The other approach to ‘government efficiency': How digital teams serve the public
Government efficiency is a hot-button issue this year, with masses of federal workers having lost their jobs in its name.
But when it comes to state and local government, efficiency-based reform is all about making things work smoothly, with the help of tech.
'The Other Approach to Government Efficiency,' a session at the 2025 Technical.ly Builders Conference, featured two civic innovators: Eliza Erickson, who leads permit reform efforts in Pennsylvania's Governor's Office, and Max Gigle, a digital product leader in Connecticut. Moderated by Technical.ly's Kaela Roeder, the panel broke down how government can better serve people, even when the results don't make headlines.
'In some ways, government is 15 years behind the arc of technology and innovation in the private sector,' Erickson said. 'But we're recognizing more and more the need for real, high-quality technology in the public sector — and we're finding ways to invest in that talent.'
Rather than focus on flashy apps or front-facing dashboards, both panelists stressed that the most meaningful work starts much deeper in the process.
Gigle, who leads digital efforts for Connecticut's Department of Administrative Services, described how his team redesigned the state's approach to business licensing. What seemed like a simple task — building a new website — actually required collaboration with more than a dozen agencies, deep process mapping and a culture change in how services are delivered.
'If someone said, 'We made a website and it took eight months,' I think most folks in the tech world would be like, 'What in the world are you doing with their money?'' Gigle said. 'But in order to really get to the core of the challenge, it took a lot of time to ask questions of what's important here, how do we work across a ton of different stakeholders that have different interests, how do we centralize brands and work through tough challenges?'
In Connecticut, that meant understanding that the real barrier to entrepreneurship wasn't the form itself, but the knowledge gap around what to do when, and with whom.
Sustainability over splash
Both Gigle and Erickson emphasized that true government innovation is measured in staying power, not just short-term wins.
Erickson stressed that at its core, 'successful government innovation … has to be sustainable,' so it lives on after the specific tech team that led that initiative leaves.
Her own team builds from the ground up, empowering the frontline staff who will be there long after an administration changes, making sure they have ownership over new systems and practices.
Making lasting change also means being honest about progress: If a new permit system isn't fully rolled out yet, talk about the education campaigns, the translation work and the user testing that's already reshaping the process.
Those behind-the-scenes steps may not sound exciting, but they're often the reason a teacher can get certified faster, or a barber can open shop a few months earlier.
Narrative, Erikson said, is also important. Government work is often invisible unless it fails, so part of the challenge is sharing success in ways people actually understand, whether that's via TikTok, community meetings or just clearer metrics.
She pointed to Pennsylvania's push to reframe permit reform as a tangible quality-of-life issue, not just red tape.
'If you are a teacher looking for a job and it takes you six months to get your certification, that's six months that you're not allowed to work,' Erickson said. 'If we shorten that time to two months, that's four more months of income. That is really impactful.'
Inviting more people into public service
Civic technologists — a group that once meant mostly IT staff — now include designers, product managers, data analysts and software engineers. Both panelists encouraged students and career switchers to consider public-sector roles, even if they've never seen themselves in government.
'If you care about your city and your state, get involved,' Gigle said. 'Government … can look toxic on the surface. It's not sexy every single day, but, I promise you, the outcome is fantastic.'
The skills you build in government — navigating complexity, managing risk, scaling services — translate directly into roles in big tech and beyond, he added.
Erickson agreed, especially when it comes to the early career opportunity.
'You can put your skills to positive use in such a tangible way,' she said. 'You do two or three years in the public sector, and it puts you on a really impactful career path.'
What innovation really looks like
During a wide-ranging Q&A, attendees asked about risk, disruption and why the government seems so slow to change.
Gigle offered a clear-eyed take: The real risk is not changing. And disruption can come in many forms, from COVID's sudden shift to remote service delivery to a renewed focus on equity and inclusion within government ranks.
Erickson noted that meaningful change often comes from within, when agencies empower the right people to ask why.
'A lot of the bureaucracy and the red tape that exists in government is because someone at some point really believed that it was the right thing,' she said. 'The problem is that we just build bureaucracy and regulations on top of bureaucracy and regulations without unpacking what's been done.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Technical.ly
2 days ago
- Technical.ly
After high-profile derailments, this founder turned his engineering skills toward improving rail safety
After two deadly train crashes made headlines in 2023, Tejas Agarwal was inspired to create rail infrastructure technology, but was unsure how to turn the idea into a startup. While Agarwal always had an interest in starting his own company, he faced unique challenges as an immigrant in the United States. But the East Palestine, Ohio, and Odisha, India, train accidents spurred his idea into action. In 2023, Agarwal founded Sahay AI, a robotics company that uses an AI-based system to inspect railroad infrastructure. Then, last October, Agarwal's advisor sent him an application for Unshackled Ventures, a VC firm that specializes in supporting immigrant entrepreneurs. He applied and got $150,000 in funding, pushing him to pursue Sahay AI full-time, and a few months later, it landed on 2025 RealLIST Startups list. Originally from India, Agarwal completed his undergraduate degree in electrical and electronics engineering. However, his main interest at the time was in aerial design and engineering, which he pursued as an extracurricular. As he continued his work in robotics, his specific interest in drones emerged. He used to watch online lectures from Vijay Kumar, the current dean of Penn Engineering, and decided he wanted to go to the University of Pennsylvania to study drones. He moved to Philly in 2021 to complete his master's degree, where one of his professors sparked his interest in self-driving cars. He got involved with the Autoware Foundation based out of Pennovation and started working there after graduating in 2023, eventually building up the skills to branch out on his own. In this edition of How I Got Here series, Agarwal discusses the current events that led to founding Sahay AI, why robotics seemed cooler than software and how his immigrant experience helped him found a company. This Q&A has been edited for length and clarity. How did you become interested in robotics? In undergrad, I got the opportunity to work with this club at my university called Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAVs), where we started designing reconnaissance UAVs and inspection drones. That's basically where my first interest in robotics started. We won global competitions all around the world, even in the US. That made it clear to me that I wanted to do something in the technology space on the robotics side. I felt like software was great, but through robotics, I could actually change something in the world. It feels more gratifying — and it looked cool, honestly. 'Software was great, but through robotics, I could actually change something in the world.' Sahay AI founder Tejas Agarwal What led you to start your company? I knew I wanted to start a company because I felt like I couldn't do anything else. I wanted to do everything, the tech, the sales, the team building. I wanted to use all of my skills that I learned over the years. There were a couple of things that happened that pushed me into the idea for Sahay AI. The first one was a rail accident that happened in February 2023 in East Palestine, Ohio. Norfolk Southern, a freight train, got derailed due to faulty equipment on their side. In June of 2023, there was another train accident in India where three trains collided and 300 people ended up dying. I was curious about what's going on. I found out that the rail industry was very archaic. People were still walking on the track to do inspections. Now, this would be okay if the trains were not in operation, but because the trains are continuously in operation, and there are only specific intervals where these guys can actually go. I realized there might be a problem of just data abstraction, or people are not getting to see what they're supposed to see. How has being an immigrant impacted your entrepreneurship experience? The pros are that you come from the perspective of two different countries. You have those cultural learnings from when you were growing up, and now you have to adjust to a completely different cultural setting. You have to learn a bit of the lingo. In terms of cons, the visa issues are a thing. I think that's a common stress that immigrants have to face. Even if you're on a job here, it's a big issue. It's good to just keep on working and concentrate on what you're here to do. Unshackled Ventures has really been awesome on that front. They've taken care of all of the responsibility for the visas so that I can focus on the business. What lessons have you learned from starting Sahay AI? There's a big learning curve, especially coming from an engineering background; there's so much to learn. There is sales, there is business development, there is hiring, there's team management. It's not just tech. The biggest one is to keep learning. One thing I've felt is that the more I learn, the more I know about my own sector, the better I am in conversations and the better knowledge I can give to my teammates to grow the company better. Learn everything that you can about running a company. If you want somebody to do something for you, you need to have that bit of knowledge to actually hold a conversation, ask good questions and make sure they're doing everything right. What advice would you give to someone who wants to start a company? Research, learn and do not hold back. In school, I felt that web development was not my cup of tea, and I would never need to do it. Actually, I've designed five websites since then. Play around with stuff, talk to as many people as you can, because people are the biggest sources of knowledge, and there's no better way you grow in life than talking to people. One thing that I tell myself every day is, nobody knows what they're doing, so don't put yourself down. You can do it.
Technical.ly
08-06-2025
- Technical.ly
Most companies don't IPO, so here's how to plan for your likely exit
The most important day of an entrepreneur's journey might be the one when it ends. The big question: Will it end on your terms? That's the dilemma behind most startup exits, whether they take place through a merger, acquisition or an initial public offering (IPO). Experts put that distinction front and center during the 2025 Builders Conference session titled 'M&A or IPO: What is Your Company's Destination?' Moderated by Mike Ravenscroft of the University System of Maryland's Maryland Momentum Fund, the conversation featured attorney Kim Klayman of Ballard Spahr and Alexis Grant, founder of the M&A-focused newsletter They Got Acquired. Together, they laid out a candid, often under-explored roadmap of what founders really need to know about exiting — and why waiting until it's too late to plan is a mistake. 'Think about it early,' Grant said. 'Gives you more options.' The numbers are clear, Ravenscroft noted: Only a tiny fraction of companies ever go public, and even among VC-backed firms, IPOs are rare. The vast majority of exits happen via mergers and acquisitions (M&A). The panelists agreed that the perception gap around what makes an exit 'successful' can obscure the reality of its true impact. A $7 million sale might be life-changing for a bootstrapped founder with majority ownership. But if that same company had raised venture capital at a high valuation, the founder might walk away with little or nothing. 'If someone raises $5 million and they sell for $5 million, they probably didn't get any money,' Grant said. That disconnect is even more stark during economic downturns or slower capital markets. Klayman pointed to the increase in smaller companies acquiring other small firms — sometimes simply to pad revenue, not gain technology. But these all-stock or acqui-hire (in which a company gets acquired for their talent) deals can mask another story: Sometimes, the best-case scenario is simply survival. 'The reality is most companies end up in an M&A situation, even if it's a multi-generational business,' Klayman said. 'It does end up a lot of times in an M&A transaction if there is no succession plan.' The hardest parts that too few talk about Asked what founders need to prepare for, both panelists were unequivocal: The due diligence process is brutal. 'For many [founders], due diligence ends up being a second job,' Grant said, adding: 'You also have to keep running the business, and you want to run it in a way that performance does not drop, because that's the worst thing that can happen when you're going through a deal.' That's why both she and Klayman emphasized the need to 'get your house in order' — and do so early. From knowing who owns the IP to having clean cap tables and documented promises of equity shares, small oversights can kill a deal late in the game. 'I have actually seen one deal die because the whole company was built on this one piece of software, and that's what the buyer wanted,' Klayman said. 'And it was like, a software developer did it 25 years earlier, and they didn't paper it because it wasn't that important. And the deal just died.' She advised founders to use tools like Carta or diligence-prep software to identify red flags before a transaction is even on the table. Attorneys can help, but so can platforms that flag missing consents or unsigned option grants. 'Being organized is like 95% of the battle,' Klayman said. The stories behind the headlines Of course, learning these details can be difficult when many companies don't discuss them soon after an M&A takes place. The panel also pulled back the curtain on how mergers and acquisitions are framed in public — and how different the internal reality can be. Grant, whose company profiles founder-led exits, said PR statements often overhype vague synergies and downplay job losses or underwhelming returns. She added that sellers are often far more candid a year or two post-sale. 'Most of the stories we write, they're usually at least six months after the acquisition has taken place,' Grant said. 'The seller is more open to sharing real details at that point.' Klayman agreed: Sometimes the announcements make it seem like someone got a bunch of money, when usually the investors, even if they're paid first, 'are getting like 10 cents on the dollar,' she said. 'I don't think that people want those types of transactions to happen,' she said, 'but when they do happen, it takes effort and, I think, actually responsible founders to make it happen.' All emphasized that outcomes must be evaluated in context. Founders may sell to give their team stability, find a new role or offload a company responsibly instead of shutting down. What matters, they said, is alignment between a founder's goals and their investors' expectations. The closing message to founders was clear: Plan for your endgame from the beginning. Think through potential paths — and not just the flashy ones. Ask investors what their expectations are. Build a network that includes not just mentors and peers, but service providers who understand exits and won't charge you just to ask questions. 'If you don't know what success looks like, you're going to be poor no matter what,' Ravenscroft said, 'because you won't know it if you get it.'
Technical.ly
07-06-2025
- Technical.ly
Telling rural tech's story: How three ecosystem leaders reshape narratives of innovation
Cities like Boston and San Francisco are the typical places associated with the term tech hubs, but rural communities are doing just as much innovation — without the recognition. At 2025 Builders Conference panel 'Innovation is Everywhere: Storytelling Strategies for Emerging Markets,' three leaders from the National Science Foundation's Regional Innovation Engines and US Economic Development Administration Tech Hubs programs discussed how they tell the stories of their communities to build up their tech ecosystems. Each of the panelists leads a federally backed tech initiative focused on regional strengths: mining in Missouri, agriculture in North Dakota and sensing tech in Montana. These hubs are part of a broader national push to diversify where innovation happens. For regions like North Dakota, the ecosystem simply has a different strategy for innovation, said Hollie Mackey, CEO of the North Dakota iAgriculture Technology Engine. The natural move is to center the communities that have been around for generations, specifically Indigenous communities, and foster cross-cultural understanding. 'Our story has never been polarization. It's never been silos. It's always been cooperation,' Mackey said. 'We can take everything we know about agriculture and the technologies and innovations embedded from time immemorial and apply those to cutting-edge research and technological advances today, to build something much better together.' Montana's story tells itself, said Tim VanReken, who leads the Headwaters Tech Hub in Montana. The nicknames 'Big Sky Country' and 'the Last Best Place' set the scene for what people will find in the state and what the land opportunities are. For innovation, it's a great place to test technologies in a rural setting and to find people who innovate, he said. 'Folks roll up their sleeves and solve problems; they make things work,' VanReken said of his region. 'It's part of that frontier spirit that's been there for generations.' Meanwhile, in southeast Missouri, the challenge isn't just perception — it's historic baggage. Kwame Awuah-Offei, who leads the Critical Minerals and Materials for Advanced Energy Tech Hub, said community opinions of the project are often based on the successes and failures of other mining projects. Because it's associated with new jobs, 'mining over here is not a bad word,' Awuah-Offei said, describing what one resident told him. However, some conversations about mining often involve a 'history of broken promises.' You have to engage locally and be honest about the risks, he added. Different communities within a region all contribute perspectives For Mackey, framing the agtech engine in North Dakota as an 'emerging' ecosystem misses the point. 'We have five, six, seven generations of farmers in our communities who have been innovating long before startups and entrepreneurs and founders were concepts that we celebrate as innovation today,' she said. Her approach begins with tribal and rural voices — not with founders or scientists from elite institutions. That is the starting point for innovation, she said. 'We go to the communities first and say, 'How can we solve real, actual problems you have? How can we do that through cutting-edge research and providing the resources necessary to be successful?'' she said. 'Then we capture that story in a number of ways.' VanReken described how 'old Montana versus new Montana' is a bigger tension in the state than the rural-urban divide, especially in fast-growing cities like Bozeman. Navigating that challenge requires consistent conversations with residents. 'It's being present and letting people know they matter to what you're trying to build,' he said. 'Their perspectives, their problems, their livelihoods, their economic mobility matter to what you're trying to build.' Innovation is tied to place in emerging ecosystems As these tech hubs grow, their stories must evolve — not just for national audiences, but internally, as they balance competing voices and build inclusive narratives. Awuah-Offei pointed out that even within his 14-county tech hub, communities worry about resources being concentrated in university towns like Rolla. Despite this conflict, they all have the same goal. 'They all want the same thing. They all want the rest of the world to see the potential and the opportunity we see in our region,' Awuah-Offei said. 'We're all interested in telling that story so that we all benefit.' What all three leaders agreed on: storytelling in emerging ecosystems is about embedding innovation in place and making the case for local relevance. 'We have to build stories that have an argument, to make it worthwhile, show that we bring something to the table that you don't find elsewhere,' VanReken said. 'We connect our place to what we have to offer.'
