The 2026 Midterms Are Coming, What Do America’s Startup Founders Want To See?

The US midterm elections are fast approaching, and while it’s probably fair to expect that most (or at least, a great deal) of the political conversation will inevitably revolve around who gains or loses control of Congress and predictions for the overall results of the vote, the question we’re most interested in is what the people actually building businesses want to see happen.

The 2026 midterms are scheduled for 3 November, with congressional elections taking place as they do every two years. There’s no presidential election this year, but the make-up of Congress could still have significant implications for the policy environment businesses operate in. Never mind the fact that Congress will (and already does) influence the political state of affairs which will also have continued influence on businesses in the US.

For startups, though, this isn’t necessarily about red versus blue or or predicting which party will come out on top. Rather, it’s about far more more practical considerations, like what happens to regulation, investment, infrastructure, trade, AI, energy and access to capital?

So, rather than trying to predict the outcome alongside everybody else, we asked startup founders and business leaders what they actually want from the next Congress.

 

Predictability and Stability May Be At the Top of the List

 

Perhaps the most consistent theme among the founders we spoke to was less about particular political ideologies and more about a theme that’s objectively less exciting: predictability. Less exciting, but definitely not unimportant, especially considering how completely unpredictable US policies (not to mention the president himself) have been during this term. Indeed, pretty much the only thing that’s been predictable is that people want more predictability…

Marco Maggiore, Chief Strategy Officer at Ship Your Car Now, says he wants to see “predictability and practical support for startups”, particularly in an environment where regulations, trade policies and business costs can make long-term planning difficult.

That sentiment is echoed by several of the other experts. The common sentiment here is that businesses can deal with rules, even relatively demanding ones, as long as they know what those rules are and can plan around them. Seems like a pretty reasonable and straightforward requirement, right?

For a startup, these things are of the utmost importance if they want to ensure their own stability and success (or, at the very least, survival). A large corporation might have the money and manpower to absorb changing compliance requirements, but a five-person company has considerably less room to manoeuvre.

Igor Ivitskiy, Founder of Doctor Ads, puts the problem particularly bluntly. He argues that small businesses can end up paying the price when different states introduce their own privacy and AI disclosure requirements, creating multiple compliance regimes for essentially the same activity. His preferred solution is a single federal standard.

Gavi Shohet Zabin, Founder of SRND AI, makes a similar argument. He isn’t calling for a regulatory vacuum, but rather clear national rules based on actual risk, arguing that investors can price strict regulations more easily than they can price uncertainty.

And perhaps that’s the most interesting bit in this debate. The founders aren’t necessarily asking Washington to just get out of the way, but rather, they’re asking the powers that be to simply make the road ahead easier to see and navigate.

 

 

Clarify Rules In AI Regulation

 

AI inevitably sits somewhere near the centre of this conversation, as it does in pretty much all conversations we’re having these days. The technology is developing rapidly (and showing no sign of slowing down), while policymakers are still working out how existing laws and new rules should apply to everything from data and privacy to automated decision-making and AI-generated content. In fact, to be perfectly blunt, policymakers are trailing behind innovators, tripping over their own feet trying to keep up with constantly changing technology.

And for startups, that creates a particularly awkward balancing act. Regulation can provide important protections for consumers and businesses, but if requirements become fragmented or overly difficult to navigate, smaller companies could find themselves competing against larger firms with substantially bigger legal and compliance teams. This is even more complicated when regulation is imposed after the technology has already moved on, making it difficult to comply with and sometimes even almost entirely irrelevant.

Ivitskiy argues that fragmented regulation can, effectively, become a competitive advantage for incumbents because smaller companies have fewer resources to deal with multiple sets of requirements. Zabin takes a similar position, arguing that responsible AI startups need rules they can actually build around. His point isn’t that AI should be unregulated, but that if the rules are going to be strict, businesses need to know what those rules are.

So, if Congress does turn its attention towards AI policy following the midterms, which it certainly might, the question for startups may not just be about more or less regulation, but whether or not regulation is or even can be clear enough to work at all.

 

From AI To Actual Infrastructure

 

Of course, the technology sector doesn’t exist entirely in the cloud. Some of the founders we spoke to are concerned with something far more more tangible: the infrastructure needed to build the next generation of American businesses.

Clayton Stockdall, Chief Operations Officer at DFW Movers & Erectors, argues that startups should expect greater pressure to demonstrate that they can actually deploy technology rather than simply produce impressive demos. He wants the next Congress to focus on areas including faster permitting, workforce training, domestic manufacturing capacity and predictable tax treatment for equipment investment.

Dhyey Patel, Founder and President of Lotcha Labs, similarly is hoping to see more support for startups that are helping modernise American manufacturing. His argument is that early-stage companies may have the technology to solve manufacturing problems, but moving from product development to commercial scale can require significant upfront capital.

So at this point, the question people are beginning to ask is, if the US wants to strengthen domestic manufacturing and reduce reliance on overseas supply chains, doesn’t it also need to make it easier for smaller technology companies to become part of that ecosystem? Patel seems to believe that the answer is yes.

 

Energy And The Cost Of Building

 

The same issue appears in the energy sector. Whitaker Irvin Jr., CEO and Co-Founder of Q Hydrogen, wants the regulatory process to move faster, especially when it comes to energy infrastructure. He points to significant differences in permitting timelines between states and argues that delays can influence where infrastructure investment ultimately goes.

His argument is essentially that bureaucracy has a physical cost. If it takes months or years to get an energy project through the relevant processes, businesses can’t simply pretend that delay doesn’t exist. It can affect investment decisions, jobs and the speed at which new infrastructure comes online.

Meanwhile, Seymen Usta, Founder and CEO of Modern Chandelier, is looking at the issue from the perspective of a small business that’s dealing with tariffs and shipping costs. For Usta, the priority is more immediate in terms of reducing the pressure on small businesses and making it easier for independent companies to access affordable financing.

This is becoming a recurring theme here. Whether a company is building AI software, manufacturing technology, moving vehicles or selling home products, the underlying concerns aren’t necessarily all that different.

 

What Happens After November?

 

It’s tempting to look at the midterms as a simple question of who wins and who loses, but for America’s startup ecosystem, the more relevant question may be about what happens afterwards. If Congress moves towards clearer national standards for AI, privacy and emerging technologies, startups could potentially benefit from having a more predictable and stable regulatory environment. If regulation becomes more fragmented or uncertain, however, smaller companies may find themselves spending more time navigating compliance and less time building products.

If lawmakers prioritise domestic manufacturing, energy infrastructure and workforce development, technology startups operating in those areas could potentially find more opportunities to scale. If access to capital remains difficult or business costs continue to rise, founders may instead find themselves becoming increasingly cautious about hiring, investment and expansion.

And then there’s always the possibility that very little will change at all. For many founders, that might be almost as significant as a dramatic policy shift. Businesses can plan around a stable environment, even when that environment isn’t perfect; after all, constant change is considerably harder to manage.

So maybe what America’s startup founders want from the 2026 midterms is surprisingly simple. They want to know what the rules are, how much it will cost to follow them and whether they’re going to have enough room to actually build something worthwhile.

 

Our Experts

 

• Clayton Stockdall: Chief Operations Officer at DFW Movers & Erectors
• Dale Gremillion: Senior Loan Officer and Producing Branch Manager at Capital Home Mortgage Arizona
• Dhyey Patel: Founder and President at Lotcha Labs
• Seymen Usta: Founder and CEO at Modern Chandelier
• Marco Maggiore: Chief Strategy Officer at Ship Your Car Now
• Whitaker Irvin Jr.: CEO and Co-Founder, Q Hydrogen
• Igor Ivitskiy: Founder of Doctor Ads
• Gavi Shohet Zabin: Founder of SRND AI

 

Clayton Stockdall, Chief Operations Officer at DFW Movers & Erectors

 

 

“Startups should expect more pressure to prove they can deploy, not just demo. When COVID hit, the companies that survived were the ones that protected cash, kept crews safe, and adapted fast. That same lesson applies to tech: profitability, operational discipline, and resilient supply chains are going to matter more than hype. I’d like the next Congress to prioritize faster permitting, workforce training, domestic manufacturing capacity, and predictable tax treatment for equipment investment.

“If you want robotics, energy, AI infrastructure, or advanced manufacturing to scale, the physical layer has to be easier to build. On regulation, I’d rather see clear national rules than a patchwork that forces startups to spend like big companies just to comply. Good rules should raise the floor on safety and transparency without making it impossible for smaller firms to compete.”

 

Dale Gremillion, Senior Loan Officer and Producing Branch Manager at Capital Home Mortgage Arizona

 

 

“I’d expect the results to matter most where policy touches credit availability and compliance. If regulation gets clearer, fintech, proptech, construction lending, and alternative-income underwriting startups can move faster; if it gets vague or politicized, capital gets cautious.

“One real example: self-employed borrowers often look weak on tax returns because of legal write-offs, even when the business cash flow is strong. Congress should modernize rules around P&L, bank-statement, and other verified income documentation so founders and contractors aren’t treated like edge cases. I’d like to see the next Congress prioritize data portability, faster identity/income verification, clearer non-QM lending standards, and small-business capital formation. Good regulation should punish fraud, not make legitimate borrowers and startups spend all their oxygen proving they exist.”

 

Dhyey Patel, Founder and President at Lotcha Labs

 

 

“As a startup building tools that support American manufacturing, I’d like to see steps making it easier for startups to help modernize and strengthen domestic production. Early-stage companies often have the technology and ideas to solve real manufacturing challenges, but getting from product development to commercial scale can require significant upfront capital. More funding and incentives for startups developing tools, technologies, and infrastructure that enable U.S. manufacturers to become more efficient and competitive could have a meaningful impact.

“I’d also like to see continued investment in the broader American manufacturing ecosystem, so startups have opportunities to build alongside established manufacturers rather than relying on overseas supply chains. Moreover, supporting the companies that make American manufacturing stronger is an investment in innovation, jobs, and long-term economic resilience.”

 

Seymen Usta, Founder and CEO at Modern Chandelier

 

 

“As a small business owner, the most critical priority in the next Congress should be relief on the cost side. Tariffs and shipping costs have had a damaging impact on design and home business owners, which gets passed on to the consumer in the form of higher prices. I wish to see policies that will promote the growth of small manufacturers and importers, not just big companies. Small businesses need access to cheap business loans.

“For a studio such as mine to grow, we need to invest in inventory and people without high-interest rates. Congress needs to make it easier and more cost-effective for small independent businesses to thrive and operate.”

 

Marco Maggiore, Chief Strategy Officer at Ship Your Car Now 

 

 

“I’m hoping Congress puts more focus on predictability and practical support for startups. From my perspective in the auto and transportation industry, one of the biggest challenges is trying to build long-term plans while regulations, trade policies, and business costs keep shifting. I’d like to see lawmakers create clearer rules around emerging technologies, including AI and EVs, without making it harder for smaller companies to compete.

“Access to capital is another big one. Many startups have strong ideas but struggle to get the funding needed to turn those ideas into real businesses and jobs. I’d also like Congress to look at ways to reduce unnecessary red tape for small and growing companies. Founders don’t need special treatment; we need a stable environment where we can invest, hire, take risks and build for the long term.”

 

Whitaker Irvin Jr., CEO and Co-Founder, Q Hydrogen

 

 

“What I want from the next Congress is a regulatory process that moves at the speed of the problem. Some states can permit a new energy project in four to six weeks. Others take six to twelve months or longer. That variance is quietly determining where billions in infrastructure investment flows, and it is costing communities jobs, clean energy access, and economic development while the paperwork catches up.

“Beyond permitting, the innovation investment needs to go toward technologies that don’t depend on the grid to function. Turbines are on a 10-to-15-year waitlist. The answer has to include bringing old assets back online faster, with minimal modifications, as clean generation. The founders I talk to are not asking for handouts. They are asking for a process that moves at the speed of the problem.”

 

Igor Ivitskiy, Founder of Doctor Ads

 

 

“What I want from the 2026 elections is a Congress that ships one rule instead of fifty. My company works inside American ad platforms every day for US advertisers, and what slows small advertisers down is not a strict law, it is a patchwork of state privacy and AI disclosure rules that each want a slightly different consent flow, retention window and label.

“Compliance is a fixed cost, so every extra version of the same rule is a tax that a company with a legal team barely notices and a five-person startup pays in full. Fragmented regulation sounds friendly to small business and works as a moat for incumbents. My ask of the new Congress is one federal standard, even a demanding one, written around how data and AI output are used rather than around which model produced them.”

 

Gavi Shohet Zabin, Founder of SRND AI

 

 

“I built SRND AI because, as an independent artist, I was spending more time running the work around my career than making music. That shapes what I want from the next Congress: rules that protect people without making responsible startups impossible to build. If AI uses someone’s data or acts for them, permission, human approval, an audit trail, and accountability should be non-negotiable. But those rules should be national and based on actual risk.

“A small company should not need a different legal playbook in every state while the largest platforms absorb the cost with armies of lawyers. I don’t want a regulatory vacuum. I need a rulebook we can build around. Clear standards would protect users, let responsible startups compete, and make investment risk easier to understand. Investors can price strict rules. What they cannot price is a moving target.”