The Engine Team 5/15/26 The Engine Team 5/15/26

Startup News Digest 05/15/26

Two states set to enact AI laws

Mitchell Winter 5/15/26 Mitchell Winter 5/15/26

#StartupsEverywhere: Bellevue, Wash.

If you’ve ever had the misfortune of working on filing paperwork for renovations, you know that seemingly obscure missing paperwork in a first submission can result in months of back and forth between you and your local government. Saf Rabah saw how this creates a bottleneck in the development of affordable housing and decided to use his previous experience to create Govstream.ai, a one-stop AI platform for builders and city planners to streamline the permitting process. We sat down with Saf to talk about his company, their unique public-private partnership with the city of Bellevue, Qualified Small Business Stock (QSBS), and more.

The Engine Team 5/8/26 The Engine Team 5/8/26

Startup News Digest 05/08/26

Global negotiators secure a narrow agreement on ecommerce tariffs

Jade Smith 5/8/26 Jade Smith 5/8/26

#StartupsEverywhere: Chicago, ill.

BestFarewell is a Chicago-based AI-powered platform that helps families navigate the complex logistics of estate planning and bereavement. We sat down with founder Jay Wilburn to discuss the development of his proprietary SageLink AI, the administrative burden on remote startups, modernized bereavement treatment, and the regulatory hurdles surrounding electronic wills.

The Engine Team 5/1/26 The Engine Team 5/1/26

Startup News Digest 05/01/26

Policymakers move to simplify independent contractor rules

Mitchell Winter 5/1/26 Mitchell Winter 5/1/26

#StartupsEverywhere: Seattle, Wash.

Retail workers have long shifts and often little time for feedback. Evan Smith is a Starbucks Vice President turned first-time entrepreneur, building Ethosphere, an AI-powered platform that uses personalized microphones to listen to sales conversations and provide retail associates with feedback on where they shine and could improve. We sat down with Evan to discuss his product, the importance of incubators, navigating the patchwork of state privacy laws, and more.

The Engine Team 4/24/26 The Engine Team 4/24/26

Startup News Digest 04/24/26

House Republicans unveil federal privacy bill

Jade Smith 4/24/26 Jade Smith 4/24/26

#StartupsEverywhere: Boston, Mass.

After a career in corporate sustainability, Alison Rogers Cove founded USEFULL, based in Boston, Massachusetts, to tackle the plastic crisis at the source. USEFULL is a circular solution focused on college campuses that helps them eliminate single-use food packaging by replacing it with a returnable, plastic-free system. We sat down with Alison to discuss the challenges of fundraising as a founder, the impact of tariffs on sustainable businesses, higher education as a market, and the realities of navigating parenthood while running a startup.

The Engine Team 4/17/26 The Engine Team 4/17/26

Startup News Digest 04/17/26

Startup founders come to D.C. calling for expanded capital access policies

Jade Smith 4/17/26 Jade Smith 4/17/26

#StartupsEverywhere: Burlington, Vt.

Sascha Mayer, Co-founder and Chief Experience Officer of Mamava, is closing the gap in support for breastfeeding parents with freestanding lactation pods. Based in Burlington, Vermont, Mamava provides private spaces in high-traffic areas like airports and workplaces, paired with a mobile app to help parents find them. We sat down with Sascha to discuss how design meets policy, the realities of U.S. manufacturing, and the importance of policy that supports parents.

The Engine Team 4/10/26 The Engine Team 4/10/26

Startup News Digest 04/10/26

AI frameworks back in the spotlight

Mitchell Winter 4/10/26 Mitchell Winter 4/10/26

#StartupsEverywhere: Mountain View, Calif.

After building a small chain of restaurants across the northeastern U.S., Sienam Ahuja created Bryckel AI, a contract analysis platform that saves commercial property owners time and money. We sat down with Sienam to discuss her company, her experience fundraising, her approach to working with AI, and more.

The Engine Team 4/3/26 The Engine Team 4/3/26

Congress debating controversial spying power that can impact startups’ competitiveness

With a pending expiration in mid-April, lawmakers appear poised to reauthorize an Internet surveillance law that, without needed reforms, could drain the limited resources startup founders depend on, erode user trust online, and further complicate the already fractured digital trade landscape.

The Engine Team 4/3/26 The Engine Team 4/3/26

Startup News Digest 04/03/26

Foundational trade policy lapses, opening the door to tariffs on digital goods

Jade Smith 4/3/26 Jade Smith 4/3/26

#StartupsEverywhere: Austin, Texas

Throne Science, based in Austin, Texas, is bringing data-driven insights to an essential part of our daily routine. Co-founder Scott Hickle is utilizing his background in engineering and software product management, along with leveraging AI, to build a device that could change how people perceive gut health. We sat down with Scott to discuss his journey in founding Throne, the role of AI, the impact of tariffs on innovation, and what his fundraising journey has looked like.

The Engine Team 3/27/26 The Engine Team 3/27/26

Startup News Digest 03/27/26

Supreme Court says Internet intermediaries not liable for user actions

Jade Smith 3/27/26 Jade Smith 3/27/26

#StartupsEverywhere: Boston, Mass.

Tactus, a Boston-based startup, is on a mission to make music truly inclusive and accessible. Their Bluetooth-integrated jackets and vests translate audio into precise tactile vibrations, allowing the deaf and hard-of-hearing community to experience live musical performances. We sat down with Jeremy Chow, CEO and Founder of Tactus, to discuss their work and the various challenges they encounter, such as the barriers to federal research grants and the ways tariffs are raising manufacturing costs.

The Engine Team 3/27/26 The Engine Team 3/27/26

Digesting Trump’s AI wishlist for Congress

With states already putting forward over 1,600 AI-related proposals this year, startups are scrambling to understand which proposals might have legs and what they will mean for their companies.