On December 17, the NFTC’s Global Innovation Forum hosted a breakfast and a discussion among startup, business and policy communities about the rise of engagement by startups and small businesses in the transatlantic marketplace and the policy frameworks that can enable their global journeys. The discussion featured a keynote conversation between the Honorable David O’Sullivan, Ambassador of the European Union to the United States of America, and Thomas Miller, Diplomatic and Global Business Lead, Bloomberg BNA.
The Global Innovation Forum’s Jake Colvin moderated a separate conversation with Brian Bieron, Executive Director of the Public Policy Lab at eBay Inc.; John Gossart, Cofounder and Chief Operating Officer of GoodWorld and an original partner at Ridescout; Michele Lynch, Public Policy & Government Affairs Manager, Diplomatic Relations, Google; and Brandon Pollak. Director, Global Affairs, 1776.
The discussion covered a range of issues, from the increasing participation of startups in the transatlantic marketplace to the role of policy levers such as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), Safe Harbor and the Digital Single Market in enabling startups to succeed globally. Ambassador O’Sullivan mentioned a European proposal in TTIP to create a one-stop web platform to highlight opportunities for companies to do business across the Atlantic.
As Bloomberg BNA reported, Ambassador O’Sullivan also mentioned that he is “a bit worried, frankly, by the visa waiver discussion” in the 2016 spending bill discussions, emphasizing the need to maintain an open transatlantic marketplace for travelers.
Takeaways from the discussion are available online.