From Startups to Politics | Neil Thanedar

What we talked about.

In this episode of the Sunny Ray Show, Sunny Ray talks with Neil Thanedar about moving from building startups to pushing for change in politics through Positive Politics. Neil argues that people can make real impact by choosing one specific bill at the local, state, or federal level and pursuing it without ever running for office. He explains why politics must solve systemic problems, how fundraising for startups differs from building public support for an idea, and why he has long wanted a Y Combinator for politics. Neil describes the pilot accelerator he ran this summer in a Washington, DC rowhouse with five founders, including one who pitched a bill to fund pharmaceutical manufacturing near hospital systems. He also shares a Michigan example in which reporting on budget earmarks led to a law requiring public posting 45 days before the budget is signed, which cut earmarks sharply. Finally, Neil outlines what a thousand ambitious optimists could change over ten years and where listeners can learn more, including his book and the accelerator.

Skip the campaign trail: Neil Thanedar explains how one specific bill, pursued like a startup, can change politics in under a year.

The questions, and the answers.

What problem are you solving at Positive Politics?

People focus on the biggest elections, where one person feels like they can do very little. I've seen the opposite approach work incredibly well: pick one specific bill on your most important issue, at the local, state, or federal level, and run with it without running for office. Many people make a big impact in under a year, and I help them do that.

Why did you decide the real problems needed politics rather than another startup?

Startups are great at point solutions that serve a few hundred or thousand people. Politics works top down and serves hundreds of millions, so it can fix systemic problems. Campaign finance reform is a classic example. Limits, spending caps, and disclosure rules are meta-solutions that solve the problem for everyone, not just one person.

What is the biggest difference between raising money for a startup and building belief in a political idea?

Startup fundraising is a numbers game. If one investor out of hundreds says yes, the other 99 nos don't matter, so you keep taking shots. In politics each shot matters, because if 51% of people dislike you, you lose. You need solutions that 80 to 99% of people can support, and the hardest part is just getting started.

Why build your playbook around passing bills instead of winning elections?

Many accelerators already help people run for office. I think the more important lesson is that you can pass bills without ever being elected, and then run later with that proof of your worth. Time to impact is also startup-like. You can write your bill idea and meet your state senator's office today, instead of waiting two years for an election.

Who are the ambitious optimists you're trying to reach?

Many are startup founders, but also educators, public servants, and people who volunteer at or lead nonprofits. Their skills transfer well to politics, especially for issue-focused work. A nurse who knows hospitals may do a much better job on a nursing bill than a politician juggling hundreds or thousands of bills every year.

What changes for someone in the first week of the accelerator?

On Monday, one founder had only a vague idea about boosting manufacturing in the industrial Midwest. By Wednesday he was meeting politicians and staffers in Congress and getting contacts. By Friday's demo day he pitched a specific bill, the Rapid Reserve Act, about $500 million to build rapid pharmaceutical manufacturing near hospital systems like the Cleveland Clinic.

Can you give an example of a bill that went from start to finish?

I wrote about Michigan's budget earmarks, where over a billion dollars a year was dropped in overnight before the October 1st deadline. We followed the money, other reporters picked it up, and a bill passed requiring earmarks to be posted online at least 45 days before signing. Earmarks are now expected to be under $200 million.

If a thousand ambitious optimists went through this, what would change?

Within about ten years, those people would move into state, local, and federal politics and many would run for office. They'd become the next generation of optimistic leaders. If government delivered better education, healthcare, and services for the same tax money, people would trust it to do more, creating a positive feedback loop that recruits even more people.