David Sacks’ Craft Leads $42 Million Series A In Govtech Startup Starbridge

Justin Wenig remembers his days astatine Y Combinator successful 2019.

Back then, he was moving pinch his first startup, Coursedog, which looked to supply much modern devices to higher acquisition facilities, including those that activity pinch authorities departments. He learned quickly that his peers didn’t for illustration moving pinch nan nationalist assemblage — excessively overmuch bureaucracy.

Even uncovering retired basal information, for illustration what a schoolhouse territory purchased successful nan past year, required a batch of paperwork.

“Out of hundreds of startups, only a fistful of america were trying to modernize really authorities and acquisition worked,” Wenig told TechCrunch. “Investors thought it was excessively slow, excessively bureaucratic, excessively difficult to scale. And to beryllium fair, they weren’t wrong. Selling to nan nationalist assemblage was painful.”

He sold Coursedog successful 2021 for nine-figures to JMI Equity and remaisn connected nan board. In 2024, he launched Starbridge a level that helps business income teams show opportunities successful nan nationalist assemblage truthful they tin past return action, specified arsenic submitting proposals aliases drafting bids for grants and budgets. On Wednesday, Starbridge announced a $42 cardinal Series A led by David Sacks’ patient Craft Ventures.

Wenig said nan top challenges successful nationalist assemblage is that information is fragmented and inaccessible.

“Critical buying accusation is scattered crossed PDFs, agency websites, gathering minutes, and outdated directories,” he said, adding that vendors walk hours trying to portion together who to interaction and different insights.

Image Credits:Starbridge

Starbridge pulls nationalist web information sources from specified sources and puts nan accusation successful 1 place. The income squad utilizing nan level tin spot a classed scoring, courtesey of Starbridge, of which nationalist assemblage accounts are astir apt to acquisition caller technology, and spot updates for illustration activity changes aliases caller initiatives.

“Instead of chasing noise, our customers person a clear, data-backed position of wherever to attraction and erstwhile to act,” he said.

Wenig described his fundraising travel arsenic “fun,” and said nan institution met Craft done a friend. Others successful nan Series A information see Owl Ventures, CommonWeal Ventures, and Autotech Ventures. The institution has raised $52 cardinal to date, aft antecedently raising a $10 cardinal seed.

Next, nan startup plans to motorboat “Starbridge integrated experience,” truthful users do not person to ever spell to nan Starbridge level to usage its technology.

“Every competitor goes correct to your CRM, each mobility astir an relationship tin beryllium answered correct from a slackbot, each occupation alteration loads correct into your sequencer,” Wenig said.

Others successful this abstraction see GovWin and GovSpend. Starbridge said its different because it has built AI workflows connected apical of nan datasets to make it easier for income teams to use.

He remembers backmost erstwhile he was fundraising for Coursedog. “No VC was willing successful talking to us,” he said. But now, successful nan AI, era, nan tides are shifting, he said.

“Maybe cipher wants to tally for agency anymore, but they do want to build,” he continued. “Seeing this caller activity of mission-driven founders tackling real, systemic challenges makes maine incredibly hopeful for nan future.”