Right to Start: Advancing entrepreneurship as a civic priority across the United States

Our programs

Right to Start is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that seeks to expand entrepreneurial opportunity for all, driving civic change through grassroots organizing, policy engagement, and lifting the voices of entrepreneurs through storytelling.

How Right to Start works to strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem

  • Entrepreneurs are powerful engines of local economic growth — creating jobs, attracting investment, and generating community wealth that supports schools, infrastructure, and social services. 
  • Yet while many Americans have promising business ideas, far fewer take the leap to launch a company. And even fewer grow successfully. One major reason? Systemic policy and regulatory barriers that make entrepreneurship harder than it should be.
  • Right to Start is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to expand entrepreneurial opportunity by driving civic change through grassroots mobilization, policy advocacy, and strategic storytelling that channels the perspectives of entrepreneurs into public dialogue and policy change.

Program overview

Our work together

Right to Start, with support from Mastercard Strive USA, is strengthening the policy environment for entrepreneurship—mobilizing local voices, civic leaders, and public support to create a fairer playing field for small business.

  • Building grassroots coalitions: Together, we’re expanding Right to Start’s network of grassroots organizers to connect directly with entrepreneurs, surface key barriers, and rally public engagement through meetups, roundtables, petitions, and community events.
  • Amplifying entrepreneurial perspectives: Right to Start is advancing bold, narrative-driven communications that highlight the real-world friction entrepreneurs face. Through newsletters, social media, and media outreach, their campaigns lift up firsthand experiences and spur public awareness.
  • Engaging policymakers and civic leaders: Civic ambassadors are helping build relationships with policymakers and community influencers—bridging the gap between local entrepreneurial insight and policy change.

By the numbers

  • Since its founding in 2020, Right to Start has engaged over 4,000 entrepreneurs and small business owners, over 3,700 community supporters, and over 525 civic leaders and policymakers. 
  • 22 state legislatures and numerous cities and communities have introduced over 60 bills and other policies based on Right to Start’s policy recommendations.

When entrepreneurs rise, we all rise. Mastercard Strive USA’s support amplifies and accelerates Right to Start’s impact, enabling us to expand our reach, deepen engagement, and drive lasting change across four U.S. states.

Victor W. Hwang

Founder and CEO, Right to Start

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