Startup America is a White House initiative that was launched to celebrate, inspire, and accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship throughout the nation.

Startups are engines of job creation. Entrepreneurs intent on growing their businesses create the majority of new jobs, in every part of the country and in every industry. And it is entrepreneurs in clean energy, medicine, advanced manufacturing, information technology, and other innovative fields who will build the new industries of the 21st century, and solve some of our toughest global challenges.

In January 2011, President Obama called on both the federal government and the private sector to dramatically increase the prevalence and success of entrepreneurs across the country.

Since launch, the Obama Administration rolled out a set of entrepreneur-focused policy initiatives in five areas:

1. Unlocking access to capital to fuel startup growth
2. Connecting mentors and education to entrepreneurs
3. Reducing barriers and making government work for entrepreneurs
4. Accelerating innovation from “lab to market” for breakthrough technologies
5. Unleashing market opportunities in industries like healthcare, clean energy, and education

Leaders in the private sector launched the Startup America Partnership, an independent alliance of entrepreneurs, corporations, universities, foundations, and other leaders joining together to fuel innovative, high-growth U.S. startups. The Startup America Partnership is now operating around the world as UP Global, which has committed to support and train 500,000 entrepreneurs in 1,000 cities over the next three years.