Gerald Yao 14BBA

In the summer after his third year at Emory, Gerald Yao and two high school friends set up shop in a Motel 6 in Sunnyvale, California. Their plan was to create a system to automate legislation and thus FiscalNote was born. Now based in Washington DC, their offices are slightly nicer and include a staff of more than 450 with more than 5,000 clients worldwide.

Their long-term goal is to digitize every law and every regulation in every country on the planet. But for now, the legislative database tracks 2,800 municipalities, 2,500 state agencies, and 500 federal bodies. Applying data technology to government advocacy has streamlined the legislative process. And, with the acquisition of CQ Roll Call, a nonpartisan newsgathering entity, FiscalNote also provides the story behind the data.

Connect with Gerald on LinkedIn, and visit FiscalNote's website.