Why Founders Must Engage On Policy Before It’s Too Late

By Sacha Lazimi

In tech, timing is everything. This is as true for product launches and fundraising rounds as it is for regulation.

Last month, my company, Yubo, joined Reddit, Discord, Pinterest, Automattic, Patreon and Dailymotion as a founding member of Middle Tech Europe, or MTE, a new coalition of mid-sized platforms advocating for proportionate regulation in the EU. The coalition reflects the diversity of the digital ecosystem and brings forward perspectives often overshadowed by the Big Tech dominance. The initiative had been quietly in development for months.

Many of us had experienced firsthand how policy frameworks — often designed to curb the power of the largest incumbents — could unintentionally entangle companies that operate at an entirely different scale.

We came together around a shared belief: mid-sized platforms should have a clearer voice in shaping Europe’s digital future. MTE was created to offer a “middle voice” in policymaking, advocating for regulation that reflects the diversity of audiences, risks and business models across the digital ecosystem.

But beyond coalition-building, this moment holds a much broader lesson for early-stage founders: Engaging in public affairs is no longer a matter of scale, it’s a matter of relevance.

The idea for Middle Tech Europe emerged from a shared reality. Each of our companies was investing in trust and safety, data protection and platform integrity — but we were doing so in the shadow of frameworks designed primarily with Big Tech in mind. The regulatory burden was growing, but the dialogue rarely accounted for business models like ours.

Our companies operate at scale, but with leaner teams and often narrower margins. We are global in reach, but local in structure. And we innovate in categories — such as content moderation, community building or creator monetization — where nuance matters.

Brussels — and increasingly, the world — needed a clearer view of this middle tier. And we realized no one was going to build that bridge for us. So we did.

Policy as a strategic lever

At Yubo, we chose to engage early — long before it was a regulatory requirement. In 2022, we became the first platform to age-verify 100% of our users. That decision wasn’t just about compliance, it was about resilience. It helped future-proof our product and positioned us to participate credibly in policy conversations when the Digital Services Act, AI Act and other EU regulations began to take shape.

Regulation is no longer a downstream issue founders can afford to ignore. It’s becoming upstream infrastructure — shaping product design, operational models and investor expectations alike. Engaging early isn’t just prudent; it’s a strategic necessity.

EU policy: A global blueprint

Although MTE is rooted in Europe, many of its members, including Reddit, Patreon and Discord, are headquartered in the United States. That’s not accidental. EU regulations are increasingly shaping global tech norms. Whether it’s age assurance, algorithmic transparency or AI risk management, European rules are already serving as a prototype for frameworks under debate in Washington, D.C., and beyond.

That means U.S.-based founders would be wise to treat EU policy as an early signal — not a distant concern. Getting a seat at the table in Brussels today could help avoid firefighting in D.C. tomorrow.

Practical guidance for founders

So what does this mean for startup leaders and their investors?

• Treat regulation like infrastructure. Just as you plan for scaling your backend or securing your first SOC 2, plan for compliance and engagement. It’s not just a risk – it’s a roadmap.
• Engage early, not just when required. The worst time to begin navigating regulatory requirements is when you’re already subject to enforcement. Understand your exposure areas and get ahead.
• Think collectively. Whether through coalitions, trade groups or informal working groups, founders have more influence when they coordinate. MTE started with a conversation and grew into a structured initiative. You don’t need a policy team to start a dialogue.
• Build your reputation with policymakers before you need them. Just like with investors, trust is built over time. Transparency, consistency and credibility matter.

Looking ahead

For too long, the conversation around tech regulation has been framed as a tug-of-war between government and a handful of dominant players. That framing is incomplete. There’s a third category — companies like ours, and likely yours — that are building ambitious, differentiated platforms with safety and integrity at the core.

The regulatory decisions being made today will determine who thrives tomorrow. If you’re building something real, now’s the time to make sure your voice is heard.

Sacha Lazimi is the co-founder and CEO of Yubo, a live social discovery app launched in 2015. Founded in France and present in over 140 countries, Yubo has made the safety of its 80 million registered users a priority, making the platform a leader in online safety. As CEO of Yubo, Lazimi brings innovative vision to the business and strives to cultivate a culture of creativity across the Yubo team. Lazimi previously co-founded social apps Twelve and Saloon Media, which were foundational to Yubo’s social discovery model. He is a graduate of CentraleSupélec and Paris Dauphine University.

Illustration: Dom Guzman