Public Policy Archives - National Venture Capital Association

Category: Public Policy

NIH is the World’s Largest Early Stage Life Sciences Investor That You Didn’t Know About

blog, Life Science, Public Policy July 11, 2019/by Charlotte Savercool

What can NIH offer to NVCA member firm’s life science portfolio companies? How can you get access to NIH funded companies? Since when does NIH have Entrepreneurs in Residence? Check out the answers to these questions and more in our first Q&A session with NIH investment executives, Dr. Ethel Rubin and John Sullivan. To cultivate the relationship between NIH and NVCA members, Ethel and John will be publishing a variety of Q&A sessions on topics such as NIH non-dilutive funding, resources open to investors, recent VC deals from their portfolio, and more. Read more

VCs Advocate for Startup Policy at VCs-to-DC

blog, Events, Public Policy June 19, 2019/by Jeff Farrah

As the entrepreneurial ecosystem and D.C. continue to intersect more and more, it’s crucial that VCs and startups engage with policymakers on policies and ideas that impact America’s startup industry.

Recently, NVCA brought the ecosystem and D.C. together at our annual VCs-to-DC event. VCs-to-DC convened VCs, founders, and policymakers in our nation’s capital to take part in conversations on policy issues to strengthen the U.S. startup environment. Read more

5 Reasons You Shouldn’t Miss VCs-to-DC

blog, Events, Public Policy May 21, 2019/by Jeff Farrah

Less than three weeks away, VCs-to-DC is the annual policy summit that convenes venture investors, entrepreneurs, and policymakers to take part in conversations on policy issues to strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

VCs-to-DC provides must-see content to understand how Washington is impacting venture and startups.

Here are 5 big reasons you should come to VCs-to-DC on June 5 and 6:
Read more

VCs and Opportunity Zones

blog, Public Policy, Taxes February 19, 2019/by Justin Field

Recently, we had the pleasure of hosting Navin Sethi with Ernst & Young LLP on a webinar to discuss the new Opportunity Zones program created by the recent tax cut law (if you missed it, click here for a recording). Navin frequently counsels wealth and asset management firms on partnership tax matters as well as providing guidance on how Opportunity Zones can apply to venture capital investments.

The goal of the Opportunity Zones program is to drive more investment in underserved areas. Because venture capital investment is critical to economic growth and opportunity, our intent is to explore how compatible Opportunity Zones are to the startup investment model. This post will build off the great content we got from the webinar, provide a brief overview of the program, and go through some frequently asked questions from NVCA membership. Read more

9 for 2019: NVCA Quarterly Update

blog, Public Policy, Research, VentureForward January 31, 2019/by Bobby Franklin

Immigration Policy Isn’t Working for the Economy. Let’s Fix That.

blog, Immigration, Public Policy January 31, 2019/by Jeff Farrah

Policymakers are constantly looking for ways to boost economic growth. They tweak the tax code, write and rewrite regulations, and deploy a variety of other tools at their disposal. But one underutilized tool is immigration policy; specifically immigration policy that facilitates the creation of new companies, which research shows is the true growth engine of the economy. The best part is it won’t cost the federal government one red cent. Read more

Should VCs Care What the Government Considers “Emerging Technology”?

blog, Public Policy December 20, 2018/by Jeff Farrah

TL; DR: YES.

Okay, for those of you still with me: I’ve previously written about foreign investment scrutiny and its impact on the venture and startup ecosystem, including how the legislative process played out, how the new pilot program rules impact VCs, and what to expect next. In a nutshell, earlier this year Congress greatly expanded the authority of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS) to examine foreign investment deals for national security implications. Through the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (FIRRMA), Congress gave CFIUS the authority to review minority, non-controlling investments by a foreign person into U.S. critical technology companies. Read more

We Need to Update the Definition of a VC, Here’s Why

blog, Capital Formation & Regulation, Public Policy December 17, 2018/by Justin Field

Last week, NVCA sent a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) offering recommendations for how the agency could modernize the definition of “venture capital fund” to more accurately reflect the industry as it looks today. Why is this important? Because this definition governs which private funds can be Exempt Reporting Advisors (ERAs) and which must register with the SEC as Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs). Read more

CFIUS Head Sat Down with NVCA Members. Here’s What We Learned

blog, Public Policy November 27, 2018/by Jeff Farrah

VCs and entrepreneurs continue to be impacted by new foreign investment scrutiny. In August, the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (FIRRMA) delivered enhanced powers to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS), a U.S. government entity that has been called the “ultimate regulatory bazooka” for its ability to reject foreign investment for national security reasons. Recently, NVCA members and startups heard from CFIUS leaders at our Emerging Technology Meets National Security conference. That included the Treasury Department’s Heath Tarbert, who leads FIRRMA implementation and has a major role in how the new powers will impact the venture industry going forward. Read more

Let Banks Invest in Venture Capital Funds Once Again

blog, Capital Formation & Regulation, Public Policy, Regulation & Best Practices November 15, 2018/by Charlotte Savercool

NVCA is working to allow banks to invest in venture capital funds again. As part of this effort, we recently filed a comment letter proposing two solutions for how the various federal agencies can accomplish this priority while still adhering to the broader goals of the Volcker Rule. Through this post, our aim is to share some background on the current regulation and provide an overview of what our proposal seeks to accomplish and why.

Before the Volcker Rule became the law of the land, banks served as an important source of capital for venture capital funds, particularly for smaller funds in emerging startup ecosystems. Read more

NVCA Member Spotlight: Material Impact

blog, Ecosystems January 22, 2020/by Cassie Ann Hodges

Welcome to our Member Spotlight series where we give a profile overview of our many diverse members. For this deep dive, we spoke to Adam Sharkawy, Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Material Impact.

NVCA Member Spotlight: Mercury Fund

blog, Ecosystems January 6, 2020/by Cassie Ann Hodges

Welcome to our Member Spotlight series where we give a profile overview of our many diverse members. For this deep dive, we spoke to Aziz Gilani, Managing Director at Mercury Fund.