For the past nine months, I've been paying closer attention to where money is going, how quickly technology is changing, and the role government plays in shaping both. What started as a growing personal interest from my public administration classes eventually made me reconsider the direction of this newsletter, my career, and the conversations I wanted to have with my community.
When I created Capital Insider Club, my focus was on helping entrepreneurs and organizations better understand funding opportunities, grants, and strategies for securing capital. That work has been a significant part of my professional career, and I still believe access to funding is one of the greatest challenges facing businesses and communities.
But I've also learned that understanding where to find money is only one part of understanding how our economy works. We need to understand who makes investment decisions, why certain industries receive billions while others struggle for funding, how technology is changing the way we work and do business, and how government decisions influence the opportunities available to us.
The more I studied these subjects, the more questions I had.
Why do some businesses attract millions in investment while others struggle to secure a $50,000 loan?
Who benefits financially from the rapid growth of artificial intelligence?
How do laws and regulations influence which companies succeed?
And why do so many of us pay attention to national politics without fully understanding the decisions being made within our own communities?
These are questions I want to explore more seriously, and I believe they deserve a place in this newsletter.
So, after considerable thought and prayer, I've decided to retire the name Capital Insider Club and introduce Terms of Influence, an independent editorial newsletter examining capital, technology, and politics.
This change reflects the direction of my research, my education, my experience, and the subjects I believe we should be paying closer attention to.
Why funding alone was no longer enough
I've spent years working in grant development, fundraising, and funding strategy. I've seen what access to capital can make possible for organizations, businesses, and communities. I've also seen how difficult it can be to secure the resources needed to move one good idea forward.
One of the questions I've become increasingly interested in is why access to capital remains so uneven.
According to the Federal Reserve's 2025 Report on Employer Firms, 59% of surveyed small businesses sought new financing during the previous 12 months. Among those that applied, only 41% received all the financing they requested. Another 36% received some, while 24% received none.
The same report found that 75% of firms identified rising costs as a financial challenge, and 56% struggled with paying operating expenses. These statistics matter because we often discuss entrepreneurship as though having a strong business idea and working hard are enough to succeed. But business owners also have to manage rising expenses, financing requirements, debt, and decisions made by lenders and investors.
A business can have customers, demand, and the potential to grow while still struggling to access the money it needs. At the same time, enormous amounts of capital are flowing into other parts of the economy.
The National Venture Capital Association reported that U.S. venture capital firms invested $215.4 billion across 14,320 deals in 2024. Yet investment activity remains concentrated in established markets. The median venture capital fund size outside California, New York, and Massachusetts was $10 million, compared with a national median of $21.3 million.
Those numbers made me think more about the differences between having capital available in an economy and having capital accessible to the people who need it.
Venture capital is not the same as a small business loan or grant, and not every business should pursue it. Still, examining where investors place their money tells us a great deal about which industries and business models are receiving attention, and I want to understand those decisions better.
Who determines which businesses are worth investing in?
What makes an industry attractive to investors?
How does geography influence funding?
And what happens to communities that consistently receive less investment?
These questions go beyond identifying funding opportunities. They require us to examine the financial institutions, investment practices, and economic decisions that influence business growth. That's one reason this newsletter needed to evolve.
Technology is changing more than the way we work
Artificial intelligence has been another major area of interest for me. We hear about AI almost every day. There are conversations about productivity, job losses, automation, new business opportunities, and whether technology will eventually replace certain professions.
But I think we need to look beyond what these tools can do and ask who is building them, who is financing them, and what their growth means for everyone else.
Stanford University's 2025 AI Index Report found that private investment in generative AI reached $33.9 billion globally in 2024, an 18.7% increase from the previous year. The report also found that 78% of surveyed organizations reported using AI in 2024, compared with 55% in 2023. That is a significant change in a short period of time. And investment has continued to accelerate.
A February 2026 report from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development found that AI companies attracted $258.7 billion in venture capital investment worldwide in 2025. That represented approximately 61% of global venture capital investment value. Think about what that means.
More than half of the venture capital dollars tracked globally went toward companies developing artificial intelligence. That does not mean every AI company will succeed, or that every investment will generate a return. It does show how much financial attention this technology is receiving.
It also raises important questions about which companies can afford to compete, how smaller businesses will adapt, and whether the benefits of innovation will reach people outside the technology industry.
For entrepreneurs, AI can create opportunities to improve operations, reduce certain costs, and develop new services. But it can also introduce new competition and require investments in technology, training, and security.
For corporate workers, the concerns are different.
How will job responsibilities change?
What skills will employers expect?
What protections should exist when automated systems influence hiring or other important decisions?
And for everyday people, there are questions about privacy, the information companies collect, and how technology affects the services we rely on.
I don't think we should approach these developments with the assumption that every new technology is either wonderful or dangerous.
We should be willing to examine the evidence, recognize the opportunities, and ask difficult questions about the consequences. That's the kind of coverage I want Terms of Influence to provide.
Politics is not something we can afford to ignore
My growing interest in politics has also played a major role in this decision. I've become more intentional about understanding government, political history, public policy, and how decisions are made at the federal, state, and local levels.
One thing I keep coming back to is how easily we separate politics from our everyday lives. We may not follow every election or understand every piece of legislation, but we still experience the consequences of political decisions.
Property taxes, school funding, housing development, public transportation, business regulations, healthcare programs, and local infrastructure are all influenced by government decisions.
If you're an entrepreneur, public policy can affect the cost of operating your business, your access to financing, and the laws you must follow.
If you're raising a family, decisions about education, housing, and community services can affect your household.
If you're interested in investing or building wealth, tax policy, financial regulation, and economic development decisions deserve your attention.
Politics is not limited to what happens in Washington, D.C. Some of the decisions that affect us most directly are made by city councils, county commissioners, school boards, and state legislatures. And yet, many people have limited opportunities to learn how these institutions operate.
Pew Research Center reported in September 2025 that 62% of U.S. adults said they frequently received news about government and politics. By comparison, 32% said the same about business and finance, and 32% about science and technology.
Those figures don't tell us how well people understand the subjects they follow.
They do show that Americans engage with these areas of news at different rates.
I think that creates an opportunity to explain why financial, technological, and political developments matter to the same people.
I also believe political education should leave room for people to ask questions, reconsider their assumptions, and develop informed opinions. You don't have to agree with every political position to understand how government works. You don't have to be an attorney to learn about legislation. And you certainly don't have to enjoy political debates to recognize that public policy affects your life.
For me, becoming more politically educated means being willing to study the history, understand the institutions, examine the evidence, and pay attention to what is happening in my own community. I want to bring that same approach to Terms of Influence.
Why independent research and credible information matter
Another concern I've developed is how we consume information. We have access to more news, opinions, and commentary than ever before. But having more information available doesn't necessarily mean we're better informed.
A headline can tell us what happened without explaining what led to it. A social media post can generate thousands of reactions without providing the full context. And an opinion can spread widely even when the supporting evidence is weak. And trust in news organizations has also become a concern.
In an October 2025 report, Pew Research Center found that 56% of U.S. adults expressed at least some trust in information from national news organizations, down from 67% in March of that year. Trust in local news organizations was higher at 70%, but it had also declined.
I don't look at those findings as a reason to distrust every news organization. I do see them as a reminder that credibility matters. As readers, we should be able to distinguish between a verified fact, an interpretation, and an opinion. And as a writer, I believe I have a responsibility to make those distinctions clear.
Terms of Influence will not be a place where I simply repeat trending stories or publish opinions without doing the research. I want to examine original reports, government data, legislation, credible journalism, and other reliable sources before drawing conclusions.
There will be subjects I'm still learning about, and I intend to be transparent about that. I don't believe someone needs to present themselves as an expert on everything to contribute to a conversation. But I do believe we should take the responsibility of informing others seriously.
Introducing Terms of Influence
Money moves. Technology evolves. Power decides.
This captures exactly what I want this newsletter to examine. Terms of Influence will focus on three areas:
The Capital | Funding, venture capital, investment, and economic opportunity.
We'll examine how businesses secure financing, where investment dollars are going, the challenges entrepreneurs face, and the economic decisions influencing wealth and business growth. I want to explore why some businesses receive investment, how financial institutions operate, and what access to capital means for communities that have historically faced barriers to funding.
The Innovation | Technology, artificial intelligence, emerging industries, and technology law.
We'll examine how new technologies are changing business and society, the companies developing them, and the opportunities and concerns that follow.
That includes AI, digital privacy, cybersecurity, intellectual property, and the legal questions emerging as technology advances. My goal is to make these developments understandable without assuming every reader has a background in technology.
The Power | Politics, government, legislation, and public policy.
We'll explore the institutions and decisions influencing our economy, businesses, and communities. That includes federal and state policy, local government, political history, economic legislation, and the role of public institutions in shaping opportunity. I want my community to become more comfortable understanding how government works and why paying attention matters.
What will change for subscribers?
First, you'll still receive a weekly newsletter. What will change is the scope of the content.
Capital Insider Club was primarily focused on funding opportunities and strategies. Terms of Influence will take a broader approach, with researched articles, commentary, and explanations of developments that deserve our attention.
Some articles will examine venture capital trends and funding opportunities and challenges. Others will explore technology developments, new legislation, or decisions being made by government institutions. There will also be opportunities to look more closely at issues that involve all three areas.
For example, when a technology company receives a major investment, I may examine where the funding came from, what the company is developing, and which laws could influence its future. When a new policy affects small businesses, I may explore what changed, who is affected, and what the decision means for entrepreneurs.
You can expect articles that answer practical questions, explain some unfamiliar subjects, and provide enough context to help you form your own perspective. But this newsletter will not be limited to business owners or people who work in finance, technology, or government. I want everyday people to feel comfortable here, too.
Whether you're a student, parent, entrepreneur, professional, or someone who simply wants to understand more about what's happening around you, my goal is to make these subjects worth your time.
What isn't changing?
My commitment to providing useful information. I still care deeply about entrepreneurship, funding access, and helping people recognize opportunities that may otherwise be difficult to find.
But I no longer want this newsletter to be defined by funding opportunities alone.
I want it to reflect a broader understanding of the systems influencing those opportunities.
And personally, I want to continue growing as a writer, entrepreneur, and student. My interest in law, technology, and public policy is becoming a more important part of my education and the career I'm working toward.
I don't want to wait until I've reached every professional milestone before I begin participating in these conversations.
Researching, writing, asking questions, and sharing what I'm learning are all part of that process.
My Final Thought
If there's one thing these past nine months have reinforced for me, it's that we should be more intentional about understanding the decisions being made around us.
We should know more about how money is distributed, how technology is changing our lives, and how government decisions influence the opportunities available to us.
Not because everyone needs to become an investor, technology professional, or political expert. But because these subjects affect far more people than those who work directly in those fields.
Capital Insider Club served an important purpose, and I'm grateful to everyone who subscribed, read an article, shared a resource, or supported the newsletter.
I'm looking forward to building something that reflects where my interests and work are taking me while continuing to provide more value to the people who choose to read it.
Welcome to Terms of Influence.
Laine Bradley
Founder & Editor, Terms of Influence