Stay up to date with
Engine’s weekly newsletter:
NEWS FEED
Getting liability questions right matters for startup innovation
Midterm campaign season is in full swing, but that’s not stopping policymakers at all levels of government from putting forward proposals to regulate AI.
#StartupsEverywhere: Coral Gables, Fla.
Coral Gables, Florida-based startup DraftyAI builds research and drafting software for immigration attorneys, turning their evidence and case information into complete legal briefs, including exhibit lists. We sat down with co-founder and CEO Nadine Navarro to discuss her path from running a solo immigration practice to building legal tech, the AI and data privacy questions facing startups that handle sensitive client information, and what U.S. immigration policy means for startups, as well as international talent.
#StartupsEverywhere: Santa Clara, Calif.
Santa Clara-based startup Xscape Photonics is revolutionizing AI data center connectivity by developing multicolor silicon photonic lasers that drastically improve data center transmission efficiency.
Xscape Photonics uses multicolor lasers to increase the speed of data transfer between chips and utilize the full capacity of existing chips, ultimately making data centers and other networked servers more efficient.
We sat down with co-founder and CEO Vivek Raghunathan to discuss innovation coming out of the academic and research world, turning that innovation into a product for the market, how the government can support deep-tech startups, and his experience fundraising.
Engine and ACT Amicus Brief to Federal Circuit on Patent Injunctions in Collision Communications v. Samsung
Engine joined ACT in filing an amicus brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Collision Communications, Inc. v. Samsung Electronics Co., highlighting the importance for startups of preserving the framework governing permanent injunctions established by the Supreme Court in eBay Inc. v. MercExchange, L.L.C.
Startup News Digest 09/25/26
H-1B fee would put high-skilled talent further out of reach for startups
#StartupsEverywhere: Omaha, Neb.
Heather Nelson is a professor of management and entrepreneurship at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. After 23 years of guiding her students towards new and innovative ideas, she launched her own startup—Poll The Vote—to connect voters and constituents to their candidates and elected officials. We sat down to talk with Heather about her company, her approach to content moderation on her platform, and more.
Engine Comments to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on Proposed H-1B Petition Fee
Engine submitted comments to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on its proposed rule to establish a $103,265 fee for cap-subject H-1B petitions.
#StartupsEverywhere: Gig Harbor, Wash.
Seattle-area startup Sound Games is building a distribution platform like Shopify for games, streamlining indie developers’ simultaneous launches across various storefronts. We sat down with co-founder Mike Schmid to talk about his journey from the App Store to building his own platform, the challenging landscape of raising capital in the current gaming market, and the operational burdens of navigating state-by-state compliance for a remote startup.
Engine and TechNet File Amicus Brief to Ninth Circuit on First Amendment Protections for Recommendation Algorithms
Engine joined TechNet in filing an amicus brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on the First Amendment protections that apply to algorithmic recommendation systems.
Startup News Digest 09/11/26
Congress returns with consequential startup policy fights unresolved
The Kids’ Online Safety State Patchwork Status
As most state legislatures have adjourned for the year, they’re leaving behind an increasingly complicated patchwork of rules that are aimed at keeping young Internet users safe but create a variety of obligations, prohibitions, and compliance burdens for startups—especially for startups that don’t intend to, or knowingly interact, with young users.
#StartupsEverywhere: Coupeville, Wash.
AETHEON, a Washington-based startup, is an AI-powered workforce platform that helps individuals turn their work, education, military, and life experiences into structured, verified skill profiles. It also helps employers identify talent based on demonstrated skills and competencies rather than traditional resumes or degree requirements. We sat down with founder Marie Gill to discuss AETHEON’s mission to reshape the broken talent marketplace, the strategic decision to prioritize trade secrets over patents, and the critical policy reforms needed to support transitioning military veterans.
#StartupsEverywhere: Indianapolis, Ind.
RelateXR is an addiction recovery software that has been making waves at Indiana University since it was founded three years ago. Izzy Branam is the CEO and co-founder of RelateXR. We sat down with him to talk about his company, RelateXR’s experience with Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grants, and more.
The Trump tariff rebuild continues and trade wars are back. What does it mean for startups?
Headline-grabbing tariffs have startups paying attention as the administration takes steps to reconstruct the sweeping tariff regime struck down by the Supreme Court and ignites trade conflict with top trading partners.
AI Essentials: What is Distillation?
It’s often easier to learn from an expert than start yourself from scratch. When it comes to AI model training, the practice of one model learning from a more developed or expert model is called distillation, and it’s one used by industry leaders and startups alike.