How Esper Is Building the Operating System for Government Policy | Maleka Momand

Maleka Momand, co-founder and CEO of Esper, joins Sophie Buonassisi on GTMnow to break down what it actually takes to build and sell software to government. Esper is the operating system for government policy, serving as the system of record for the regulation and internal policy that shapes daily life, from NYPD procedures to nurse practitioner licensing in rural Tennessee.Maleka shares hard-won lessons from 8 years in GovTech: why winning trust matters more than winning business, why professional services are a moat (not a cost center), and how Esper turns slow, paper-based policy processes into live digital workflows. She also covers the DOGE effect across red and blue states, why enterprise SaaS still has defensible moats in the age of AI, and her advice to founders entering regulated markets.Whether you're a founder, GTM leader, or operator selling into complex, slow-moving markets, this conversation is packed with practical playbooks on trust, go-to-market, and building durable enterprise software.Chapters:00:00 Intro00:44 Two types of government policy (regulation vs internal)02:06 The NYPD 3,000-page policy problem03:23 Digitizing a paper-based, 20-person workflow04:12 Why policy is infrastructure05:23 Real impact: Tennessee healthcare & Arkansas hunting licenses07:45 Esper's ideal customer: complexity, catalyst, volume08:18 Going to market in GovTech (and why it's slow)10:16 Advice for founders entering GovTech: win trust first11:27 Why professional services are a moat12:38 In-house vs third-party services13:49 What DOGE actually looks like on the ground15:11 Is DOGE a tailwind for Esper?16:36 The new funding round & enterprise SaaS in the age of AI19:13 From VC to founder: why Maleka made the shift22:10 Advice for founders: read fiction, not productivity books24:14 AI, data quality, and the problem with vibe coding26:43 How Esper uses AI internally (meet "Poly")27:27 Building a high-agency culture while scaling29:00 Closing thoughtsConnect with Maleka Momand: Co-founder, CEO of EsperTwitter/X: @MalekaMomand LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/malekamomandHost: Sophie Buonassisi, SVP at GTMnowFollow Sophie: https://x.com/sophiebuonaLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiebuonassisi/ABOUT GTMnowGTMnow is the media arm of GTMfund, sharing the strategies, tactics, and stories from the operators and investors building the next generation of go-to-market.Visit us on: https://gtmnow.comFollow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gtmnowFollow us on X (Twitter): https://x.com/GTMnow_Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GTM_nowFollow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gtmnow_Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gtmnow_/Subscribe to GTMnow for the latest episodes on AI, founder strategy, fundraising, and go-to-market from the best builders in tech.#GovTech #GoToMarket #EnterpriseSaaS #StartupAdvice #GTM #SaaS #FounderAdvice #GovernmentTechnology #PolicyTech #AIThe GTMnow Podcast The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.