Silicon Valley's new immigration offensive: A 'virtual march on Washington'
http://www.marchforinnovation.com/
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Partnership for a New American Economy is launching a "virtual march on Washington"for immigration reform in partnership with Silicon Valley companies and venture capitalists.
In a new bi-coastal push for federal immigration reform geared toward highly skilled foreign workers, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg[6] is uniting with Silicon Valley business leaders for an upcoming "virtual march on Washington."
This April, a coalition of business leaders coordinated by Bloomberg's foundation, Partnership for a New American Economy, will launch an online education offensive encouraging people to contact legislators about the need for reform. Social media will be key to the push, with Facebook and Twitter helping to facilitate the event, said John Feinblatt[7], Bloomberg's chief policy adviser and head of the Partnership for a New American Economy.
Silicon Valley venture capitalist Mike Maples[8] and angel investor Ron Conway[9] have already signed on, as have Silicon Valley Bank[10] and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group[11], which lobbies on immigration reform. The Valley also successfully mobilized online activists during the fight over controversial online anti-piracy bills in 2012.
“Tech leaders ought to be using technology to try to influence the debate," Feinblatt said.
He said the group is announcing the project now with the goal of generating more supporters before the main event in April.
Venture capitalist Somesh Dash[12], a principal with Institutional Venture Partners[13], is a member of the Partnership for a New American Economy and helping organize the virtual march on Washington.
"My intro to (the Partnership) was through a classmate at Stanford," Dash told me, Stanford alum Amit Aharoni[14]. Aharoni, a native of Israel who launched a startup after graduation, was denied a U.S. visa to stay and develop the company.
Lauren Hepler covers economic development, sports, and hospitality for the Silicon Valley Business Journal. She can be reached at 408.299.1820
References
- ^ Lauren Hepler (feeds.bizjournals.com)
- ^ This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (feeds.bizjournals.com)
- ^ Twitter (twitter.com)
- ^ LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com)
- ^ Google+ (plus.google.com)
- ^ Michael Bloomberg (feeds.bizjournals.com)
- ^ John Feinblatt (feeds.bizjournals.com)
- ^ Mike Maples (feeds.bizjournals.com)
- ^ Ron Conway (feeds.bizjournals.com)
- ^ Silicon Valley Bank (www.bizjournals.com)
- ^ Silicon Valley Leadership Group (www.bizjournals.com)
- ^ Somesh Dash (feeds.bizjournals.com)
- ^ Institutional Venture Partners (www.bizjournals.com)
- ^ Amit Aharoni (feeds.bizjournals.com)