ARTICLE
23 April 2026

Export Controls For Startups: From Overlooked Risk To Competitive Advantage

AP
Arnold & Porter

Contributor

Arnold & Porter is a firm of more than 1,000 lawyers, providing sophisticated litigation and transactional capabilities, renowned regulatory experience and market-leading multidisciplinary practices in the life sciences and financial services industries. Our global reach, experience and deep knowledge allow us to work across geographic, cultural, technological and ideological borders.
Over the last decade, the United States has dramatically expanded the scope and enforcement of export controls, driven by heightened geopolitical competition, rapid technological advancement, and national security concerns. For startups operating in high-growth, high-technology sectors, U.S. export controls and sanctions laws now present both material compliance risk and a potential source of strategic advantage if addressed early.
United States International Law

Over the last decade, the United States has dramatically expanded the scope and enforcement of export controls, driven by heightened geopolitical competition, rapid technological advancement, and national security concerns. For startups operating in high-growth, high-technology sectors, U.S. export controls and sanctions laws now present both material compliance risk and a potential source of strategic advantage if addressed early.

Arnold & Porter attorneys Trevor Schmitt and Bell Johnson have partnered with technology entrepreneur and strategist Michael Hochberg to develop a new white paper addressing one of the most frequently misunderstood — and increasingly consequential — areas of risk for early stage companies.

The white paper explains how export controls now affect a wide range of startup activities — from hiring and cloud infrastructure to product design, investor diligence, and international collaboration — and why overlooking these issues can create serious legal, commercial, and exit risks. At the same time, it offers a pragmatic framework for building compliance into a company’s structure early, turning what is often viewed as a burden into a potential competitive advantage.

Read the full guide, Compliance as a Catalyst: Turning Export Control Into Competitive Edge

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

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