On Wednesday, we officially launched our first webinar in our series: #DSA4startups! On this occasion we took a deep dive in the Dutch startup ecosystem. The Netherlands is a leading tech player in the European Union, a flourishing startup ecosystems in its own right. For that reason, identifying what works and upgrading what could be …
Startups
May 14, 2020
1 step forward, 2 steps back? Why automated content filtering (still) doesn’t work for startups
Just because startups provide leading innovation in the fight against COVID-19 does not mean they can magically make automated content filters work. After making the hard-learnt lesson that content filters don’t work, we ask policy makers to not take 2 steps back and ask startup entrepreneurs to figure it out anyway. Instead, we encourage taking …
Covid 19 DTX Startups
May 6, 2020
COVID-19 & digital health startups: an overview
Digital solutions are playing a vital role in supporting health care systems and people around the world throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and the recovery. We talked to several digital health startups’ founders who are providing innovative solutions to support health care providers, reduce the spread of the virus and increase the accessibility of health services: …
Covid 19 Policy
April 28, 2020
Why should governments support startups in the economic downturn?
As COVID-19 spreads across the world and countries declare national lockdowns, economies suffer. The COVID-19 outbreak is an unprecedented crisis and its consequences will hit all sectors of the economy. While startups are adaptable, resilient economic actors, they are also inherently smaller and have fewer resources. We are happy to see that governments across Europe …
DSA 4 Startups Policy
April 17, 2020
Making the Digital Services Act 4 Startups
The Allied for Startups Team is embarking on a mission to make the upcoming Digital Services Act startup-friendly! Our mission is to bring the voices of startup entrepreneurs and ecosystem builders to EU policy makers with the goal of co-creating rules that empower startups. We believe that the Digital Services Act is an opportunity to …
Covid 19 DTX
April 16, 2020
Startups can merge innovation & mental health to provide well-being
The unprecedented COVID-19 health crisis is overwhelming health care systems around the world. During times like these, it is particularly important to take advantage of all means available to implement solutions that help curb the loss of lives and empower the health workers to carry out their work. Concerns related to mental health are also …
Covid 19 Open Letter
April 3, 2020
Joint Letter from Startup Communities on COVID-19
Dear President of the European Commission, Dear Ms. von der Leyen, We, the undersigned representatives of startup communities, call on you to give startups a central role in your solutions to the COVID-19 outbreak, to support startups through the difficult economic situation in the short run and to make startups central to your plans for …
DSA 4 Startups
March 27, 2020
The Digital Services Act: An opportunity for startups and users
Preventing the dissemination of illegal content online has been high on the agenda of the European Commission and European Member States. The Hate Speech laws in France or the NetzDG in Germany are two examples that show it is time for Europe to implement a harmonised intermediary liability regime. The upcoming Digital Services Act will …
Covid 19 Policy Press Release
March 23, 2020
PRESS RELEASE: Governments should support startups in the covid-19 economic downturn
[Brussels, 23 March 2020, contact: [email protected]] Allied for Startups encourages governments and international organizations to take measures to support startups in the ensuing COVID-19 economic downturn. The health and safety of citizens during these difficult times should be the priority of governments and startups. Looking into the future, an economic downturn is foreseeable. Startups have …
Tax
March 19, 2020
Why the WTO moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions matters for startups
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) members passed a moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions in 1998. Over the years, the moratorium has ensured a flourishing and interconnected digital economy in which startups have been and remain the main characters. The moratorium is usually renewed every 2 years at the WTO Ministerial Conference. Unfortunately, in …