Empire Startup Mind, We Need a Startup Political Action Committee (PAC)

We Need a Startup Political Action Committee (PAC)

Congrats to the guys at Startup Visa. The Startup Visa Act of 2010 recently introduced in the Senate by John Kerry (D) and Richard Lugar (R) will only help create jobs in this country (here’s VentureBeat’s coverage). Some xenophobes might claim these foreigners are taken jobs that could be filled by Americans, but it’s actually the opposite. The terms of the bill means that anyone receiving a Startup Visa would actually be creating jobs instead of setting up shop abroad and creating them there.

The reason the Startup Visa Bill is only getting traction now because there’s no formal political presence dedicated to pushing the entrepreneur’s agenda. There’s the NASBIC and NVCA for investors, but those organizations are using their political muscle on tax legislation and finance regulation. While there are plenty of VC’s pushing this issue like Fred Wilson and Brad Feld, they can only do so much. The startup community needs a formal voice in Washington, which is why we need a Startup PAC.

A Startup PAC could lobby members of Congress properly, framing issues for elected officials so they are palatable to their constituents. Fiscal and small-government conservatives can be sold the Startup Visa as reducing regulation so businesses, not government, can create jobs. Elected officials in areas with high unemployment need to be convinced to support the bill openly as a way to create jobs, only bringing foreigners who will create jobs for Americans.

A Startup PAC would also able to lobby on a whole host of issues that affect startups like net-neutrality and patent trolls. It could also donate money to elected officials who support legislations that fosters entrepreneurship. Many people complain about how the government isn’t doing enough to help startups. That’s because startups need better biz-dev people in Washington to give them more of a reason to act. For that we need a well-funded PAC.

I’d appreciate any thoughts people have, just leave them in the comments. You can check out the full language of the bill below.

Startup Visa Act Final Final 1