Right to Start

What Right to Start does

Right to Start is a national nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2020 and headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, with a mission to expand entrepreneurial opportunity for all Americans regardless of place, race, or background. The organization operates through three integrated pillars: grassroots organizing, policy engagement, and media storytelling, and is supported by an affiliated 501(c)(4) entity. Its core "products" are institutional rather than commercial — they include model legislation (Right to Start Acts) drafted for state adoption, eight state-based Starters Coalitions that build permanent local advocacy infrastructure (Arkansas, Michigan, New Mexico, California, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Indiana), the Policy Champions Network of 87 state policymakers across 36 states, and the National Entrepreneurship Leaders Network (NELN) connecting state Offices of Entrepreneurship.

The organization runs "The Start Show," a documentary video series hosted by Founder/CEO Victor Hwang exploring entrepreneurship across American cities, and co-hosts the "Builders LIVE" podcast with Technical.ly. In June 2025 it launched the "America the Entrepreneurial" national campaign ahead of the United States' 250th anniversary, in partnership with More Perfect (a bipartisan alliance of 43 presidential centers and 100+ institutions). The campaign produced three playbooks in November 2025 for individuals, organizations, and government leaders.

Right to Start is funded through tax-deductible donations and foundation grants; the Walton Family Foundation is a confirmed major funder supporting its Northwest Arkansas initiative launched in 2021. Legislative outcomes have been material: Right to Start Acts have been signed into law in Nevada (first state, July 2023), Missouri (July 2024), and Indiana, with introductions in 22 state legislatures and 60+ bills introduced overall. The organization's leadership team includes Founder/CEO Victor Hwang (former Silicon Valley venture capitalist and author of "The Rainforest"), Chief Operating Officer Kim Lane (appointed June 2021, Arkansas-based), and Chief Strategic Initiatives Officer Matt Haggman (joined April 2024, formerly Knight Foundation and Opportunity Miami).

Name

Right to Start

Legal name

Right to Start

Website

https://righttostart.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Right to Start is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2020 that expands entrepreneurial opportunity through grassroots organizing, state-level policy advocacy (Right to Start Acts passed in Nevada, Missouri, Indiana), state coalitions, and media storytelling for aspiring entrepreneurs and policymakers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entrepreneurship Advocacy

NAICS

Other Social Advocacy Organizations (813319)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGADAN

Education Policy, Research & Advocacy Organizations (Nonprofit)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

SECONDARYEDAMAHAK

Social Entrepreneurship & Impact Business

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Entrepreneurship & Business Enrichment

Keywords

• Entrepreneurship advocacy
• Policy reform
• Civic engagement
• Nonprofit coalition
• Startup ecosystem

Headquarters

HQ city

Overland Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: Right to Start operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that generates revenue through tax-deductible donations from individuals, foundations, and other donors. The organization has received funding from the Walton Family Foundation, and the campaign 'America the Entrepreneurial' builds on coalitions and entrepreneur communities built by Right to Start.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Right to Start is a nonprofit advocacy organization that works to expand entrepreneurial opportunity in America through grassroots organizing, policy engagement, and storytelling. It mobilizes state and local coalitions of entrepreneurs, supports pro-entrepreneurship policymaker champions, and produces media such as The Start Show to shift public opinion and legislative outcomes.

Product overview

Right to Start is a nonprofit advocacy organization (not a software product company) that operates multiple programs to advance entrepreneurship as a civic priority. Its core offerings include: the 'America the Entrepreneurial' national campaign (with playbooks), 'The Start Show' documentary series, state-based Starters Coalitions (Arkansas, Indiana, Missouri, California, Michigan, New York, North Carolina), the Policy Champions Network (87 state policymakers), the National Entrepreneurship Leaders Network (NELN), and policy Field Guides. These offerings work together through grassroots organizing, policy advocacy, and media storytelling to remove barriers to entrepreneurship.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• America the Entrepreneurial Campaign National advocacy campaign mobilizing entrepreneurs, policymakers, and communities to remove barriers to starting and growing businesses across U.S. states.
• The Start Show Original video series that highlights stories of American entrepreneurs and the impact of policy on their ability to start and scale businesses.
• State Starters Coalitions State-organized coalitions of entrepreneurs and civic leaders that drive grassroots advocacy for pro-entrepreneurship policy reforms.
• Policy Champions Network Network of bipartisan policymakers at the state and local level who champion legislation to expand entrepreneurial opportunity.
• National Entrepreneurship Leaders Network (NELN) National peer network for leaders of entrepreneurship support organizations focused on policy change and ecosystem coordination.
• America the Entrepreneurial Playbooks Policy playbooks providing state and local leaders with model legislation and reform pathways to expand entrepreneurship opportunity.
• Field Guides for Policymakers Concise policy field guides that equip elected officials with evidence-based recommendations for supporting entrepreneurs.
• Bipartisan Public Opinion Survey Original survey research measuring bipartisan voter support for policies that expand entrepreneurial opportunity across party lines.

Quantifiable outcome

• States with Right to Start legislation passed into law: Nevada (first state), Missouri, Indiana
• +4 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• More PerfectflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 February 2026A bipartisan alliance of 43 presidential centers and over 100 institutions. Co-created 'America the Entrepreneurial' initiative with Right to Start to promote entrepreneurship ahead of America's 250th anniversary. More Perfect provides the coalition infrastructure while Right to Start provides policy expertise.
• New York Starters Coalition PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 September 2025Bobbie Armstrong leads the New York Starters Coalition, carrying forward the 'rainforest' approach to entrepreneurship championed by Victor Hwang and Greg Horowitt.
• New Economy Initiative (NEI)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 22 June 2023NEI announced $2 million in grants to support small business growth in southeast Michigan, including the Capital On Ramp Program (CORP) aimed at improving capital access. Related to Right to Start's mission but not a direct partnership.
• SlyngshotcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction partner for media content including 'Big Little Business' documentary series.
• GoDaddycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction partner for 'Made in America' video series featuring entrepreneurs in Ohio, part of Right to Start's storytelling initiative.
• Technical.lyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner for Builders LIVE Podcast, co-hosted by Victor Hwang, covering entrepreneurship ecosystem topics.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• SCORE: Largest nonprofit network of volunteer business mentors supporting small business formation in the U.S.; addresses many of the same access-to-capital and ecosystem barriers Right to Start tackles, with state-level and local chapters.
• National Small Business Association (NSBA): Oldest small-business advocacy organization in the U.S., lobbying on federal and state policy for entrepreneurs; the closest analog to Right to Start in terms of policy-driven member advocacy for entrepreneurship.
• Edward Lowe Foundation: Foundation dedicated to entrepreneurship research, Big Idea initiatives, and ecosystem building; closely parallels Right to Start's policy-and-research advocacy posture at a different scale.
• Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation: The largest U.S. private foundation singularly dedicated to entrepreneurship; conducts research, funds state-level entrepreneurship policy, and operates Kauffman FastTrac programs in nearly the same subject domain as Right to Start.
• Ashoka: Global nonprofit that supports social entrepreneurs and runs an ecosystem-building program; serves the same 'everybody should be able to start' cause constituency as Right to Start and drives policy/movement work to that end.
• Echoing Green: Nonprofit backing early-stage social entrepreneurs with fellowships and leadership development; same cause-advocacy model targeting people historically excluded from entrepreneurship, much like Right to Start's underserved-community framing.
• Endeavor: Nonprofit operating a global network supporting high-impact entrepreneurs through mentorship, capital access, and policy advocacy—directly comparable mission and coalition-based GTM to Right to Start.
• Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC): Nonprofit focused on driving economic growth and job creation in underserved U.S. urban areas through entrepreneurship support and policy research—sharing Right to Start's place-based equity thesis.

Broad incumbents

• Babson College (Lewis Institute for Social Innovation): The leading undergraduate entrepreneurship educator, with research centers on ecosystem building and inclusive entrepreneurship. Functions as a broader incumbent in the same entrepreneurial-opportunity conversation without the same pure advocacy focus.
• W.K. Kellogg Foundation: Large U.S. private foundation with significant programming in racial equity, economic opportunity, and community entrepreneurship; a plausible peer funder and over-lapping-thesis peer given the Walton relationship pattern.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCQ3jAtKAgSx4_Sq1GIJdL6g
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/america-the-entrepreneurial/about/?viewAsMember=true
• Instagraminstagram.com/americatheentrepreneurial
• Xx.com/RighttoStart
• TikToktiktok.com/@americaentrepreneurial
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=61577189000669

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Right to Start