How Startups Win in GovTech

Jared Asch and Josh Broward co-host a joint episode discussing how startups sell and scale in government (GovTech). Jared, a consultant helping cities and private companies with economic development, land use, and GovTech sales, and Josh, founder of Wisdom Partners and a leadership coach with a PhD in organizational leadership, emphasize that governments care less about product features and more about problem-solving, risk reduction, and accountability. They recommend early pilots—sometimes free or via conditional contracts tied to success metrics—to build case studies, de-risk adoption, and create internal champions who understand procurement realities. They outline fundraising stages (angel, pre-seed, seed, A and beyond) and note GovTech is hard to sell but sticky once adopted. Scaling advice includes targeting repeatable customer profiles, starting small (“minnows”) before “whales,” focusing geographically, and maintaining founder relationships post-sale. They also introduce Startup Walnut Creek, building an East Bay innovation hub focused on sports and health tech, with an October competition and partnerships with institutions and investors.