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YC's request for startups: Government 2.0

blog.ycombinator.com

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Re: YC's request for startups: Government 2.0

#211

Post by thomasjudge »

justaguyhere wrote: post #143
thomasjudge wrote: post #51

As someone who works in technology in the public sector at the state level, let me just say that there is tremendous greenfield opportunity for software startups within existing government programs. Probably every program that government runs requires one or more systems to administer it; these are often painfully legacy systems. We are starting to see startups in some of these niche line-of-business areas (Medical M…

Could you link to a product or two SaaS products that you like, built for gov? How can really small players get into this space though?

Here's three: https://jumpfaster.com (All of these are at the state government level) They specialize in solutions for the senior and long term care areas of HHS. it looks like they may have started with possibly a custom development for one state agency, then turn that into a product and have since gotten other customers. This is a good strategy: for any program or solution area in state government,It's likely there are 49 others like it. https://mycomplia.com/ This company is literally a handful of people, they have developed solutions for medical marijuana licensing. They have partnered with another vendor who handles the seed to sale tracking. https://billtracker.com/ This company is I think one developer and one salesperson/CEO. state agencies need to be able to monitor bills that are progressing through the state legislature; this essentially scrapes the information from the legislative website and lets agencies focus on bills that are important to them. You can add attachments, assignments, etc. It's not rocket science, but it's better than spreadsheets. I have some thoughts on how small players can get into this space, navigating procurement, and key product features, but don't want this comment to get too long drop me an email if you're interested. My account + gmail

Re: YC's request for startups: Government 2.0

#212

Post by Uhhrrr »

save_ferris wrote: post #167
Uhhrrr wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bleah - government shouldn't be the default actor in a space unless it's absolutely necessary. It's actually a good thing if community problems can be solved by smaller organizations which don't need tax money or coercive measures to get things done.

I disagree with this. There are many spaces that can be maintained either publicly or privately that when privatized don't always result in the best outcomes for consumers. A good example are private utilities. I had a relative that sold his house in a municipality in east Texas and moved to a new development in central Texas. He intentionally chose a house just outside the nearest municipality to avoid paying local…

I find this thoroughly unpersuasive. A 2.5x water bill in exchange for no municipal taxes and no zoning laws and other picayune regulations?

Re: YC's request for startups: Government 2.0

#213

Post by School-Cotton »

breck wrote: post #196
School-Cotton wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Okay fine, let me rephrase. It is not something meant to be reduced .

Thanks for the rephrasing. I should rephrase as well. The language I am proposing offers much stronger control over ambiguity. Take the 8th amendment: "Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted." What is an "excessive fine" mean? In the language I am proposing it could be defined as is, or in something like: ... cellType dollarAmount number cellType…

But that’s not ambiguity at all — “giving judges leeway according to parameters defined in advance by legislators” is not the same thing as “statutes being ambiguous”.

Re: YC's request for startups: Government 2.0

#214

Post by sjg007 »

rkho wrote: post #172
blang wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or we can change bail laws as they exist now: https://whyy.org/articles/n-j-officials-have-finally-release... >Yet new data shows only modest increases in two of the main measurements of success since 2017. In that year, 26.9 percent of defendants released from jail before their trials were charged with a new crime — either an indictable offense or a disorderly persons charge. That number increased from 24.2 percent…

Somehow I get the feeling that building software is easier than changing laws around here

How about, “build software to change laws” ?

Re: YC's request for startups: Government 2.0

#215

Post by ksolanki »

ibeckermayer wrote: post #173
Alex3917 wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The government is in charge of determining what types of businesses are profitable though, so even areas where the government hasn't been effective usually still require better government policies in order for the markets to be able to offer solutions. There are certainly problems that businesses can ameliorate given current government policies, but it just isn't realistic to think that we can solve every problem on…

Exactly right. I can give you a perfect example from a project I'm working on: http://openinsulin.org/ We're working to make medicine more affordable, focusing on insulin in particular. Insulin has been around for decades, it's easy to make. Technology has been improving, things should be getting cheaper. Instead, insulin continues to rise [1]. People with diabetes need this stuff, if they don't have it they'll liter…

This is really amazing. Kudos to you for the initiative. Going through regulatory, IP, clinical etc. is hard but not that hard. We are going through this ourselves at our startup, and it is daunting and rewarding at the same time. I am happy to share notes should you like.

Re: YC's request for startups: Government 2.0

#216

Post by halfjoking »

jakelazaroff wrote: post #79

You're investing in these companies, right? You expect them to make themselves — and you — money? The problem is what happens when we get to ways to solve the problems these companies are tackling, without the companies. If we enact universal healthcare, will Gusto pivot? If we structure our economy to remove the need for food stamps, will mRelief shut down? Or will there be attempts to entrench these problems so the…

It reminds me of an op-ed about Imperfect Produce destroying local food coops. Their whole pitch to investors is they're environmentally friendly but in practice they are actually entrenching the agribusiness industry by competing with better alternatives:

https://newfoodeconomy.org/imperfect-produce-ugly-food-waste...

Startups need to make money, and it will always be way more profitable to sell software to those with power/money than those who are disadvantaged.

Re: YC's request for startups: Government 2.0

#217

Post by ibeckermayer »

ksolanki wrote: post #215
ibeckermayer wrote: post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly right. I can give you a perfect example from a project I'm working on: http://openinsulin.org/ We're working to make medicine more affordable, focusing on insulin in particular. Insulin has been around for decades, it's easy to make. Technology has been improving, things should be getting cheaper. Instead, insulin continues to rise [1]. People with diabetes need this stuff, if they don't have it they'll liter…

This is really amazing. Kudos to you for the initiative. Going through regulatory, IP, clinical etc. is hard but not that hard. We are going through this ourselves at our startup, and it is daunting and rewarding at the same time. I am happy to share notes should you like.

Thank you, I’m interested in comparing notes. Feel free to send me an email at my user name at gmail dot com

Re: YC's request for startups: Government 2.0

#218

Post by ibeckermayer »

sjg007 wrote: post #206
ibeckermayer wrote: post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly right. I can give you a perfect example from a project I'm working on: http://openinsulin.org/ We're working to make medicine more affordable, focusing on insulin in particular. Insulin has been around for decades, it's easy to make. Technology has been improving, things should be getting cheaper. Instead, insulin continues to rise [1]. People with diabetes need this stuff, if they don't have it they'll liter…

There may be another way, partner with academic hospitals and have them sell the insulin at cost.

That’s an interesting idea. Maybe something like

- We make the insulin and give it to them for free. - They sell it - They donate to us as a 501c3

The legal framework is really twisted and difficult to parse. Maybe this is the perfect loophole, maybe somebody would end up in prison. We’ve got some lawyers volunteering, but per not having much money its difficult to get steady legal counsel to brainstorm with about the legal risks

Re: YC's request for startups: Government 2.0

#219

Post by raarts »

ibeckermayer wrote: post #173
Alex3917 wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The government is in charge of determining what types of businesses are profitable though, so even areas where the government hasn't been effective usually still require better government policies in order for the markets to be able to offer solutions. There are certainly problems that businesses can ameliorate given current government policies, but it just isn't realistic to think that we can solve every problem on…

Exactly right. I can give you a perfect example from a project I'm working on: http://openinsulin.org/ We're working to make medicine more affordable, focusing on insulin in particular. Insulin has been around for decades, it's easy to make. Technology has been improving, things should be getting cheaper. Instead, insulin continues to rise [1]. People with diabetes need this stuff, if they don't have it they'll liter…

Although it's great to make insulin more affordable, wouldn't it be better to attack the source of the problem? In my opinion the biggest contributor to diabetes is our diet, we eat too many carbs and too little fat. Since fat delivers 9 calories vs 4 for carbs, we humans could suffice with eating way less when switching to fat. The food industry would suffer, but it could be a win for the environment.

Re: YC's request for startups: Government 2.0

#220

Post by sokoloff »

graenxa wrote: post #109
dsfyu404ed wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's definitely some room for nuance though. Government's actions are constrained by a massive aversion to risk. I think in some areas there's definitely opportunity for private companies to provide services cheaper/better than they currently are while still having room for profit. Also, contracting out to private entities gives people someone to sue (without leaving the taxpayers on the hook) and the government s…

I agree with you that there is room for nuance. I do not think the government should be all consuming. Most of the topics listed in the blog post fall under social safety net. "...a lack of government commitment to provide equal access to the basic services families need to thrive. These services include access to quality education, affordable housing/healthcare/food, physical safety, accurate news and information, a…

Lambda School is in the quality education space. I think lots of viable private companies could be in the more affordable housing, accurate news, or livable environment spaces.
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