How Federal Regulatory Changes are Impacting the Venture Capital Landscape

July 22, 2025 / Monica Zent
Venture Legal 10

It was week of “cryptocurrency drama” on the House floor, with the House set to vote on crypto-related bills during the Capitol’s “Crypto Week.” As investors waited to see if crypto regulatory frameworks would pass, the July 4th passage of The One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) Act introduced changes for startups and VCs, highlighting the importance of regulatory compliance for corporations in planning and operations.

As we continue to track how AI and market realities are impacting the VC landscape, I wanted to dive into some of the regulatory changes that may affect founders and funders, and how firms can adapt to the evolving environment.

In this edition of Venture Legal, I assess:

  • Key changes relevant to VCs and startups under OBBBA
  • Possible changes to SPAC rules
  • Potential crypto policy changes

And what it all means for investors and startups, including exploring:

  • Will it be easier for solo VCs to compete
  • Will we see an increase in secondary deals
  • Will we see more SPACs and more

Follow Monica on Substack and subscribe to read the featured story:

Venture Legal, Ed. 10: How Federal Regulatory Changes are Impacting the Venture Capital Landscape

  • Inside the VC-Backed RegTech Momentum

    By Monica Zent | April 7, 2026

    This week, one of the year’s biggest cybersecurity conferences, RSAC, kicks off herein my backyard. With a packed agenda covering some of the most pressing issues in cybersecurity today, the conference takes place as the sector, along with others under the RegTech umbrella, are experiencing high levels of VC investment, as some of enterprise’s most…

  • AI Security, Data Integrity, and Governance for Legal Teams and Departments

    By Monica Zent | February 20, 2026

    According to the newly released 2026 Data Threat Report, conducted by S&P Global’s 451 Research and commissioned by Thales, there’s a “troubling disconnect between rapid AI adoption and foundational data control.” Reporting on the findings, Fortune wrote, “For businesses to innovate securely…, they must fundamentally rethink identity, encryption, and data visibility as the core foundation…

  • Exploring the Consumer LegalTech Landscape

    By Monica Zent | January 23, 2026

    “AI promises to make work more productive for lawyers, but there’s a problem: Their clients are using it, too,” Axios wrote last week. All eyes last week were on the impact that Anthropic’s legal-specific tool would have on enterprise LegalTech. Meanwhile, consumers are also looking to foundation model AI to address legal questions and needs.…