Loop & TieAustin, TX
A free and open internet has enabled the worldwide growth of ideas, business and equality. The internet gives a voice to marginalized groups, and allows small business to compete side by side with established business. Without net neutrality, startups will lose the ability to fairly compete. A free and open internet has exponentially decreased the cost of starting a company. Companies like Dropbox, Shopify, Zapier, Slack and Google make it easy to cobble together the parts a tech entrepreneur needs to validate an idea with limited budget. Consumers and society have been well served by the innovation this has engendered. Limited access to ideas, products and services reduces the pace of innovation and change, favors incumbents and has a disproportionately negative effect on entities without significant capital. Our company would have had no chance to start and compete with established ecommerce players were it not for a free and open internet. Over 65,000 people have received gifts through our platform and we have been able to create permanent jobs and new customers for small businesses across the US. We have positively impacted over 300 artisans and makers by bringing them access to new customers.