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NEWS FEED
Engine On-Air Episode 1: The Software Patent Problem
Join us as we discuss the patent system: how it should work, why it doesn't, and what we can do about it.
All Over The Country, New and Young High-Tech Firms Are Key Job Creators
All over the country, new and young businesses—as opposed to small businesses generally—play an outsized role in net job creation in the United States. But not all new businesses are the same—the majority of entrepreneurs to-be don't intend to grow their businesses or innovate. Differentiating growth-oriented “startups” from the rest of young businesses is an important distinction that we make in this latest paper.
Help Bring Patent Trolls Out of the Darkness
Today, we’re excited to partner with the Electronic Frontier Foundation and a coalition of organizations and law schools to launch Trolling Effects, a resource to empower entrepreneurs targeted by patent trolls. Patent troll lawsuits represented 62 percent of all patent litigation in 2012, and the costs associated with these suits amount to billion of dollars, stalling business growth, delaying products, and robbing startups of precious resources.
Are Startups Back?
Is entrepreneurship everywhere, or is economic dynamism dead? With competing information afloat, that’s the question we sought to answer with newly-released Business Dynamics Statistics (BDS) data from the Census Bureau. We found a couple of things. First, as the U.S. economy belatedly recovered in 2011, so did business creation--the first time in five years. Second, this growth in new business formation was geographically dispersed throughout the United States.
Startups Speak: I'm Here to Contribute, Build, Collaborate and Learn
Pedro Sorrentino hails from Sao Paolo, Brazil, and is currently living in San Francisco working for SendGrid. While attending graduate school in Boulder, Colorado, Pedro started and sold his first business. Once he graduated, however, Pedro had a hard decision to make. Based on his visa class, and the fact that he came from Brazil, the rules stated that it was mandatory for him to return home upon graduation. Would he go back to Brazil to work for his company? Or could he find an employer who would sponsor his H-1B application to stay in the United States?
Why We Should Care About Trade Agreements
The best trade agreements strengthen relationships with nations and regions vital to United States foreign and economic policy. When it comes to the secretive discussions around the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), however, any benefits might also come with now-unseen costs to startups and the tech industry as a whole if negotiators do not consider unintended consequences.
Texas Tech Organization Leads Charge on Business Engagement with Patent Policy
Debate around the patent system, and how we can fix it, is beginning to take shape in Washington, after many years of discussion in entrepreneurial communities around the country. Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn recently joined the debate with well received draft legislation that would help on a number of fronts; Senator Cornyn released his plan after actively seeking the input of the entrepreneurial community in Texas.
Senate Immigration Success: Time to Keep Working
By a vote of 68-32, the United States Senate completed a landmark bipartisan effort by passing S. 744 on comprehensive immigration reform. We applaud the efforts of the Senators who voted in favor of the bill, and all their staff, as well as recognising the historic impact of the technology community. Today we stand closer to the promise of an immigration system that works for all Americans than we have for decades. Now we must ensure this promise is realized.
Tech Leaders Urge U.S. Senate to Pass Immigration Reform
This week, we signed and sent a letter to the U.S. Senate alongside other leading tech groups. The movement led by TechNet gathered over 100 signatories, including the Consumer Electronics Association, Cisco Systems, Facebook, and Partnership for a New American Economy. The technology community understands the importance of the high-tech industry to the American economy, and agrees unanimously that comprehensive immigration reform is the solution we need.
Startups Speak: It Should be Easier to Start a Business
Since a green card made starting Bright Funds possible, Rutul hopes that the new Invest Visa for founders will make possible for others, what was possible for him. And beyond making it possible, Rutul also hopes it will make starting a business easier. Watch Rutul tell his story.
