Secretary Pritzker Samples Tech Innovation, Big Apple-Style

The digital economy is critical to America's continued competitiveness. It is a source of jobs; key to the formation of new businesses, and an enabler of new services and goods that consumers worldwide rely on. That was the message Secretary Pritzker heard Monday as she kicked off a trip to New York City by sampling some New York-style technology innovation.

In the morning, the Secretary met with businesses who are using the online marketplace Etsy to sell their goods and reach global customers. She met with Etsy CEO Chad Dickerson and business owners such as Jahje Ives, an artist and mother living in Philadelphia who uses Etsy to sell mobiles and artwork handcrafted in the U.S. The Secretary also heard about first-hand experiences with global trade from Anna and Juan Donado, a husband and wife team that create custom painted wooden dolls, partnering with artisans in Bogota, Colombia.

They and the other Etsy sellers described the challenges facing small businesses and particularly the difficulties in selling into overseas markets. They discussed topics like the lack of transparency around foreign import duties, VAT taxes, and shipping requirements – and how those issues can create barriers in getting their goods to buyers.

The Secretary later led a roundtable discussion on the intersection of technology and policy with senior executives from the New York start-up scene, including representatives from Union Square Ventures, Gilt, Foursquare, and Kickstarter. These start-ups and venture capitalists offered a clear sense of the vibrant and fast-growing New York technology community, and of the importance of a free and open global Internet to their success. Other topics included the need for patent reform, the Administration’s trade agenda, and the impact of emerging technologies on the future of work.

The Department of Commerce is focused on supporting American innovation. Within 10 years, products and services reliant on cross-border information flows could add more than $1 trillion annually to the global economy. Secretary Pritzker has prioritized the competitiveness of U.S. firms in this global marketplace, and this week’s visit was a window into a next generation of businesses and the tools they will use to succeed.