For more than two decades, ACT | The App Association has been bringing our U.S.-based members together in Washington, D.C., for our Global App Economy Conference (GAEC), formerly known as AppCon. This annual event positions the real-world experiences of small and medium-sized tech companies at the center of the digital policy debate shaping the future of innovation. And so, it is fitting that it was held during National Small Business Week this year, a time when the whole country is recognizing 
and celebrating the outsized role small businesses play in powering the economy, creating jobs, and driving innovation.
From AI to privacy, from mergers and acquisitions (M&A) to global trade, our members’ message to Congress and the White House was clear: ensure that U.S. tech policy remains grounded in the realities and needs of small businesses in order to drive innovation and economic growth.
Don’t miss the updates from our inaugural Global App Economy Conferences in the EU and UK!
Day One: Kicking Off with Community and Context
We kicked off the week with a welcome reception and dinner, where members from across the United States came together to connect before a packed week of advocacy. Over drinks and conversation, they set the tone for what GAEC is all about: building relationships that drive real policy impact.
Day Two: Turning Business Owners Into Advocates
Preparation and practice make perfect. Through in-depth briefings and peer exchanges, our members dug into the policy issues most relevant to their businesses. From AI and data privacy to platform accountability, research and development tax relief, and standard-essential patent licensing, the App Association team of experts provided context and tips to ensure members were ready to advocate with confidence in the days ahead.
The conversations weren’t abstract; they were based on real, lived experience. Members shared firsthand how proposed policies would affect their ability to hire, scale, and innovate, laying the groundwork for powerful meetings with policymakers later in the week.
Days Three and Four: Putting Policy into Practice
Armed with insights and shared priorities from briefing day, 
our members spent the next two days bringing their perspectives directly to the people shaping policy. On day three, they headed to Capitol Hill for meetings with Members of Congress and key committee staff. These conversations spotlighted how issues like AI regulation, M&A oversight, platform accountability, and data privacy affect the real-world decisions small businesses make every day. We ended the day with a hAPPy hour reception overlooking the Capitol with our Politico partners!
On day four, we shifted focus to the executive branch, engaging directly with officials from agencies including the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and the White House, along with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Across both days, the message was clear: when small businesses’ perspectives are included early and often, thoughtful policy can become a tool for innovation, not a barrier to it.
A Platform for Impact
Across more than 80 meetings, our members consistently reminded policymakers that the rules shaped in Washington ripple far beyond the Beltway. When rules conflict, when oversight overreaches, or when small businesses are left out of the conversation, innovation slows, and opportunity disappears. But when policymakers take the time to listen, as they did throughout GAEC: U.S., regulation can become a boost to small tech innovation, not a drag on it.
To our members: thank you for showing up, speaking out, and leading with impact. To the policymakers who took the time to hear from our members: thank you for engaging with the people building what’s next. We’re just getting started.
