#StartupsEverywhere
Mitchell Winter
#StartupsEverywhere: Lincoln, Neb.

Timing the sowing and watering of crops is as important as ever in agriculture. Jessi Korinek and her co-founders at Nave Analytics are developing a software that uses satellite data to help farmers cut down on water costs for irrigation. We sat down with Jessi to discuss her product, the impact of tariffs on the agricultural industry, and the challenges she faced in receiving federal research and development (R&D) grants.

#StartupsEverywhere: Lincoln, Neb.
@Engine, Weekly Digest, Digest, Access to Capital, Tax & Trade, Issues, IP, Privacy & Data Security, Telecom, Tax & Finance, Talent
The Engine Team
Startup News Digest 04/18/25

Startup ecosystem feels the effects of DOGE cuts

Startup News Digest 04/18/25
Blog, IP
Jill Crosby
Sacrificing Patent Quality for the Sake of ...

The Trump administration’s push for “efficiency” is undercutting key programs and tools that maintain balanced intellectual property frameworks that protect startups against low-quality patents and meritless, but expensive and time consuming, litigation.

Sacrificing Patent Quality for the Sake of “Efficiency”
Blog, Issues, Access to Capital
Jennifer Weinhart
The SBIR program is up for reauthorization ...

With a looming reauthorization deadline later this year, Congress has a chance to renew and improve a government funding program that can be critical to startups engaging in costly R&D.

The SBIR program is up for reauthorization again. It’s time for Congress to implement meaningful reform.
Blog, Privacy & Data Security, Issues
Kate Tummarello
Lawmakers are feeling the heat on kids’ safety, ...

Lawmakers in Congress and in state legislatures are under pressure from parents and advocacy groups to change Internet law to “keep kids safe online”.

Lawmakers are feeling the heat on kids’ safety, but are they willing to grapple with the tradeoffs?

Talent

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Startup News Digest 04/28/23

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Startup News Digest 04/28/23

The Big Story: Over 65 startups call for uniform federal privacy law. This week, startups are calling on Congress to pass a federal privacy law that takes the startup ecosystem into account. A coalition of startups and support organizations across 26 states sent a letter to Congress urging lawmakers to pass a law that creates uniformity, promotes clarity, limits bad faith litigation, accounts for the resources of startups, and recognizes the interconnectedness of the startup ecosystem. The letter comes as states continue to enact their own unique data privacy laws, and as a Congressional committee explored the problems posed by a sectoral federal privacy landscape in a hearing this week. 

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Startup News Digest 04/21/23

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Startup News Digest 04/21/23

The Big Story: Non-compete ban would boost the startup ecosystem. Policymakers received thousands of comments this week as a key agency considers a change that would make it easier for people to leave their jobs, including to found and join early stage startups. In conjunction with the Juelsgaard Intellectual Property and Innovation Clinic, Engine submitted comments this week to the Federal Trade Commission urging the agency to move forward with a proposed rule change that would ban most non-compete agreements, which are post-employment contracts that bar workers from taking up jobs with competitors for a prescribed period of time.

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Engine submits comments to FTC on proposed non-compete ban

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Engine is a non-profit technology policy, research, and advocacy organization that bridges the gap between policymakers and startups. Engine works with government and a community of thousands of high-technology, growth-oriented startups across the nation to support the development of technology entrepreneurship through economic research, policy analysis, and advocacy on local and national issues. Engine appreciates the opportunity to submit this response to the Federal Trade Commission’s request for comment on the Commission’s notice of proposed rulemaking banning most non-compete clauses in employment contracts.

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Startup News Digest 04/14/23

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Startup News Digest 04/14/23

The Big Story: Policymakers set their sights on artificial intelligence. This week saw a frenzy of activity from policymakers around the globe looking to regulate artificial intelligence technologies, which startups are increasingly leveraging in their products. In the U.S., federal agencies recently kicked off processes to examine AI and intellectual property as well as AI accountability, while Congress is exploring legislation. Abroad, policymakers have used existing regulations to ban certain AI tools and are looking to adapt their proposed AI rules.  

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Startup News Digest 03/17/23

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Startup News Digest 03/17/23

The Big Story: SVB fallout puts startup banking needs in the spotlight. In the wake of last week’s collapse of a key startup-facing bank, many in the startup ecosystem are concerned about the banking options and funding landscape for startups across the country.  Last week, California regulators and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) shuttered and placed into receivership Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), a mainstay bank for the global startup ecosystem. At the same time, startups scrambled to move funds and were unsure if they’d have the capital to pay their employees this week.

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Startup News Digest 02/10/23

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Startup News Digest 02/10/23

The Big Story: Hearings cast spotlight on capital access obstacles. Lawmakers heard from entrepreneurs and investors this week as they examined key issues impacting startups’ ability to access capital. The House Financial Services subcommittee held two hearings covering multiple legislative proposals, including efforts to expand the pool of accredited investors and changes to the structure of certain investment funds. Those changes, if enacted, would bring much needed diversity to the startup ecosystem’s investor pool and boost funding opportunities for underrepresented entrepreneurs.  

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Startup News Digest 12/02/22

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Startup News Digest 12/02/22

The Big Story: Time is running out for Congress to save imperiled immigration program. As the end of the year quickly approaches—and with it, the end of this session of Congress—the future of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA) remains uncertain. DACA recipients play a key role in the startup ecosystem as entrepreneurs and STEM talent. Without Congressional action, the future of the program will likely end up in the hands of the Supreme Court, which could invalidate the program. Senate Democrats are pushing to provide permanent status for Dreamers before that happens.

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Startup News Digest 11/18/22

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Startup News Digest 11/18/22

The Big Story: Online sales tax back in the spotlight with watchdog report. A government agency is recommending that Congress address the patchwork of state laws that govern online sales taxes, an issue that has burdened e-commerce businesses, including many startups. In a new report this week, the Government Accountability Office examined the “substantial uncertainty” and complexity of the current remote sales tax landscape and recommended that Congress work with states to streamline requirements and minimize the burdens currently imposed on businesses across the country.

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Startup News Digest 11/04/22

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Startup News Digest 11/04/22

The Big Story: Affirmative Action cases will impact innovation ecosystem. This week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard two cases that could upend race-conscious admissions policies used by many universities and alter the pipeline for STEM talent in the innovation ecosystem. Eliminating the ability to consider race in college admissions would have an outsized impact on on-campus diversity, the racial and ethnic diversity of many employers hiring college-educated talent throughout the country, and the makeup of the startup ecosystem and the breadth of innovation it produces.

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Startup News Digest 10/28/22

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Startup News Digest 10/28/22

The Big Story: Engine releases report on the role of acquisitions in the startup ecosystem. Engine, in partnership with Startup Genome, released a new report this week examining the role exits play in the startup ecosystem, highlighting the importance of exits via acquisition, and emphasizing the experience of founders that have had their companies acquired. The report—“Exits, Investment, and the Startup Experience: the role of acquisitions in the startup ecosystem”—should equip policymakers with a solid foundation from which they can advance pro-innovative policies that startups need to thrive.

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Startup News Digest 10/21/22

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Startup News Digest 10/21/22

The Big Story: Judge strikes down Maryland tax on digital advertising. A Maryland judge struck down the U.S.’ first tax on digital advertising, which faced vocal challenges including from technology companies and would have resulted in taxed companies passing down its cost to customers, including startups. In a ruling on Monday, the court found the tax, implemented by Maryland lawmakers to raise revenue, unconstitutional and a violation of the Internet Tax Freedom Act.

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Startup News Digest 10/14/22

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Startup News Digest 10/14/22

The Big Story: Proposed independent contractor rule could make hiring harder for startups. This week the Department of Labor (DoL) issued a proposed rule that is likely to impact how early-stage startups build their teams. The DoL’s proposed rule on worker classification would limit who can be considered an independent contractor and comes shortly after the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced similar enforcement priorities for the gig economy. As we shared in a recent blog post, the rule could limit startup flexibility in their hiring decisions, which could particularly impact growing companies with lean budgets.

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Statement on the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals DACA Ruling

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Statement on the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals DACA Ruling

The following statement is attributed to Kate Tummarello, Executive Director of Engine, on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit ruling in State of Texas v. United States of America.

Statement

“Yesterday’s decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit ruling DACA illegal is a crushing disappointment for the thousands of DACA recipients living and working in the U.S., who provide meaningful contributions to our country, including our startup ecosystem. While existing DACA recipients currently retain their protections, it is clear Congress must act urgently to secure and extend protections for all Dreamers and send the message that they are valued, eliminating the constant threat of deportation.”

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Startup News Digest 09/30/22

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Startup News Digest 09/30/22

The Big Story: Network access fee debates heat up worldwide. This week, European telecom companies redoubled their push to make large Internet companies pay based on the traffic they generate, a policy that would undermine net neutrality principles and negatively impact the broader Internet ecosystem. The push comes after months of agitating by Internet service providers (ISPs) for the payments, called network access fees, and amid a growing number of jurisdictions that have taken steps toward such policies, including South Korea.

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Startup News Digest 01/28/22

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Startup News Digest 01/28/22

The Big Story: America COMPETES is a mixed bag for startups. The new sweeping House package aimed at boosting American competitiveness and innovation has several provisions that would dramatically improve the startup ecosystem, but the bill also includes an unrelated bill that would harm e-commerce startups.

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Startup News Digest 01/21/22

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Startup News Digest 01/21/22

The Big Story: 10 years later, SOPA has lessons for startup policy. This week, we’re reflecting on copyright policy’s past as well as the impact it will continue to have on innovation, and what that all means for high-tech, high-growth startups and the Internet users and creators that depend on them. Engine, alongside many organizations, remembered and commemorated the 10 year anniversary of the defeat of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) with conversations of what balanced, innovation-friendly copyright policy looks like for startups and small businesses.

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Startup News Digest 01/14/22

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Startup News Digest 01/14/22

The Big Story: Startups watch as Senate considers tech, telecom nominees. This week, the Senate continued to weigh Biden's key picks for a variety of tech leadership roles—including nominees that could support startup formation and help to create a broader innovative environment.

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Startup News Digest 01/07/22

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Startup News Digest 01/07/22

The Big Story: Changes to copyright rules would hurt news, commentary startups, and free expression. As a few countries adopt or consider laws that would require websites to pay whenever they—or their users—link to or quote a news article, the U.S. Copyright Office is studying what those sorts of laws would mean here. In comments this week, Engine emphasized the substantial unintended consequences of such policies, which would not just alter how information is shared and communicated online, but cause problems for startups and innovation.

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Startup News Digest 12/17/21

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Startup News Digest 12/17/21

Startup Policy: 2021 Year in Review. The past year saw a new administration, a new Congress, and several policy conversations at the federal and state levels that could dramatically shift the landscape for the startup ecosystem in the U.S. both here at home, and abroad.

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Startup News Digest 12/10/21

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Startup News Digest 12/10/21

The Big Story: Congress talks online content, but startups are sidelined. As Congress continues the drumbeat of complaints about user-generated content on the Internet, the conversation misses the realities of content moderation and the role content moderation plays for startups.

 

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