles (See this Kauffman report, also see economist Joseph Schumpeter theory of Creative Destruction.

However, America faces unique challenges that it didn't face before, due to the digital and global nature of this new economy. Dialogue about policies regarding visa access, intellectual property, business taxation, investment incentive programs, and government small business loan programs, university internship to work programs is important.

What technology related policy issues concern you the most?

Net neutrality, university intellectual property pipelines, legislation like (SOPA/PIPA).

Have you in your business faced any particular challenges related to policy? Successes/challenges dealing with them?

No challenges come immediately to mind that have affected us, but we are a young company.

Entrepreneurs Head to DC for Startup Day

As we’ve continued to build Engine over the past few months, we’ve talked with many people from across America -- with founders, serial entrepreneurs, investors. Even more than talking, though, we’ve been listening. We’ve heard from a cross-section of the startup community, and as this community becomes more aware of the place we as innovators and entrepreneurs hold in the resurgence of the American economy, many have expressed an interest in broadcasting those stories of success more widely and using them to effect change.

But one question has also popped up right alongside: How do we do it?

This week, we’re taking another step forward in working to get those stories heard and helping to focus the efforts of those in power in support of our growing startup community.

Startup Day on the Hill will feature 18 of our nation’s many great tech startups, working directly with policymakers in an effort to to build vital relationships between entrepreneurs and Washington. There will be a demo session for Members of Congress and their staffers to educate them on how the products being developed in our community are disrupting industries and changing lives. We’ll also have a roundtable discussion for staff about the role startups play in the economy, a breakfast get-to-know you session and discussion on Startup Act, and focused meetings with individual startups.

There’s more information about the companies attending, as well as some of the Members who have come on board on our Startup Day page. And follow along this week, as we’ll have plenty of interesting stories about our member companies, what we’re up to and what we find along the way. We hope this will be the first of many events in which we can build relationships, bridge the divide, and further the conversation about just how meaningful the work of entrepreneurs is to the American economy.

Marvin Ammori: One of Fast Company’s Most Creative People

Marvin Ammori was just named number 32 on Fast Company’s “100 most creative people in business” for his stewardship of the takedown of SOPA and PIPA. We caught up with him to talk about SOPA, First Amendment in tech, and what it means to be a creative leader in a digital world.

So, you're on Fast Company's Creative Business list...?

Yes. It's great that Fast Company decided to feature the creativity of the anti-SOPA movement and it was obviously an honor to be chosen as the person to represent that creativity. There were millions of activists involved and perhaps hundreds of leaders in business, academia, entrepreneurship, cybersecurity, music, and civil liberties. 

The Internet itself is the world's greatest engine of creativity -- for speech, culture, and business. The anti-SOPA movement was organized much like the web itself, with loose networks and nodes through which lots of people could contribute their creative ideas, test them, and collaborate to make them a reality. Fast Company profiled me, but I was just one of many devoted people fighting the bills, so many of whom exhibited amazing creativity.

Tell us about what you did for the SOPA fight and why it was important.

To stop SOPA and PIPA from becoming law, you couldn't play the usual inside-the-Beltway DC game. You needed activists, organizers, lobbyists, lawyers, and a coalition of business, civil liberties groups, entrepreneurs, and just ordinary citizens who rely on the Internet. 

I am a First Amendment lawyer. What I could do was interpret the statute as confidently as any of the opposing lawyers, and to analyze the First Amendment implications and problems. I also have experience working on public campaigns for Internet policy issues. So, while the other side would explain what the law did inaccurately, I could provide the right analysis, explain it clearly and simply to allies, congressional staff, and the general public. I was not the only lawyer fighting to stop SOPA, and we all learned a lot collaborating with one another.

Beyond the lawyers, other people were experts in cybersecurity (Paul Vixie), or handled the lobbying (Public Knowledge among others) and public activism (Fight for the Future, Demand Progress, Electronic Frontier Foundation) and organized Silicon Valley entrepreneurs (Engine). They could all rely on my legal analysis, just as I could rely on their skills.

What other tech issues have first amendment implications?

Almost all of them. The Internet is our infrastructure for speech in the 21st Century. We need to ensure all Americans have access to high-speed, open Internet connections, wired and mobile, and that individuals (not Hollywood or the telcos) control how people can use those connections. So network neutrality, bandwidth caps, Internet-for-all initiatives. All of these will determine who can speak to whom in our society, with what tools, and whether they need permission, and from whom.

What’s next for you?

I am thinking through a project on the connection between policies that foster entrepreneurship and those that foster freedom generally (like freedom of speech). And I'm supposed to be writing a book. I will probably call Hamish Chandra, an Engine Advocacy advisor who is my creativity guru, to coach me on becoming as creative as the 32nd most creative person in business should always be.

http://ammorigroup.com/

@marvin_ammori

Engine Advocacy Turns Tech Nerds Into Political Experts

In case you missed it over the weekend, Alex Fitzpatrick at Mashable talks about Engine and tech advocacy’s future.

Read more at Mashable.

Mobile Commons Powers 200,000 Congressional Phone Calls

Using Mobile Commons’ technology, Tumblr, Reddit and Engine Advocacy enabled more than 200,000 visitors in a single day to launch calls to their Congressional representatives directly from their websites. Those were among the more than 500,000 calls launched through Mobile Commons during the anti-SOPA campaigns of the past month.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/559713#ixzz1kUk7ZTeT

9,788

9,788. That’s how many calls you’ve made against SOPA through our Click-to-Call tool. Can you find some friends to push us over 10,000 calls?

Stand with Tech Entrepreneurs; Call Congress now to Stop SOPA

Today, 17 Web luminaries sent a letter to Congress opposing SOPA - the Internet censoring, innovation killing copyright legislation.

Will you stand with them and call Congress now.

Please spread the word to friends too - SOPA is heading for a committee vote tomorrow, so time is of the essence. The founders' letter will run as print ads, full page in today's New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Washington Times, Roll Call, The Hill, Politico, and CQ. You will not be able to pick up a paper in the DC area (or, really, many other places) without reading this letter. There will also be an online ad on CNET, TechCrunch, Gigaom, and Mashable, and Politico already has a story up. The ads point to a call Congress alert run by Engine Advocacy: http://stopthewall.us/

Hi. We're Engine.

We’re very excited to see our plans for Engine come to fruition - creating a platform for communication between one of the fastest growing and valuable industries and the decision makers in government is something we are very passionate about. We're launching our full website today and we want the site to be a collaborative space to engage on issues of importance to the tech industry - like our opposition to the controversial anti-piracy bills SOPA and PIPA.

We want Engine to be a catalyst for positive change that will benefit our community as a whole. That means creating a dialogue where none currently exists, and through action, education, and collaboration, changing the landscape of the American economy. We want Engine to be the portal through which you can become active and engaged - by being plugged into a network of other interested individuals, by directing public policy through legislative action, and by driving growth in key sectors.