Opening Statement of Dilawar Syed, Nominee for SBA Deputy Administrator — March 8, 2023

Summary

The opening statement of Dilawar Syed, nominee for Deputy Administrator of the United States Small Business Administration, addressed to Chairman Cardin, Ranking Member Ernst and committee members, dated March 8, 2023. Syed describes his private-sector career launching ventures in software, AI, healthcare and consumer media, and his current role as State Department's Special Representative for Commercial & Business Affairs. He states that in more than 60 bilateral meetings he promoted roughly $90 billion worth of commercial deals. He recounts co-founding the California Entrepreneurship Task Force, whose pandemic awareness campaign reached more than 20,000 small businesses. If confirmed, he says he would bring his operating experience to the SBA in partnership with Administrator Guzman.

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 Opening Statement of Dilawar Syed, Nominee for Deputy Administrator of the
                United States Small Business Administration

Thank you, Chairman Cardin, Ranking Member Ernst, and distinguished
committee members, for this opportunity. It’s an honor to be here as President
Biden’s nominee to be Deputy Administrator at the Small Businesses
Administration.

I have spent the bulk of my career in private sector. I have launched and scaled
ventures in software, Artificial Intelligence (AI), healthcare, and consumer media. I
have also run large business operations at companies such as Yahoo!

My teams and I have created good American jobs, delivered innovation in
healthcare, and modernized customer service software used by thousands of
Main Street businesses across America.

As an immigrant who made America home 32 years ago as a young college
student, I have lived the American Dream. I have also worked to bring that Dream
into reach for others.

I learned early on that being a successful entrepreneur requires hard work, grit,
and dedication to the mission. The path to success is almost never
straightforward, never without challenges.

I have faced down many such challenges and have navigated small businesses
through difficult times–including the COVID pandemic.

I know what it’s like to feel the burden and responsibility for making that next
payroll for my employees. When the pandemic suddenly crushed demand, I
remember feeling the uncertainty about what was happening in the economy and
wondering how we would recover.

SBA was essential to keeping our nation’s economy afloat during this challenging
time– providing critical relief for small businesses. For many entrepreneurs, this
was their first experience with the agency. Now, as we rebuild, SBA has a unique
opportunity to deepen these new customer relationships and help them grow and
thrive.
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Currently, as State Department’s Special Representative for Commercial &
Business Affairs, I lead America’s commercial diplomacy—helping level the playing
field for U.S. companies to compete and win all over the world. It’s a privilege of a
lifetime to represent the United States on the global stage.

In more than 60 bilateral meetings this past year, I have expanded fair market
access for U.S. businesses, increased protection of our intellectual property, and
promoted roughly $90 billion worth of commercial deals that are creating
thousands of jobs across America while protecting our vital national security
interests.

I am especially proud of our efforts to democratize access to State Department
resources to under-served areas here in the United States. I traveled to meet
small and mid-size exporters in Atlanta, Boise, and Frederick, Maryland.
Innovative solutions I saw being built in these communities can help us tackle
pressing global challenges.

My civic journey began long before my work at the State Department. As I built
my career in Silicon Valley, I saw venture capitalists investing around the world
but ignoring their own backyard. Why did nearby Fresno or Modesto lack the
same entrepreneurial ecosystem as the Bay Area and the economic gains that
come with it?

Working to bridge this divide and promote inclusive growth, I co-founded the
California Entrepreneurship Task Force to connect rural regions such as the San
Joaquin Valley with networks and resources in Silicon Valley.

When the pandemic hit, we launched rapid response support for small
businesses. This campaign to raise awareness of resources reached more than
20,000 small businesses.

This experience was informed by my work as President Obama’s AAPI
Commissioner after the Great Recession when I led engagement with AAPI
businesses across the nation.

While we still face economic headwinds, small businesses today are showing
hope. More than 10 million people have applied to start a business since

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President Biden took office. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is starting to put
shovels in the ground across America. Thanks in part to the CHIPS & Science Act,
U.S. manufacturing is coming back with the potential to bring our nation’s
industrial towns with it.

These historic investments build prosperity that reaches deep into Main Streets
and bolsters our startup ecosystems.

And for the millions of new small businesses–– those ‘acts of hope’– SBA can be
an enabler of success. I am energized to serve all of America’s entrepreneurs in
partnership with Administrator Guzman and the team of mission-driven public
servants at the SBA.

If confirmed, I will bring my operating experience of building organizations–
scaling processes, systems, technology, and culture– to SBA so it can more
effectively, and more efficiently execute its mission.

In closing, I want to thank my family and so many amazing leaders across the
country for their support.

Thank you. I look forward to your questions.

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