Net neutrality revival set to ensure level startup playing field
José Padilla has an established track record of providing efficient, low-cost legal services. With LegalMente AI, he’s able to provide that same quality of work to those in need, including early-stage startups. We sat down with him to talk about what policymakers need to know about the uses of AI, how to keep the U.S. innovation ecosystem the most competitive globally, and his motivation to provide the most efficient work possible.
After overcoming childhood shyness in the warmth of his local Caribbean-owned barbershop, Royon Jeffrey knows the power of the beauty industry firsthand. He set out to create ListedB, an online marketplace for beauty industry professionals. We spoke to him about the financial opportunity within the industry, navigating capital access and investors, and his desire to empower small businesses owners.
Foreign nations are saddling U.S. companies — including startups — with discriminatory burdens.
MegaMinds was created out of a need to make learning more creative, fun, and hands-on for students. In our conversation with Co-Founder and CEO Eric Tao, we learned about the growing popularity of immersive learning, the tricky regulatory landscape for a product like MegaMinds, and what it’s like for many first-time entrepreneurs to build businesses.
Long Island is famous for beaches, bagels and vineyards, but it also has a budding innovation ecosystem. Just outside of New York City, Long Island, Suffolk County in particular is growing into an entrepreneurial powerhouse. Phil Rugile, Director of LaunchPad Huntington, recognized the need for a space to attract talent, host events and build community; he then founded LaunchPad.
Jay Newton-Small has a background in journalism. By utilizing her passion for storytelling, Jay created MemoryWell, a startup that seeks to improve the long-term care of those living with Alzheimer’s and dementia. She leaned on D.C.'s ecosystem with strong partners in the aging space to grow her company. However, Jay hopes the government will play a bigger role in convening innovators and traditional partners to better support the aging industry.
West Virginia’s mountainous terrain may be a challenge, but certainly doesn’t divide the state’s entrepreneurs, according to Anne Barth, Executive Director of TechConnect West Virginia. TechConnectWV is a non-profit organization focused on driving innovation, cultivating entrepreneurship, and creating greater economic diversity throughout West Virginia.
The immigration process in the United States continues to be confusing, challenging and complicated. Xiao Wang, the co-founder and CEO of Boundless, is working to solve this problem through the use of technology. As Boundless helps with the family immigration process, policy is still need to facilitate entrepreneurs to build companies in America.
Kiera Smalls, Executive Director of Philly Startup Leaders (PSL), is leading the charge as she builds a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem for innovators to thrive. The Philadelphia startup community is partnering with lawmakers to ensure it is reflective of Philadelphia’s diverse population.
Building a business plan can be challenging, but David Krauss, Co-Founder of NoiseAware, believes most startups are missing one key feature - advocacy. David has advocacy ingrained into NoiseAware’s culture. By embracing advocacy as a main focus, NoiseAware has built strong relationships with policymakers and in turn, has brought additional notoriety to his growing startup and developed new partnerships.
June is dedicated as Pride Month, but it’s important to celebrate the ideals of Pride every month. Andrew Lowenthal, Executive Director of Out in Tech, seeks to do this everyday within the tech community. Out in Tech, a global non-profit startup based in New York, works to unite the LGBTQ+ tech community through regular events in 10 cities.
We met with Shelly Bell, founder of Black Girl Ventures (BGV), to discuss how she is working to change ecosystems across the US. Shelly and her team are working to find creative place-based solutions to dissolve the race and gender gap in access to capital. Policy makers have looked at crowdfunding a solution to this issue, but more work has to be done.
The “First in the Nation” state is not always first when thinking of startups and innovation. However, Joshua Cyr at Alpha Loft is working to change that narrative and improve entrepreneurs prospects for successfully launching and scaling innovation-based startups in New Hampshire.
We headed to the Cornhusker State to meet with Grant Stanley, CEO of Bric. As a native Nebraskan, Grant is familiar with starting and growing companies in the state. However, as Bric continues to grow, Grant is looking to new ecosystems to provide opportunities and networks not currently available in Omaha.
This week we talked with Ryan Weber, President of the KC Tech Council, a group that represents tech companies and works to attract and retain players in the tech industry in Kansas City. Weber credit's the area's growth to several factors, including the presence of the health tech industry as well as how easy it is to travel from Kansas City to anywhere in the U.S. On his policy wishlist is a new look at how to train the tech talent of tomorrow.
Last week, the 55th annual National #SmallBusinessWeek (NSBW) was celebrated on main streets across the country. Policymakers from both sides of the aisle expressed support for measures that promote entrepreneurship and provide small business owners with the resources they need to succeed.
Dallas is quickly emerging as national hub of innovation, even in the saturated startup state of Texas. This week we spoke with Trey Bowles about the city’s multi-pronged efforts to develop a robust and collaborative ecosystem. He attributes Dallas’ success to the city’s deep talent pool and regional cooperation but believes that public funding for entrepreneur centers and stronger incentives for early stage investment could further unlock its potential for growth.
The “Hospitality State” of Mississippi is home to a network of innovators and entrepreneurs who are working to build a high-growth startup ecosystem there. This week we spoke with Christopher Lomax, one of the individuals driving the development of the digital economy in Jackson. Christopher cited Net Neutrality protections, tax incentives to retain Mississippi's top talent, and pro-STEM education reform as policies that could carry forward the progress the state has witnessed in recent years.
Atlanta is quickly becoming a premier cultural and economic hub of the Southeast. The city’s startup ecosystem has benefited from this growth, leveraging the presence of major universities and an engaged local government. Charlton Cunningham of Startup Atlanta explained some of these changes Atlanta is undergoing and how startups can become an essential part of the city’s future.
Idaho is the fastest-growing state in the country according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and Boise’s startup community is expanding at a comparable rate. This week, we spoke with Daniel Faricy who cites buy-in from local stakeholders across sectors as a key input for the Treasure Valley’s ecosystem. However, he believes policies that favor the mobility of talent and capital are essential to carrying this progress forward.
Birmingham has evolved from its industrial past to become an emerging hub of software companies that will be a stop on the Rise of the Rest tour next month. This week we spoke to Devon Laney, who believes that community buy-in and a state tax credit program which spurred real estate development downtown contributed to the ecosystem’s growth. However, he adds that a state grant matching program could further develop Birmingham’s innovation economy.
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.
Your privacy is important to us. To better protect your privacy we provide this notice explaining our online information practices and the choices you can make about the way your information is collected and used.
