Association for Competitive Technology

06/18/2026

Google I/O 2026 showcased incredible product innovations—from generative UI and mini apps to information agents. These updates offer small business developers expanded surface area to build, scale, and reach new consumers.

But for tech policy observers, a massive shadow looms over these advancements: the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA). Under the DMA's strict "self-preferencing" prohibitions (Article 6(5)), providing advanced features on top of core platform services could open up developers to heavy regulatory barriers and spark prolonged investigations.

This serves as a stark warning for U.S. policymakers, especially following the reintroduction of similar legislation like AICOA. If you want consumers and developers to benefit from cutting-edge innovation, European-style mandates will only defeat that purpose.

Read our Google I/O recap:

  A few weeks ago, I traveled to Mountain View for my first ever in-person Google I/O experience. The presentations included live demonstrations and concrete examples illustrating how updates across a wide range of Google services will meaningfully benefit small businesses and consumers. The event ...

06/18/2026

A startup track panel at TechNExt, one final rooftop mixer in Newcastle, and England’s first win in the World Cup is the perfect way to close the Developed: UK Tour 🚀⚽️

ACT joined TechNExt in Durham for a panel with some of our local North East members, digging into what they’re building, what makes the region stand out, and what startups need to keep growing here.

Then we headed to A Byte in the Sun with Silicon Mingle at The Grove in Byker, bringing together founders, engineers, developers, and independent app makers from across the North East for BBQ, drinks, and proper community conversation.

🗓️ After a month on the road, this was the right final chapter: local insight, regional pride, good people, and a strong reminder that startup communities thrive when there is space to connect.

Huge thanks to TechNExt, Silicon Mingle, our North East members, and everyone who joined us.

06/17/2026

What happens in California rarely stays in California—especially when it comes to technology policy.

The state’s proposed COMPETE Act (AB 1776) claims to protect competition and support small businesses. In practice, it does the exact opposite. By replacing predictable competition rules with a vague, untested state-specific liability framework, AB 1776 strips away critical safeguards like market-power thresholds and familiar limiting principles.

Startups compete by moving fast and leveraging the bundled services that platforms provide to reduce costs and help them scale. This bill casts a dark legal cloud over those ordinary growth strategies.

Our latest blog breaks down why the COMPETE Act represents a dangerous shift toward antitrust overreach that will ultimately hurt small business innovators: https://actonline.org/2026/06/05/californias-compete-act-is-the-latest-sign-of-a-broader-antitrust-push-against-the-tech-ecosystem/
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  California’s technology policy choices rarely stay in California. That is especially true when lawmakers target the platforms, tools, and increasingly the AI-enabled services that many startups and small businesses rely on every day. That is why AB 1776, the COMPETE Act, has taken on such impor...

06/17/2026

The Leeds stop on the Developed: UK Tour featured daytime startup spotlights and rooftop community conversations 📈

ACT joined forces with member company SHOO Social Media for a Startup Growth Showcase at Leeds School of Arts, where local founders, tech experts, and ecosystem leaders shared what they’re building, the tools and strategies helping them grow, and how they’re contributing to the Leeds tech scene💡

After the showcase, we kept the good vibes going at our mixer on the roof over pizza, pints, and more time to chat & connect 🌆

Huge thank you to SHOO Social Media for co-hosting with us, Leeds School of Arts for having us, and everyone who joined us!!

06/16/2026

Milton Keynes roll call 🚀 ACT brought together local startups, founders, and ecosystem leaders for a Developed: UK mixer, followed by a roundtable the next day with Emily Darlington MP.

Across both events, chats focused on what makes Milton Keynes a great place to build, and how local government and Parliament can help create the conditions for more startup and small tech companies to start, grow, and stay rooted in the community.

That kind of local insight is exactly what the Developed: UK Tour is designed to carry forward into broader conversations about UK innovation, competitiveness, and growth💡🎯 Thank you to our members, Emily Darlington MP, and everyone who joined us in Milton Keynes!

In or around Leeds? Join us at our showcase or mixer, link in the comments 🔗

06/15/2026

🥽 When it comes to patent trolls, it’s often the smallest teams that take the biggest hits.

“There’s a cost… if you use the money to go to court you’re not hiring an employee, you’re not developing a product, or you’re not advertising your product.” -BadVR co-founder, Suzanne Borders

SEPs were a major focus at GAEC US last month, and the conversation doesn’t stop there. Whether in the US, UK, EU, or other countries, we continue to fight for FRAND-ly SEP policies around the world.

Learn more about BadVR below 👇

06/11/2026

The American Innovation and Choice Online Act (AICOA) threatens to grind America's thriving tech ecosystem and economy to a halt. By mimicking the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA), this bill will disproportionately burden U.S. tech leaders and threaten the livelihoods of small developers who rely on integrated platform tools to compete. Our research shows that importing European-style regulations will have devastating consequences for the app economy:

Product Launch Delays: Nearly 60% of EU and UK developers have already reported launch delays directly tied to over-regulation.

Stifled AI Innovation: Small tech firms lose an estimated $109,000 to $375,000 annually per firm due to regulatory delays in AI model access and stalled features.

Increased Costs & Barriers: Small developers depend on integrated services for security, fraud prevention, and global distribution.

AICOA will raise costs and increase legal uncertainty for the very startups it claims to help. We sent a coalition letter to Congress urging a complete rejection of European-style regulation:

  WASHINGTON, DC – In a joint letter led by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) and the Association for Competitive Technology (ACT), a coalition of more than 30 organizations and individuals is urging Congress to reject the American Innovation and Choice Online Act (AICOA...

06/11/2026

📈 Thank you, London!!

📍Stop number 4 on the Developed: UK Tour kicked off in Parliament, where ACT members had the chance to demo what they’re building and speak directly with people from the House of Commons and House of Lords as they dropped in throughout the day.

🍻 Then we kept the good vibes going at our Tech Community Mixer for folks in town for London Tech Week 📈 It was great to bring together policymakers and folks across the UK tech ecosystem for a few pints, great chats, and yes, dinosaur stamps 😎

In or around ? Join us on stop number 5 tonight! Link in comments to RSVP ⬇️

06/10/2026

What happens when AI ambitions meet startup reality? 🚀

That was the heart of our Developed: UK stop in Manchester, where we teamed up with the awesome folks at Silicon Mingle for a happy hour + panel discussion on AI innovation, growth, and the policy questions shaping the digital economy.

Sending a huge thanks to our amazing speakers, the team at Silicon Mingle, and everyone who joined us for a brilliant evening in Manchester! Next up: London for a Drop in Day and happy hour during ! Link in the comments to join us tonight 👀

06/10/2026

🎥 Four cities. Munich, Vilnius, Warsaw, and Dublin. One thing constant across them all: the talent and ambition are here, but friction is what holds the next wave back.

Watch the recap of below! ⬇️