A key tool that promotes innovation by weeding out weak patents that can be weaponized against startups is being scaled back by federal policymakers.
Using her background in cryptography and mathematics, Gadalia Montoya Weinberg O’Bryan set out to challenge the current standard of multifactor authentication used to protect user and company data. Her company, Dapple Security, simplifies the authentication process using biometrics. We had the opportunity to chat with Gadalia about her journey to founding Dapple Security, data privacy policies, and more.
Reverse logistics is managing the redistribution of returned or surplus unsold goods. Amrita Bhasin is working to make reverse logistics a mainstream corporate concept. Through her startup, Sotira, Amrita aims to reduce waste and increase producers’ bottom lines. We sat down with Amrita to discuss her company, her experience raising capital, and working in an industry transitioning directly from pen and paper to AI.
Dunya Analytics is providing digital tools to help businesses measure, manage, and report on biodiversity and nature-related risks. We sat down with their founder and CEO, Megan Pillsbury, to talk about her startup, her experience applying for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants, and more.
After a career in the startup ecosystem, Alex Smereczniak knew he wanted to help others along their journey to entrepreneurship. Using his experience franchising his laundry business as an example, Alex co-founded Franzy, a research and matching tool assisting individuals in opening franchises. We had the opportunity to chat with him about his product, the franchise industry, and more.
TLDR: A key House panel is holding a hearing this Thursday with the CEOs of Facebook, Google, and Twitter to examine the spread of extremism and misinformation online. It’s critical that policymakers concerned about the proliferation of harmful content across the Internet understand how potential legislative remedies would impact startups and other Internet companies’ ability to moderate user-generated content.
The Big Story: House passes legislation extending pathway to citizenship for Dreamers. House lawmakers voted yesterday to approve legislation that would give approximately 2.3 million Dreamers—undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as minors—certain protections from deportation and would provide a pathway to citizenship if they meet certain criteria. The bill’s passage is a critical step for millions of talented immigrants who help drive innovation and job creation across the tech sector.
flipMD is a Philadelphia-based health care startup that lets physicians find consulting opportunities and allows companies to source medical talent for their projects. We recently spoke with the Founder and CEO of flipMD, Lauren Hanson, to learn more about her startup’s work, her experiences as a woman founder, and her thoughts on why it’s important for health care-focused startups to connect with physician consultants.
Today’s House vote in support of the American Dream and Promise Act is a victory for the millions of undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children in search of a better life. Dreamers help drive U.S. innovation by launching startups, creating new jobs, and serving as critical sources of talent for the tech sector. By protecting Dreamers and providing them with a pathway to citizenship, the bill gives these talented individuals the legal certainty they need to pursue their ambitions—in the tech sector or otherwise—without the threat of deportation.
In letters this week to key congressional panels, Engine outlined startup-forward principles and priorities that we hope will guide Congress’s work on patent and copyright law this year. We wrote to the leaders of the Senate’s IP Subcommittee and the House Subcommittee on Courts, IP, and the Internet, encouraging each Subcommittee to promote and preserve balanced IP frameworks, emphasize patent quality, stress modernization, and advance diversity and inclusion.
TLDR: Across the country, state legislators are pushing bills that would make it harder for Internet companies to moderate content on their sites and services. In addition to raising constitutional and legal problems, the state-level push to limit moderation would disproportionately harm small and emerging companies that are attempting to compete in the Internet ecosystem.
The Big Story: PRO Act would limit startups’ access to independent contractors. House lawmakers this week passed legislation—known as the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act—that would, in part, change the definitions of employees and independent contractors. By expanding the definition of an employee, the bill would make it more difficult for startups and other small businesses to hire the outside contractors they need to launch and grow their companies.
TLDR: As the House readies to approve a stimulus package that would provide billions of dollars for Americans and small businesses, policymakers are continuing to prioritize funding for broadband in order to narrow the nation’s digital divide. Efforts to improve Internet connectivity in rural and underserved communities across the country will not only benefit all Americans, but will also help lead to the creation of new and innovative startups needed to drive the nation’s economic recovery moving forward.
The Big Story: States push ahead on privacy in lieu of federal action. Virginia officially became the second state in the nation—following California—to implement its own comprehensive data privacy law last week. The passage of Virginia’s privacy law comes as other states—including Minnesota, New York, Oklahoma, Utah, and Washington—consider implementing their own sweeping data privacy measures.
Courtroom5 is a Durham-based startup that provides automated legal support to people representing themselves in civil court. We recently spoke with the Co-Founder and CEO, Sonja Ebron, to learn more about her background, the company’s use of artificial intelligence, and what policymakers can do to address funding disparities.
“Engine is proud to support the Workforce Mobility Act, legislation that would give workers the opportunity to launch their own competitive startups without being hindered by non-compete agreements. This legislation would spur startup formation across the country by removing barriers to entry that serve to stifle innovation and entrepreneurship.”
TLDR: Following House passage of President Joe Biden’s stimulus package this weekend, Senate Democrats are pushing forward with the measure that would provide billions of dollars to Americans and small businesses affected by the pandemic. As the Senate prepares to vote on the stimulus plan, it is important for policymakers to guarantee that the money set aside for struggling small businesses effectively provides the entrepreneurial community with the targeted emergency assistance it needs to drive the nation’s long-term economic recovery.
The Big Story: Despite progress, barriers still stand in the way of Black founders. Although the U.S. startup ecosystem is increasingly vast and diverse, Black entrepreneurs across the country still face barriers to entry—such as a lack of equitable access—that make it more difficult for them to compete with their peers. And the pandemic has only exacerbated some of these disparities, with a report from the Center for Responsible Lending finding that approximately 95 percent of Black-owned firms stood almost no chance of receiving a first round Paycheck Protection Program loan from a traditional bank or credit union.
Based in the Motor City, Alerje is a health management startup focused on improving the lives of people living with food allergies. We spoke with Javier Evelyn, the Founder and CEO of Alerje, to learn more about his startup’s efforts to help people coping with food allergies, his experiences as a Black founder, and his thoughts on what makes Detroit such a unique city in which to launch a startup.
TLDR: The federal government recently solicited public input about a national strategy for building more diverse and inclusive innovation ecosystems. While startup communities across the country comprise individuals of every race, gender, ethnicity, and culture, more needs to be done to empower underrepresented entrepreneurs and dismantle the unjust barriers they routinely face. As the U.S. continues to address systemic inequalities, many startups, entrepreneurs, and support organizations are calling on the government to use this opportunity to support entrepreneurship for all.
“Last week’s introduction of comprehensive immigration reform legislation shows that the Biden administration is committed to positively reforming the country’s outdated immigration system. The White House and Congress now have the opportunity to pursue an immigration agenda that boosts immigrant entrepreneurship and provides startups and technology companies with greater access to the talented workers they need to grow and thrive.”
The Big Story: Congress, FCC take steps to narrow the “digital divide” amid pandemic. As millions of Americans continue to depend upon reliable Internet services to work, learn, and connect amid the ongoing pandemic, policymakers are moving to address gaps in high-speed connectivity and broadband infrastructure across the United States. The issue of broadband access was in the spotlight this week as the Federal Communications Commission and a top House panel both took steps to improve connectivity and identify areas of the country where access is still lagging.
With Georgia becoming a global destination for film and television production, an Atlanta-based startup named Productions.com (formerly known as Film Connx) is working to promote diversity and simplify the hiring process within the production industry—in the Peach State and beyond—by connecting stakeholders with local and vetted production professionals. We recently spoke with Carolyn Pitt, the CEO and Founder of Productions.com, to learn more about her startup’s role as a job marketplace for productions, the challenges she’s experienced as a Black founder, and the steps that policymakers should take to support more equitable investments in early-stage companies.
TLDR: As the Biden administration prepares to unveil an immigration reform bill this week that would provide millions of undocumented immigrants with a pathway to citizenship, policymakers need to remain mindful of the valuable skills and talents that foreign-born workers bring to the United States. In order to support entrepreneurs—particularly those economically disadvantaged by the pandemic—policymakers must improve access to high-skilled talent in any immigration reform efforts in order to bolster U.S. innovation.
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