Developed EU + UK Tour: Going Behind the Rules Shaping Funding
Decisions made in Brussels, London, and other capitals around the globe increasingly shape whether startups can raise funds, access markets, and scale worldwide. When the rules of the road aren’t clear or keep shifting, they affect product timelines, increase costs, and make investors turn away. That’s true for early-stage founders trying to get to a first raise, and it’s true for scaling teams trying to expand into new markets. ACT exists to bridge the gap between startups and scaleups [...]
The EU’s Revised TTBER and Technology Transfer Guidelines: A Step Forward, but SMEs Still Need More
On 16 April 2026, the European Commission adopted its revised Technology Transfer Block Exemption Regulation (TTBER) and Technology Transfer Guidelines (Guidelines). For ACT’s members, these Guidelines could determine the ability to license some of the patented components at the heart of technical standards like 5G, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms. Without that, Europe’s small technology businesses simply cannot compete. We appreciate the Commission’s open and collaborative process to update these guidelines. ACT and our [...]
Health and Tech Startups Join Forces in Vancouver
ACT and CABHI jointly sponsoring the largest gathering of developers and innovators in North America VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA – At Web Summit Vancouver this week May 11-14, the Association for Competitive Technology (ACT) and the Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI, powered by Baycrest) will kick off a new partnership to support North American-based startups and small health technology companies to access necessary capital, drive forward innovation, and create jobs in AI and emerging tech. “Canadian innovators [...]
Pre-Market Review of AI Is Concerning
The New York Times Reporting of the White House’s Interest Raises Red Flags for Startups and Small Tech Companies WASHINGTON, D.C. – Commenting on today’s reporting by The New York Times, Morgan Reed, president of the Association for Competitive Technology (ACT): "Appropriate oversight is reasonable, and the White House struck the balance between accountability and flexibility in its National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence. We should be relying on existing law, like the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) Unfair or Deceptive [...]
Building for Tomorrow, Today
This week we're starting a return to our official name, Association for Competitive Technology (ACT), and moving away from the unofficial moniker “the App Association” that we’ve used as shorthand to describe our membership and our work. The world is experiencing a transformative surge in technological innovation from artificial intelligence to internet of things to quantum computing. And our members have always been on the leading edge of innovation, recognizing and building for the next great field of [...]
CHATBOT Act Presents Beginnings of a Workable Protection Framework for Kids
By Empowering Parents and Narrowly Defining the Tools Covered WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today’s introduction of the CHATBOT Act by Senators Cruz, Schatz, Curtis, and Schiff represents a good faith effort to keep our kids safe when interacting with open-ended chatbots or AI companions. “The CHATBOT Act proposal is a workable start to addressing a critical issue of kids’ safety,” said Morgan Reed, president of the Association for Competitive Technology (ACT). “How many examples have we seen in the news [...]