Y Combinator's Requests for Startups · Spring 2026

AI for Government

Requested by Jared Friedman · ycombinator.com/rfs

Build an AI-native government operations platform designed to process massive volumes of digital service requests with speed, traceability, and policy integrity. Objective: Create infrastructure that enables local, state, and federal agencies to handle the coming surge of AI-assisted applications and form submissions — without scaling headcount. This is not just case management software. It is an AI-native processing engine for digital government. Core vision: As AI tools make it easier for citizens and businesses to generate and submit applications, government agencies will face exponential increases in volume. This platform enables agencies to: - Automatically validate and triage incoming submissions - Apply policy rules deterministically - Route cases intelligently - Generate draft decisions - Maintain full legal auditability - Dramatically reduce backlog and processing times Core system architecture: 1. Intelligent Intake Layer - Structured digital forms with dynamic logic - Policy-aware validation before submission - Required-document prediction and completeness checks - Fraud and anomaly detection at intake - Identity and eligibility pre-screening integrations Goal: prevent incomplete or invalid submissions from entering queues. 2. AI-Native Triage and Routing Engine - Classify request type and urgency - Predict processing complexity - Identify missing information - Suggest optimal routing path - Assign confidence score for auto-approval vs manual review High-confidence cases can be auto-processed within policy guardrails. 3. Policy Execution Engine - Configurable rules engine tied to legal policy - Effective-date versioning of regulations - Deterministic decision logic - Simulation mode for proposed policy changes - Clear separation between policy logic and AI suggestions AI can recommend, but policy rules execute. 4. Case Lifecycle System - Full case timeline with every action and decision - Document ingestion, extraction, and summarization - SLA-aware queue management - Escalation workflows - Reopen and appeal tracking Every action must be traceable and reviewable. 5. AI Copilot for Government Staff - Draft decision letters - Summarize complex case histories - Highlight inconsistencies - Recommend next steps based on precedent - Surface similar prior cases Copilot augments staff, but preserves human oversight. 6. Performance and Backlog Intelligence - Real-time backlog heatmap - Average processing time by program - SLA compliance tracking - Reopen rate and error analysis - Staff capacity forecasting - Budget impact projections Focus: measurable improvements in cost and responsiveness. 7. Compliance and Oversight Infrastructure - Immutable audit logs - Decision traceability - Policy version tracking - Redaction workflows - Role-based document access - Oversight-ready reporting exports Roles: - super-admin - agency-manager - case-worker - reviewer - auditor 8. Secure, Multi-Agency Architecture - Strong tenancy isolation - Jurisdiction-specific configurations - Secure document storage - Deterministic replay of decision workflows - Observability across background processing Data model: - agencies - service-programs - request-cases - applicants - case-documents - policy-rules - triage-scores - routing-rules - case-notes - decisions - escalations - audit-events - performance-metrics Infrastructure requirements: - High reliability and uptime - Strict permissioning - Secure data handling compliant with public sector standards - Full auditability for legal defensibility - Configurable workflows per agency Positioning summary: This is not just workflow software. It is AI-native digital government infrastructure that enables agencies to: - Handle exponentially higher submission volumes - Reduce backlogs dramatically - Improve consistency and fairness - Lower processing costs - Increase citizen responsiveness It transforms government from manual paper-based processing into scalable, policy-driven digital operations. Create a modern startup design inspired by Y Combinator (YC) companies. Choose one bright primary color and build a clean, minimal color scheme around it. The design should feel bold, simple, and product-focused with strong typography, generous whitespace, and clear hierarchy.