Welcome to ‘The Startup State’ - a weekly bulletin from the GEN Policy and Research team highlighting key entrepreneurship news, reports, commentary and features from around the world.
News
- GEN and Hello Alice have announced a $70m Equitable Access Fund that will be developed and deployed over the next five years to improve access to credit and capital for high-potential underserved entrepreneurs in the U.S. (GEN)
- Canada has launched a ‘tech talent strategy’ that removes labor market impact assessments for high-growth employers, promotes Canada as a destination for digital nomads, creates a streamlined work permit for U.S. H-1B visa-holders, and improves the existing start-up visa scheme (Govt of Canada)
- The U.S. has announced the first Tribal State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) awards, providing $73m to 39 tribal governments to support tribal enterprises and small business owners (The White House)
- Bulgaria’s Iliana Ivanova is to become the EU’s new commissioner for research and innovation (Sifted)
- Scotland has announced $22m of funding to implement recommendations from a recent report on supporting women in entrepreneurship. Initiatives will include pre-start centers and pop-ups to provide women with encouragement and help to start, and the relaunch of the Scottish Government Ecosystem Fund (Scottish Government)
Research and analysis
- OECD SME and Entrepreneurship Outlook 2023
Launched at the OECD SME Ministerial 2023, this bi-annual flagship publication provides the latest evidence and analysis on SME and entrepreneurship trends and performance, changing business conditions, and policy implications. - Access to capital for entrepreneurs: Removing barriers 2023
In 2019, the Kauffman Foundation published a report which presented a landscape analysis of the capital ecosystem in the U.S. The report highlighted the need not only for increased funding of companies led by marginalized founders but also the need to build up critical market infrastructure. This new report provides new and updated data to provide greater context into the experiences and challenges facing U.S. entrepreneurs in today’s economy. - Europe’s new tech founders 2023
VC firm Anter has analyzed the academic history, professional expertise, and demographics of 845 unicorn founders, 2,500 founders participating in Antler residencies, and more than 70,000 aspiring founders, and found new hope, new optimism, and new founders abound.
Comment
- Monitoring the impact and success of startup acts in Africa (Blaise Bayuo and Chizi Gakuo, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change)
- Why smart AI regulation is vital for innovation and U.S. leadership (Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, Consumer Technology Association)
- How to make small businesses in developing countries more competitive (UNCTAD)
- How immigration boosts entrepreneurship and lessens workforce constraints (Christopher Wink, Technical.ly)
Features
- TechCabal: Lagos wants its innovation ecosystem to become a global leader
- Politico: Danish tech envoy’s parting shot to Silicon Valley
- Development Asia: Solving development challenges through hackathons
To suggest content for inclusion in future editions of 'The Startup State', please email matt@genglobal.org.
Get updates delivered directly to your inbox
Subscribe by selecting 'The Startup State' under communications permission in the form below.