Last month, @activatefellows hosted our inaugural FOUNDERS Day Technology Breakfast on Capitol Hill in partnership with the @housescience, Chair @RepBrianBabin, and Ranking Member @ZoeLofgren. The event coincided with the 250th anniversary of the United States and the Artemis II mission, and brought together Members of Congress and staff, federal agency leaders, and Activate fellows and alumni advancing breakthroughs in energy, quantum, semiconductors, aerospace, and more. FOUNDERS Day (Fostering Opportunities for Unleashing New Development in Entrepreneurship and Research-driven Solutions) highlighted the idea that the story of America is a story of innovation. The United States was built by bold, imaginative rebels who moved new ideas forward. This year Activate will reach a milestone of its own, supporting more than 250 companies in our-10 year history—from Texas to New York, Colorado and Massachusetts to California. Together, these founders have worked to build their companies, raise billions in follow-on funding, and create thousands of jobs across the country. The Artemis II mission reminds us of what science and engineering can do when supported to achieve the previously unimaginable. With the space industry projected to reach approximately $1.8 trillion by 2035, this potential can only be fully achieved by enabling cutting-edge technologies and companies like @junopropulsion building the future of propulsion technology. @joelhedwards, Co-Founder and CTO of @ZanskarGeo and Activate alumni, shared how critical the Activate entrepreneurial fellowship has been for industries of the next century: Activate invested in Zanskar when the U.S. geothermal market barely existed, helping not just build their company, but catalyze an entirely new sector that will reach projected growth of around $14 billion by 2030. Ranking Member Lofgren, Assistant Director @egianchandani @NSF, Deputy Under Secretary Shawn Whitman @ENERGY, and Representative @gabeamo remarked on how investment in science and technology and programs like Activate and the Small Business Innovation Research (or SBIR) program enable the translation of research and can ensure the United States continues to lead globally in innovation for the next 250 years.