In this episode of the In Case You Missed It podcast, hosts Dustin (Speaker A) and Joe interview Anthony Jamison, CEO and co‑founder of CivStart, a nonprofit innovation hub focused on local government. Jamison explains CivStart’s mission to create an honest, inclusive ecosystem that connects governments, startups, investors, and other stakeholders. He details the organization’s 24‑month accelerator, which provides startups with mentorship, strategic guidance, investment support, and direct access to a network of city and county agencies, while also offering governments free advisory services to identify technology gaps and improve community engagement. The conversation moves to the criteria for the 2023 cohort—eight startups selected for solutions that address public‑sector needs such as food waste reduction, access to justice, economic development, and citizen‑government interaction. Jamison shares lessons learned from previous cohorts, emphasizing the importance of collaboration, trust, a partnership mindset rather than a vendor approach, and realistic expectations about sales cycles in the public sector. The hosts then discuss the upcoming State of GovTech 2023 event in Foster City (Nov 14), describing it as a unique gathering that unites government leaders, startups, investors, and corporations to share trends, best practices, and partnership opportunities. Jamison offers a market outlook, noting that post‑COVID investment in GovTech remains strong, with growing opportunities especially for smaller and rural communities. The episode concludes with Jamison directing listeners to register for the event at govtech.com/stateofgovtech2023 and to learn more about CivStart at civstart.org.
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All right, welcome back to In Case You Missed It. This time it is Friday, and for those of you that missed our earlier week episode, Joe and I were joined by Accela CEO Gary Kovacs as well as representatives from Berkshire Partners and Francisco Partners to talk about a new funding round for Accela and what it meant for the wider market. Today we're talking about something that is near and dear to our hearts, and that is State of GovTech 2023, a killer event that will be held in Foster City on November 14th. We're partnered with an organization called CivStart, uh, to really bring this event home and to talk about what's going on in the wider ecosystem of the market. So we're going to have their CEO on to help us break down what's going on in the market, what you can plan for with this event, and also learn a little bit more about their cohort. But good to see you again, Joe. How's it going? I feel like we were just here, but I'm happy to be back. It does. It feels, you know, a little bit like we just did this, but we are now welcomed by Anthony Jamison. So welcome to our virtual stage. Good to see you again.
Good to see both of you. Good afternoon.
All right, well, first question for you, for those that haven't caught you previously, tell us a little bit about CivStart and the work that you're doing in the market.
Yeah, so again, my name is Anthony Jamison. I am the CEO and one of the co-founders of CivStart. We believe here at CivStart we are where government innovation happens. CivStart is a nonprofit innovation hub with the mission to build an honest and inclusive ecosystem of local government innovation. And we do that by bringing together leaders advancing state and local government innovation. We help everyone better serve our communities and catalyze ground-level change on some of the biggest problems we face today. We guide and accelerate the adoption of cutting-edge technology by connecting governments, startup communities, investors, nonprofits, corporates, the entire ecosystem to steward good ideas and address the needs of local communities through the technology lens. And in my role as a CEO, that involves overseeing the organization's strategic direction, You know, cracking into this market and finding success isn't always easy.
Why is it crucial for GovTech startups to have the right knowledge and infrastructure to scale properly in this market?
Yeah, that's a good question, Joe. You know, scaling in the GovTech market requires more than just a great idea. You know, we've witnessed this time and time again, companies that come from, you know, the coastal hubs where, you know, a lot of these great technology ideas come from, but they don't really resonate in this space. And that's because it demands a deep understanding of the unique needs and regulatory environment of the public sector. And so, you know, access to mentorship resources, a supportive network is really essential for startups to navigate the complexity of the government landscape. And so that's what we do at CivStart, you know, we provide knowledge, mentorship, and infrastructure to help startups scale effectively, ensuring that their innovations benefit communities nationwide.
Yeah, I love that. So can you dig into a little bit more how your accelerator program works, maybe on both sides, 'cause you're working with the startups, but then you have a network of agencies that you're tapped into as well. So tell us a little bit about that.
Yeah, yeah. So I'll start with the accelerator program because the program, you know, is a 24-month intensive program. And so we want to be there on the ground with these startups for those first 2 years. We understand that it's a long— like, this is not— if you're getting into the space, it's not— so you don't expect to have the same type of results selling as you do if you're in any of those other markets. But once you learn how to sell within local government and you start getting those customers, you'll find that these customers are very loyal and they will stay with you as long as you deliver on those services. So startups in our program, you know, they receive strategic guidance, mentorship, educational resources, investment support, and networking opportunities. But, you know, we equip these startups with the tools and knowledge to bring their technologies to the government partners nationwide, and our goal is to make sure that they're leaving with more than what they came in with. And so, yeah, we're providing them that safety net to make sure that they— or wraparound services to make sure they can deliver on their— deliver to our communities. And what I would say on the government side, the reason we're an innovation hub and not just an accelerator is because we do work directly with governments. We have, you know, a bunch of different cities and counties that are clients of ours. You know, we don't charge governments for the work we do. We come in, we work with their smart cities teams, we work with their transportation teams, we work with any department that is looking at how to innovate. And it doesn't mean that you have to go and procure a solution. Like, you don't have to procure our solutions or a solution from us. We like to go in and look at what are your— like, what are some of those knowledge gaps? What are some skill gaps that you have? What are— are you underutilizing certain technologies? Sometimes governments will come to us not realizing what they already have. And by going through our process, they realize that, oh, we have these types of solutions. We should not be going out to procure another solution, or we do not have a concrete plan in place, we should really come up with a community engagement plan before we buy technology. Because guess what? Technology doesn't solve all your problems. It's just a tool.
So that's great. Sticking with that program for a moment, what are you looking for in that ideal startup to be part of the program?
Yeah, I mean, for us, the ideal startup was for our 2023 cohort. You know, we selected 8 companies. They went through a, you know, a really tough vetting process.
Awesome.
You know, these startups offer innovative solutions that align with critical public sector needs. And, you know, we have some startups in our program this year that are focused on reducing food waste. We have others that are helping when it comes to creating a— helping courts improve access to justice, you know, We work with a lot of economic development agencies as well. So, you know, one of our startups, it comes in and helps small business incubation within those communities, if that's through education and providing resources through the city. So for us, like, our overarching theme was like, we didn't really want to focus just on the efficiencies of government, those type of technologies, while those are great and we have some of those, we also wanted to be— make sure that we had technologies that were also focused on improving the interaction between the governments and their constituents in their communities and providing better services.
Yeah, I love that.
So, you know, as you think about your cohort now and all your previous cohorts, Any insights that you've kind of gleaned about building a business in GovTech that, that kind of stand out to you?
Yeah, I would say previous cohorts, they taught us the importance of collaboration between the public and private sector. You know, building trust and strong relationships are essential to de-risking for our communities. You know, we've seen how startups can provide impactful solutions when given the right support and guidance. So if you, you know, you got to come in with the right mindset, right? Like, again, like if you come in thinking that you're going to be closing deals, you know, 30 days, 60 days, it's probably not the space for you, right? And so we've been looking for those founders, working with those type of founders to really get them in that right mindset to say, is this the market for you? And what we've realized is, especially with, you know, what we've now seen with this upcoming cohort, that these people are very excited and hungry to be what we like to say partners, not just vendors, right?
So speaking of collaboration, we're collaborating with you on State of GovTech in 2023 coming up this November, and Foster City. Who's the expected audience and how do you think that this event's going to differ from the others?
Yeah, so yeah, so that— thank you for that one, Joe. This event, uh, brings together government leaders, startups, experts, you know, industry stakeholders, everyone with— again, within the ecosystem. Um, you know, it offers a platform for discussions on the latest trends, innovations, and challenges within the state and local innovation space. The event is unique and it focuses on collaboration, knowledge sharing, you know, it's all about, you know, catalyzing change within government operation through innovation. It's— we're not just— again, we're not just focusing on The technologies themselves, we're focusing on innovation within local government.
So, you know, I love that. And, you know, there's so many events that are out there. And for me, like, what's really unique about this is that it's connecting these ecosystems. Like, investors normally have their own event, you know, the private sector's got their own event, you know, we do events for government. There's all these different, like, microcosms of the market that each do events about GovTech. And this is like the grand unifier of what's going on in the market, how do we connect some of the dots and the threads. Any other standout, you know, reasons why, uh, people should, uh, should plan to meet us in Foster City outside and to join the 3 of us?
Yeah, I mean, that was it. I mean, that was a great point there. It's a— it's, it's for— you're, you're right. You're— I mean, you're, you're spot on there, Dustin. It's, it's not just for, you know, the usual suspects, uh, you know, just governments and startups and the large corporations, for all those different stakeholders within this ecosystem. And usually you don't have events where you're bringing together governments and investors, and like, that's just not heard of. Like, though, like you said, they have their own separate events, but this is a good opportunity for everyone to hear what is going on from all the different respective groups, right? The, the, the, the the investors are gonna have really good insights on what is really challenging within local governments. And then the local governments are gonna see what are investors putting their money behind? Who are they funding? Like, what's gonna be here if I go out and procure this solution? Is it gonna be here? 'Cause do they care about that type of stuff, right? So when you look at the, I mean, the topics will include, again, emerging, you know, tech trends, We'll, you know, we'll share some best practices, some case studies within the space, and this is gonna be a good place for you to gain insights, network, and explore some partnership opportunities.
Yeah, Anthony, one of the questions I always get, industry partners, Joe, what's going on with the GovTech market? We see what's happening with the economy. What does it mean to GovTech? You know, we mentioned in our pre-show we had a Wednesday episode announcing some big developments in the GovTech market just this week. Kind of what's your take? What are you seeing? Kind of what's, uh, what's your forecast as we look at—
What's my forecast? Well, yeah, I mean, like, the GovTech market, don't get me wrong, it's, um, I, I believe I— the, the, the, the— at least from the investment side, it's, um, it's still very strong. I mean, like, when COVID happened, of course it took off because there was a need, there was that spark that like, hey, we need to transform how we're doing things. And governments took that and ran with it. Investors saw this as a really safe space to, you know, make some investment opportunities. And so, you know, what we see is that we're going to keep— you're going to see more and more money coming into this space. You're going to see— what we're noticing is that a lot of there's a lot of opportunity for these smaller communities to take advantage of working within this space. And so there's, you know, there's companies out there just focusing on special districts. They're focused on like rural communities. And then that's where, that's where the majority of the country is. And that's where a lot of people need support. And so I'm really excited for where we're going and what's What's, you know, what's coming up within this space?
It's been exciting to follow. I mean, I can think back, you know, Joe, 9, 10 years ago, you know, this market didn't have all of the early-stage companies and the infrastructure associated with it. And so, and then a lot of those apps at the time were, you know, kind of fluffy. So, you know, now it's like you've got these amazing applications that are emerging. Emerging, driven by really hungry entrepreneurs who are solving complicated problems. Like, they're solving big problems in the market. And, you know, I think that's what's great about, you know, groups like CivStart is you're helping give them the infrastructure, the knowledge, the foundation that they need to reach their full potential because it is a complicated market and there are a large set of needs that are there, but not every company can, you know, scale to 19,000 unique entities that are out there. So it's like, you know, how do you, how do you build that? Um, so I guess, you know, the easiest question for you today is, you know, we've talked about State of GovTech, we've talked about CivStart. Where can people go to keep up with you and your work and also register for the State of GovTech? Because we want to make sure they're there.
Yeah, so first I'll just plug State of GovTech because the link just popped up. So right there at the bottom you can see the link. Go to govtech.com/stateofgovtech2023. You see the link at the bottom. And if you want to connect with us, you can just come to our website. It's civstart.org. Yeah, and there's, you know, if you're a government, there's, you know, we have stuff for governments. If you're a startup, we have the information for startups, investors, you know, GovTechs. The entire ecosystem is welcome.
Well, Anthony, it's always great to have you on In Case You Missed It. Can't wait to see you In Foster City here.
