Validate, build, pilot, invest and scale.
We start with problems public finance professionals confirm are real. We build some solutions ourselves and develop others with founders and partners. Everything must demonstrate value in real government finance environments. For the strongest opportunities, GovFi can invest capital and help scale what works.
01
Validate
We work with finance officers to confirm a problem is real, meaningful, and worth solving before significant resources are committed. Our challenge library is informed by public finance research and practitioner input, including GFOA research.
What this means for you: you are not guessing at demand.
02
Build
Some solutions we develop in house. Others we build with founders, technology companies, and other partners. We bring public finance expertise, practitioner collaboration, and product judgment.
What this means for you: you get domain depth without hiring for it.
03
Pilot
Solutions are tested in real government finance environments before GovFi makes a significant commitment to scale them. We help design pilots, recruit participants, and measure whether the solution delivers meaningful results.
What this means for you: you get evidence, not a pitch deck.
04
Invest & Scale
When an opportunity demonstrates real value, credible demand, and a viable path to market, GovFi may selectively invest capital and help assemble the resources needed to scale, including capital from aligned outside investors where appropriate. Support can include operating help, partnerships, intellectual property, and commercialization. The structure depends on the opportunity.
What this means for you: GovFi can contribute more than advice when the evidence supports a larger commitment.
Operating Principles
GovFi Solutions exists to accelerate the adoption of innovations that strengthen public finance and improve outcomes for communities. Five principles govern how we choose what to work on, who we work with, and what we tell you about it.
Public benefit first
We prioritize projects and partnerships that create tangible value for governments and the people they serve. Financial results matter. They are always secondary to the public mission.
Integrity in evaluation
We evaluate innovations on their ability to improve public finance. Support from GovFi Solutions follows from a clear benefit to local governments, not from who is asking.
Fair and open access
Innovators, startups, government agencies, and established providers all get the same door. Our processes for engaging with GovFi Solutions are transparent and consistently applied.
Transparency and accountability
We work in the open. That means being clear about how we evaluate solutions, who we partner with, and how we are funded.
Public stewardship
Trust is our most valuable asset. Every decision we make, from project selection through partnership, is measured against whether it advances good governance, fiscal responsibility, and better service to the public.
Who we work with
Bring a solution, or build one with us.
Bring a solution, company, or idea worth testing. We can help with problem validation, practitioner collaboration, pilot design, commercialization, and potential investment.
Apply with a solutionShare an unmet need, lend your expertise to a build, or help test a solution in your own environment.
This is how the challenge library gets written.
Share a challengeReady to build?
Bring us a problem, product, or company. We will help determine the right path to prove it and scale it.