Speaking Startup: What a jolt of US tech spending might mean in Missouri

The U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, or USICA, is a $250 billion bill aimed at boosting the U.S. semiconductor industry, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, robotics and more. The legislation, viewed as an effort to encourage American competition with the growing high-tech sector in China, passed the U.S. Senate earlier this month and is working its way through the House. To learn more about what the bill might mean in Missouri, the latest episode of the Speaking Startup podcast features a conversation with Ben Johnson, vice president of programs at BioSTL, a nonprofit that works to support startups and entrepreneurship in St. Louis. Plus, we hear from Black entrepreneurs in Kansas City who participated in a recent Startland News event focused on systemic inequalities affecting Black-owned businesses in their community.