States gear up to work on AI
Startup policy outlook under second Trump term
Executive coaching should be accessible to anyone who is interested, but oftentimes scaling the education is not practical. With her company Zella Life, co-founder Remy Meraz is democratizing professional development using AI. We sat down with her to discuss AI, independent contractors, and more.
After working in the financial sector for over 20 years, Mical Jeanlys-White founded her own company, WealthMore, a wealth tech with a focus on tackling a key financial barrier—wealth building and management. Her company leverages technology to connect everyday Americans with accessible wealth management services, aiming to provide wealth creation for all. We sat down with her to discuss her journey in raising capital, navigating tax policy, the evolving role of AI, and more.
Vance Reavie is no stranger to entrepreneurship. Using his knowledge from previous ventures, he created an AI platform that intelligently automates manual marketing and merchandising workflows and content generation processes for brands and retailers. We sat down with Vance to discuss the startup ecosystem in Arkansas, AI policy and regulation, grant opportunities, and more.
Studies have repeatedly shown that women founders face greater obstacles to funding and investment opportunities than male business owners. Tired of the lack of opportunities for women entrepreneurs, Cindy Foy-Uhlir—a former consultant based in Raleigh, North Carolina—decided to do something about it.
As part of Congressional Startup Day, entrepreneurs with the Conductor in Conway, Arkansas, held a virtual discussion with Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.) about the importance of supporting entrepreneurial communities. Tiffany shared some of her thoughts about the discussion with Rep. Hill, who is one of the co-chairs of this year’s Congressional Startup Day.
A recent Federal Circuit decision, In re PersonalWeb Technologies LLC, highlights ways companies can protect their customers against abusive patent litigation. There are various legal doctrines, rooted in fairness and efficiency, that can apply—including to protect startups that are accused of infringement based on buying or using someone else’s product or service.
The Big Story: FCC takes next step on Trump’s social media executive order. A federal agency this week moved ahead with a petition from the Trump administration that could open up liability for companies that host user content. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai said on Monday that the agency will receive public comments in response to President Donald Trump’s May executive order on “preventing online censorship” that pushes federal agencies to clarify the meaning of “good faith” content moderation under the law.
Launching a startup is hard, but Big Pixel—a strategic design and development firm based in Raleigh—is hoping to give founders the resources and support they need to succeed. The firm works with entrepreneurs to streamline their ideas and produce engaging user experiences that are needed to attract customers and attention. We spoke with David Baxter, Big Pixel’s Founder, to learn more about his company’s work, the Raleigh startup ecosystem, and what policymakers can do to support startup success.
TLDR: Policymakers and Trump administration officials are holding discussions this week about the impending coronavirus relief package, but the lack of progress on a deal means that Americans and entrepreneurs are still waiting for much-needed support. As deliberations continue, lawmakers should consider a variety of proposals to strengthen currently available small business loan programs and pursue policies that will position startups and entrepreneurs to survive for the long-term.
The Big Story: Messy ‘Big Tech’ hearing fails to address startup competition. Big tech CEOs were in the hot seat this week during a House antitrust hearing ostensibly about anti-competitive practices. Instead, however, lawmakers used the opportunity to air a variety of grievances against large tech firms without offering a coherent plan for policymaking that could benefit the U.S. startup ecosystem. While some of the members of the House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee used Wednesday’s hearing with the CEOs of Amazon, Apple, Google, and Facebook to address startup concerns, the hearing clearly demonstrated that policymakers need to rethink their approach to competition policy by listening to the concerns of the entrepreneurial community if they truly want to support startup growth and innovation.
Pine Bluff is known as the ‘Bass Capital of the World’ because of its numerous recreational opportunities and bass fishing tournaments, but a group of local citizens and entrepreneurs is working to turn the city into a hub of business development. Go Forward Pine Bluff (GFPB), a non-profit organization, is working to improve education, local government, infrastructure, quality of life, and economic development in the city. The organization created an innovation hub in 2017 to help drive their economic development efforts. Known as The Generator at Go Forward Pine Bluff, the innovation hub is working to improve the digital skills of entrepreneurs, improve the city’s lagging broadband access, and support the long-term success of small businesses.
TLDR: The Trump administration and policymakers are putting growing pressure on a bedrock Internet law that allows companies of all sizes to host and moderate user-generated content. Startups depend on this framework—known as Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act—to grow without the fear of being sued into bankruptcy over the user-generated content they host and moderate. Weakening this law would have a disastrous effect on the Internet ecosystem.
In recent comments filed with the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Engine emphasized the importance of copyright fair use and urged that it continue to be protected and permitted online. Fair use is an essential component of copyright law that allows creators and users to engage in certain authorized uses of copyright content, which is important because overly-rigid application of copyright law could otherwise stifle innovation and creativity. And as we explain in the letter, startup platforms in particular benefit from balanced copyright law because they are able to serve users and creators who rely on fair use without having to worry about potentially ruinous copyright infringement litigation.
The Big Story: In order to promote tech competition, Congress needs to hear from startups. While a planned House antitrust panel next week featuring the CEOs of Amazon, Apple, Google, and Facebook has reportedly been postponed, the startup community is still paying close attention to ongoing congressional discussions about allegations of anti-competitive practices by the country’s largest tech firms. Recent history has shown that efforts to combat the perceived dominance of a few tech firms often have counterproductive outcomes, and policymakers need to factor the U.S. startup community into their work moving forward.
PAIRIN, a startup based in the Mile-High City, is using the power of entrepreneurship to help people across the U.S. who have been displaced by the economic uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. We recently spoke with Michael Simpson, Founder and CEO of PAIRIN, to find out how he is leveraging his background in technology and coaching to harness the power of workforce development, government, and education to maximize every person’s potential.
TLDR: Europe’s top court last week struck down Privacy Shield, a data transfer pact between the European Union and the United States that allowed U.S. companies to process and store European users’ data in America. The decision, which could have an outsized impact on U.S. startups, stems from U.S. government surveillance programs that European courts have repeatedly found issues with—especially in the wake of the disclosures from former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden in 2013. Without the U.S. scaling back its sweeping surveillance programs, however, it’s unlikely that the EU and U.S. will be able to agree on a new framework to replace Privacy Shield—something that growing startups need to reach potential users across Europe.
The Big Story: EU court strikes down transatlantic data transfer pact. The Court of Justice of the European Union this week struck down Privacy Shield, a transatlantic agreement that lets U.S. companies process and store European users’ data in the U.S. The ruling creates uncertainty for many U.S. and EU companies by jeopardizing the flow of data between Europe and the United States. The case, known as “Schrems II,” evolved out of Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems’ 2013 lawsuit following the revelations about the U.S. government’s surveillance programs by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.
The Inclusive Innovation Incubator (In3) is the first ecosystem builder focused on cultivating and supporting underrepresented entrepreneurs in the nation’s capital. Launched three years ago to improve diversity and inclusion in D.C.’s emerging tech space, In3 has held hundreds of events and supported more than 1,500 entrepreneurs looking to launch new businesses.
TLDR: We’re now a month out from Congressional Startup Day, an event highlighting the importance of startup activity across the country. This annual event connects members of Congress with startups in their states and districts to learn more about the successes and challenges of being an entrepreneur. With the coronavirus pandemic having an outsized impact on U.S. startups, Congressional Startup Day serves as a timely opportunity for members to learn more about how they can support and highlight the work of their local entrepreneurs.
The Big Story: Startup community voices concerns about suspension of H-1B visas. U.S. startups are asking the Trump administration to reconsider a recent decision that will limit access to high-skilled talent amid the coronavirus pandemic. In a new letter, Engine and 118 startups, entrepreneurial organizations, and other companies—including Pinterest, Postmates, Reddit, and Twitter—are asking President Donald Trump to reconsider his suspension of work visas to high-skilled foreign workers, including those issued under the H-1B visa program. The letter comes after the president signed an executive order last week temporarily halting the issuance of work visas for foreign workers through the end of the year.
This afternoon, Engine released a letter signed by 118 startups, entrepreneurial organizations, and other companies—including GitHub, Postmates, Reddit, and Twitter—asking the Trump administration to reconsider its recent suspension of work visas for high-skilled foreign workers, including those issued under the H-1B visa program.
St. Louis is developing a reputation as a hub for entrepreneurs, ranking as one of the top U.S. cities for startups. One of the startups that calls St. Louis home is Venku, an online platform that connects outdoor enthusiasts with exciting on-the-ground experiences. Whether it’s fishing, hiking, hunting or exploring, Venku improves access to outdoor experiences by allowing people across the country to connect with expert hosts eager to take them on their next adventure.
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