Stay up to date with
Engine’s weekly newsletter:
NEWS FEED
Startup News Digest 3/23/2018
The Big Story: Congress passes funding bill with several tech provisions. Narrowly avoiding a government shutdown, Congress passed and President Donald Trump signed into law this week a $1.3 trillion government funding bill that included a whole host of tech-related provisions.
Engine's Statement on the Senate Passage of SESTA
Engine's Statement on the Senate Passage of SESTA
Startups Strongly Oppose The STRONGER Patents Act
Today, Reps. Steve Stivers (R-OH) and Bill Foster (D-IL) introduced a House version of the STRONGER Patents Act (S.1390), which would hobble the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s internal review system for challenges to overly broad, obvious patents and overrule decades of Supreme Court decisions on patent issues, exposing technology users to increased litigation.
#StartupsEverywhere: Nashville, TN
Nashville’s startup ecosystem is fueled by the same creativity and enterprising spirit that earned the “Music City” its nickname. This week, we spoke with Kelli Nowers, who attributes Nashville’s success to Tennessee’s new Angel Tax Credit and the city’s ability to build upon its industrial past.
Startup News Digest 3/16/2018
The Senate has queued up an anti-sex trafficking bill that could open up small Internet platforms to legal problems.
#StartupsEverywhere: Houston, TX
Despite its reputation as an “oil patch town”, Houston is home to a thriving and diverse startup ecosystem. This week, we learned from Brad Burke and Lawson Gow that Houston’s diversity, concentration of research institutions and active investors, and involved support from local government have been critical in making the city a startup hub.
Startup News Digest 3/9/2018
The floodgates have been opened to the legal and legislative challenges to the FCC’s decision in December to repeal the 2015 net neutrality rules.
Engine Statement on Net Neutrality CRA Resolution
"Engine has long supported the net neutrality principles enshrined in the FCC’s 2015 Open Internet Order because they preserved the Internet as a level playing field where companies of all sizes, including startups, can compete on their merits to reach consumers and grow their user base."
#StartupsEverywhere: Baton Rouge, LA
A renewed sense of localism has bolstered support for Southern Louisiana's entrepreneurial ecosystem in the "large small town" of Baton Rouge. For this week's #StartupsEverywhere, we talked to Stephen Loy, who cites the city's steady flow of eager, educated university students and a statewide tradable tax credit program as key inputs.
Engine's SXSW Guide
Going to SXSW? Love learning about startup policy? Come check out the panels and events we think you'll enjoy!
Startup News Digest 3/2/2018
The House this week passed a bill that would undermine platform protections that companies rely on to host user content and to police that content themselves without fear of meritless litigation.
A Call for Cross-Border Cooperation
Even as a years-long fight over government access to foreign data heads to the Supreme Court, Congress still needs to solve the problem of cross-border information requests.
#StartupsEverywhere: Des Moines, IA
Des Moines' startup ecosystem is growing thanks to the state's favorable business climate and the legacy of the city's core industries. However, it still faces many challenges regarding capital access, talent, and a cultural aversion to entrepreneurial risk-taking.
Startup News Digest 2/23/18
Congress is preparing to vote next week on proposals ostensibly aimed at fighting sex trafficking online, but one approach could hurt startups and actually make it harder for good actors to fight sex trafficking on their platforms.
Engine's Statement on House Rules Committee Consideration of H.R. 1865
Engine's statement following the announcement from the House Committee on Rules to consider H.R. 1865, the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA) on Monday, February 26th and the proposed amendment by Rep. Walters to include language from the Senate’s Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA)
Startup News Digest 2/16/2018
Infrastructure was the buzzword of the week, which kicked off with the Trump administration unveiling its infrastructure plan.
Guest Post: Loss of Net Neutrality Puts Innovation at Risk in Hawaii
The world of innovation is at an exciting point in time, unrivaled by anything we’ve ever seen before. The cost of launching a startup has never been cheaper and the process has never been more efficient. This is largely due to reduced business costs (e.g. server fees) resulting from advancements in technology services and internet access. What once cost a startup hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars in capital expenditures just to get to the starting line is now accessible to almost anyone for much, much less. With the Internet, the distance between business and consumer has also shortened drastically; marketing directly to your customer demographic across the world is now possible. Additionally, information in the form of advice, mentoring, and best practices is now abundant and accessible. What was once restricted to Ivy League schools or knowledge bases such as New York and San Francisco is now available for free online.
#StartupsEverywhere: David Bradbury (Burlington, VT)
For our thirty-third #StartupsEverywhere feature we chatted with David Bradbury, the President of the Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies (VCET) in Burlington, VT.
Panel Round-Up: Design Patents and Defining the Article of Manufacture
The panel discussion, “Design Patents and Defining the Article of Manufacture – One Year Later,” was moderated by Julie Samuels, President of the Board at Engine Advocacy and Executive Director at Tech:NYC. The expert panel also featured Charles Duan, Senior Fellow and Associate Director of Tech and Innovation Policy at R Street Institute; G. Nagesh Rao, a 2016 USA Eisenhower Fellow and former Patent Examiner and Senior Policy Advisor at the USPTO; and Matthew Levy, former Patent Counsel at the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA).