After all, innovation is what America has always been about. Most new jobs are created in start-ups and small businesses.”
-President Barack Obama, State of the Union Address, 1/24/12
“Startup America” is a White House initiative to celebrate, inspire, and accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship throughout the nation. This coordinated public/private effort brings together an alliance of the country’s most innovative entrepreneurs, corporations, universities, foundations, and other leaders, working in concert with a wide range of federal agencies to dramatically increase the prevalence and success of America’s entrepreneurs.
This mission to promote entrepreneurship is a core component of President Obama’s national innovation strategy for achieving sustainable growth and quality jobs. The core goals of Startup America are to increase the number and scale of new high-growth firms that are creating economic growth, innovation, and quality jobs; celebrate and honor entrepreneurship as a core American value and source of competitive advantage; and inspire and empower an ever-greater diversity of communities and individuals to build great American companies.
Overall, Startup America, through a full range of public and private initiatives, is aimed at:
•Expanding access to capital for high-growth startups throughout the country;
•Expanding entrepreneurship education and mentorship programs that empower more Americans not just to get a job, but to create jobs;
•Strengthening commercialization of the about $148 billion in annual federally-funded research and development, which can generate innovative startups and entirely new industries;
•Identifying and remove unnecessary barriers to high-growth startups; and
•Expanding collaborations between large companies and startups.
Leaders in the private-sector are working on many of these same ideas through the Startup America Partnership, an independent alliance of entrepreneurs, corporations, universities and foundations working to fuel high-growth startup companies