The Big Story: Lawakers tee up net neutrality hearings. Lawmakers in Congress and in the California Senate have announced that they’re going to tackle net neutrality in hearings later this month.
#StartupsEverywhere: Austin, TX
Austin has rapidly transformed Central Texas into one of the world’s foremost technology and innovation regions. This week, we talked to Joshua Baer of Capital Factory, who cites the city’s community-minded entrepreneurs and the active involvement of the University of Texas as inputs to the ecosystem’s growth.
Startup News Digest 3/30/2018
Statement on Federal Appeals Court Decision on Fair Use
#StartupsEverywhere: Missoula, MT
The “Treasure State” of Montana is rapidly becoming a trove of high-growth startups and innovators. This week, we talked to Paul Gladen of the Blackstone LaunchPad, a university entrepreneurial education program brought to Montana with the help of Senator Jon Tester. Paul believes an educational process that helps legislators understand the needs of the 21st century economy could accelerate startup growth nationwide, as was the case in Montana.
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
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
Startup News Digest 3/16/2018
Engine Statement On Sen. Wyden's FOSTA amendments
The following can be attributed to Engine Executive Director Evan Engstrom:
"We applaud Sen. Wyden's work to address some of our concerns with this legislation. We all support efforts to stop sex trafficking, but it is important to do so in a way that doesn't create unintended consequences for smaller internet companies that feature user-generated content. Sen. Wyden's amendments would help clarify that companies honestly engaging in content moderation won't face unexpected or unfair liability. That would make it substantially easier for platforms to proactively contribute to the fight against sex trafficking without fear of negative consequences."
#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
Engine Statement on Net Neutrality CRA Resolution
#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
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.
