Santa Monica Business Owner Named 3C Congressional Champion

Santa Monica CA

10 November, 2021

12:53 PM

Description

Press release from 3C: Nov. 10, 2021 Ayinde Alakoye, Founder of nēdl in Santa Monica, was recognized by the Connected Commerce Council (3C) as a Congressional Champion for his advocacy on Capitol Hill. Ayinde met with U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu's office to discuss how proposed laws to regulate digital platforms like Google and Facebook could hurt California small businesses. Digital platforms offer free and low-cost tools that help small businesses find customers, sell their products, and grow. Those same tools became a "digital safety net" during the pandemic when storefronts shuttered and e-commerce, online advertising and remote communications became even more important. As Congress considers several bills that would fundamentally change the way large technology companies operate, or even break up "Big Tech", small business owners worry that these changes could disproportionately affect African-American start-ups - particularly as these companies look to exit. "It was an honor to participate in these meetings and discuss how important it is to keep African-American and Women-led businesses at the forefront of these conversations. We know that just a small fraction of the billions of dollars of venture capital invested goes to Black and Brown founders and we hope Congress considers this before passing laws that could inadvertently make it harder for my small business to thrive," said Alakoye. Ayinde was joined by 20 other 3C Congressional Champions, who met with more than a dozen Members of Congress and staff to ensure that small businesses are heard by Congress. "We are 18 months into a global pandemic that has sent shockwaves through the economy and especially through small businesses. Ayinde is doing a great service by reminding Congress that small businesses are the backbone of our economy and every issue, even technology issues, are small business issues," added 3C Executive Director Rob Retzlaff. This press release was produced by 3C. The views expressed here are the author's own.