It was standing room only at UpStart Collective for the first Congressional Startup Day and the message from elected leaders, both state and federal, to entrepreneurs in the room: Get involved.
The morning featured remarks and a question-and-answer session from Oregon Rep. Janelle Bynum, Oregon Treasurer Tobias Read and U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden before about 100 founders and startup supporters.
There was agreement in the room about the innovation happening in Oregon and the potential for more, such as a boost in clean energy manufacturing tied to new federal tax credits or the growth of the semiconductor cluster through the federal CHIPS Act.
“Oregon is overwhelmingly a small business state,” Wyden said, adding that once you count Intel and its huge footprint and then five or six other companies that about covers the big corporations in that state. “I follow small businesses at the federal level because most of the policy is made for the big guys. … We need to figure out how to do things for small businesses.”
Audience questions focused on ways officials can support startups and covered building ecosystems, supporting software and AI firms and attracting angel investment.
Bynum talked about the importance of founders building relationships with their elected representatives. She reminded everyone that Oregon has a citizen Legislature and members aren’t experts in everything. She encouraged entrepreneurs to invite their representative and senator to their offices or manufacturing facilities to learn about work that their companies are doing and how Salem can support a company and its community.
“People in office deserve to represent you best. To represent you best you have to be engaged,” she said, adding that organized grassroots efforts are recognized by lawmakers.
“We have group chats. Someone will drop in the chat, is anyone else getting lots of messages from people about what trees we should be planting,” she said, or when advocacy groups show up in Salem they know who is there that day.
It also helps to understand the timing of the Legislature, she said. The groundwork for bills is often laid in even number years so when the full session happens in odd numbered years proposals can move forward faster.
Read echoed this and noted he sought these opportunities when he was in the Legislature. Once relationships are built, lawmakers know who to call when they have questions on new or emerging technology or issues, he said.
For areas like AI, Wyden said the window is now open for founders to talk to lawmakers and educate them on what their businesses are doing. Wyden — who helped write legislation that shaped the early internet — said he is already getting questions about how established legislation will apply to technology like generative AI.
“It’s important to take the time to think (AI regulations) through,” he said, adding there is great promise but also peril so taking the necessary time is required.
In a smaller gathering with members of Upstart Collective, Wyden asked founders what they would be working on if they were in his shoes. He heard comments about whether tax credit programs like Oregon IDA or the state’s film incentives could be used as models to fund economic development work like ecosystem building to support founders.
Or how federal programs could be more flexible to help people start businesses, the way that Oregon’s Unemployment program has an option to help people start a business and still receive benefits. Wyden said he was familiar with that program and noted that is how Urban Airship — now called Airship — got started.
He also fielded audience members thoughts on how the Small Business Administration could help and if it needs new or different tools.
