Startup America

Startup America
Name	Startup America
Formation	2011
Dissolved	2012
Type	Public–private partnership
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Area served	United States
Founder	White House
Parent organization	Office of the President of the United States

Startup America was a United States national initiative launched in 2011 to accelerate high‑growth entrepreneurship through a network of private partners, nonprofit organizations, philanthropic foundations, and federal offices. The initiative aimed to leverage resources from influential technology firms, investment groups, and academic institutions to create mentorship, funding, and policy attention for new ventures. Startup America operated as a short‑term catalytic effort tied to a broader set of executive branch priorities and private sector campaigns.

Overview

Startup America was presented as a coalition that pooled expertise from major technology companies, venture capital firms, nonprofit accelerators, and research universities to support early‑stage firms. Key participants included prominent firms and institutions such as Google, Facebook, Intel, Microsoft, Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Y Combinator, Techstars, Kauffman Foundation, and MIT. The initiative sought to connect nascent companies with angel investors, incubators, and high‑profile entrepreneurs including executives from Twitter, LinkedIn, Dropbox, and Yelp.

History

The effort was announced in 2011 during an administration focused on economic recovery and innovation policy, drawing on advisers from Council of Economic Advisers, National Economic Council, and senior staff in the White House Office. Early organizers worked alongside leaders from Silicon Valley firms, veteran venture capitalists, and nonprofit organizations such as Startup Weekend and Entrepreneurs' Organization. The initiative ran public launch events in cities like San Francisco, New York City, Boston, Austin, Texas, and Chicago, and coordinated local chapters with chambers of commerce and state economic development agencies. Activity declined after 2012 as federal attention shifted to other priorities and partner organizations absorbed program elements.

Goals and Initiatives

Startup America articulated goals including increasing startup formation rates, improving access to mentorship and seed capital, promoting entrepreneurial education at universities, and streamlining connections between startups and corporate partners. Initiatives included mentorship networks drawing on executives from Oracle Corporation, Apple Inc., and IBM, investment matchmaking featuring angel groups such as Tech Coast Angels and Band of Angels, and partnerships with research institutions like Stanford University, Harvard University, University of California, Berkeley, and Carnegie Mellon University. The initiative also emphasized events and competitions tied to organizations like SXSW, South by Southwest, Collision Conference, and TechCrunch Disrupt.

Organizational Structure and Partners

Although launched from the executive branch, the initiative relied heavily on private partners and nonprofit intermediaries for execution. Strategic partners included venture capital firms (Kleiner Perkins, Bessemer Venture Partners), accelerator programs (500 Startups), philanthropic groups (Rockefeller Foundation, Ford Foundation), and nonprofit entrepreneurship advocates (National Venture Capital Association, National Association of Small Business Owners). Coordination involved staff from the Small Business Administration and policy advisors from the Department of Commerce, while many local chapters partnered with municipal offices such as the Office of Mayor of New York City and state economic development corporations.

Impact and Criticism

Supporters credited the initiative with raising visibility for entrepreneurship, catalyzing mentorship programs, and fostering connections that helped startups secure early funding from entities like Union Square Ventures and Benchmark Capital. Critics argued the initiative had limited measurable outcomes, citing a lack of rigorous evaluation by organizations such as Brookings Institution and activists from Public Knowledge. Others noted uneven geographic reach, with more resources flowing to established hubs like Silicon Valley and New York City rather than midsize and rural regions represented by cities such as Cleveland and Detroit. Debates also involved intellectual property concerns raised by academics at Stanford Law School and critics from Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Notable Programs and Events

Notable affiliated programs included mentorship networks featuring entrepreneurs from PayPal, eBay, and Square; accelerator and fellowship linkages with MassChallenge, Launchpad, and university entrepreneurship centers at University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University; and public forums hosted during TechCrunch Disrupt and TED Conference. High‑profile events brought together investors from firms like Accel Partners and Greylock Partners with founders from companies later backed by Sequoia Capital and Andreessen Horowitz.

Legacy and Successor Efforts

Although the original coordination wound down, many partner organizations continued entrepreneurial programming, and lessons informed later public–private entrepreneurship efforts. Successor activities included state and municipal startup initiatives, accelerator expansion by groups like Y Combinator and Techstars, and philanthropic investments from entities such as Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Policy conversations advanced by the initiative echoed in later federal and private initiatives involving the Department of Commerce and new coalitions linking universities, investors, and accelerator networks.

Category:Entrepreneurship