Sep 9-10 2026 | DC Metro Area
State of GovTech 2026
Discover the people, technologies, policies, and cultures that make up the govtech ecosystem.
Silver Spring Civic Building at Veterans Plaza, Montgomery County, Maryland
Event Mission
Connect, Elevate, and Spark Innovation
An all-encompassing event hosted by CivStart in partnership with Montgomery County, MD.
Witness the next generation of govtech through fast-paced pitches from over 20 startup entrepreneurs, evaluated by expert public and private sector judges.
What the summit is built around
Why You Can't Miss It
Access the insights and connections needed to navigate the evolving govtech landscape.
Market Intel
Access the latest trends and state & local tech priorities. Understand how federal policy shifts affect the landscape.
Networking
Hear from government and industry leaders from across the country about their challenges. Connect, and collaborate, and partner.
Shape the Market
Real-time problem-solving of government challenges. Discover breakthrough technologies from vetted startups.
Leading-Edge Tech
Exposure to 20+ handpicked startups ready for partnership. Opportunity to participate as an expert judge.
Sponsors and partners
Join us to help bring together 300+ senior, local-government decision-makers, start ups, and investors. Let's partner! Get in touch to learn more.
Sponsors
Travel Planning
Summit Schedule
A high-level agenda for travel-planning. Full Schedule coming soon.
Wednesday, September 9, Noon-8pm
Day 1 opens with a Govtech Market Overview, explores the challenges and opportunities of regional CIOs, funders and investors, and more. A dozen startups will present their leading-edge technology in fast-paced pitches. The day will end with a Networking Reception from 6 - 8pm.
Thursday, September 10, 8am - 5pm
Day 2 opens with a private breakfast for government attendees followed by a powerful keynote and more fast paced startup pitches. Attendees then choose from many fascinating breakout discussions and workshops, before closing out the event with startup awards.
Where to Stay
We've secured a discounted group rate for State of GovTech attendees at the Courtyard by Marriott Silver Spring Downtown, just minutes from the venue. Book early — rooms at this rate are limited and the block closes soon.
- Group rate
- $179/night
- Dates
- Tuesday, September 8 – Thursday, September 10, 2026
- Book by
- Tuesday, August 25, 2026
Questions about your reservation? Reach out to us and we'll be glad to help.
Exhibitors Set Up
Atrium-Exhibit HallPre-Event Montgomery County-Silver Spring Innovation Center
OffsiteIn town early? Join us for an informal look inside one of Montgomery County's four innovation centers, walking distance from the Civic Building. The SSIC houses 37 offices and suites across 20,000 square feet of flexible space on three floors, home to a community of technology companies putting down roots in downtown Silver Spring. Judith Costello, who leads the county's innovation centers, will welcome the group, walk you through the space, and talk candidly about what it takes to build and sustain a startup ecosystem inside local government — including the resourcing realities that come with it. You'll also hear from tenants doing govtech work building next-generation customer service tools. See the space, meet a few founders, and start the event with a smaller group before the main program begins at 1:00 PM. _Space is limited. Registration required. Register here._
Check In
Atrium-Exhibit HallOpening Remarks + Ron Holifield Keynote
KeynoteGreat Hall-Main StageOpening the summit on innovation, procurement reform, and what city and county leaders are actually up against
Models for Government AI Adoption
PanelFenton-Break Out Room 1Experts compare frameworks state and local governments are using to evaluate, pilot, and scale AI adoption — what's working, what's stalling, and how to choose a model that fits your organization's size and risk tolerance.
Data Orchestration: A Live Data Workshop
Great Hall-Main StageMost govtech spending goes to the application layer — a new system, a new skin on the same problem, another five-year contract. Almost nobody looks at the layer underneath, where the actual tech debt lives. This session makes the case that the data you already own, sitting in systems you've already paid for, can solve more problems than the next procurement will. Bring your data challenges for live workshopping with the panelists.
The GTM AI Stack: Claude, Agents & Autonomous Pipeline
Great Hall-Main StageWhat does a 'Claude-pilled' company actually look like? Everyone says they're "AI-native." Almost nobody can show you the receipts. Starbridge COO Jordan Kindler and CRO Matt Stinson can — and they're bringing all of them. Together, the power duo will walk through how they got an 100+ person organization to actually run on AI: the exact integrations, the real prompts, and the tools used every day across GTM, Ops, and Customer Success. No theory, no hype - just the playbook, including the messy parts of getting a whole team to change how they work. This is the session people will be quoting in the hallway afterward. Bring questions!
CIO Panel
PanelFenton-Break Out Room 1A panel of key TXShare agency CIOs on the real-world experience of cooperative purchasing — what it solves, where it's still friction, and what other jurisdictions should know before joining a co-op.
From Months to Minutes: A working session on what buyers and suppliers don't say to each other about contracting
Fenton-Break Out Room 1A hands-on workshop for suppliers and buyers to discuss and collaborate on better, more efficient contracting. Led by Civic Marketplace and Partners for the Public Good.
Before AI, You Need Your Data in Order: Newest Models and Best Practices
Great Hall-Main StageA hands-on workshop on the data foundations that make AI initiatives actually work: data quality and governance, and the newest models and best practices for getting your data AI-ready before you pilot anything.
Innovation in Action: Lightning Talks
Fenton-Break Out Room 1Six rapid-fire ~7-minute talks from practitioners on innovation in action. Includes: 1. TBA speaker on bottom-up, change-management-driven innovation. 2. David Hall on Emergency Preparedness Planning for Cities 3. Michael Baskin on using AI to run emergency simulations with your teams. 4. Ben Molin on Building SNAP Screener and SNAP payment error rate reductions. 5. Brian Whittaker on Creating Cultures of Public-service Appreciation
Startup Pitches — Day 1
Great Hall-Main StageLive pitches from CivStart's 2026 startup cohort, showcasing new govtech products to a room of government buyers and investors.
Closing Remarks (Day 1)
RemarksGreat Hall-Main StageDay 1 wrap-up and a look ahead to Day 2.
Civic Marketplace Reception
OffsiteHappy Hour featuring facilitated matchmaking between government entities and suppliers attending the State of GovTech.
Registration
Register to Attend
Choose a ticket and confirm the attendee details.
Ticket Type
Required* Startup Ticket: Startups are companies between Idea and Series B AND one of the following: less than 10 years old OR less than $10M in ARR.
Event Snapshot
Sep 9-10 2026 | DC Metro Area
2 day blocks.
Selected Ticket
Government Ticket
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Free
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Resources
The State of GovTech is just the beginning.
CivStart offers year-round resources for the entire ecosystem.