Meet the US startup revolutionizing global government docs with AI Building on decades of experience in the gov tech space, a new US AI startup has its sights set on solving the complexities of getting government documents around the world. We caught up with Adam Boalt, co-founder of HelloGov, to hear their story.
By Ramsy Swamy
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
Building on decades of experience in the gov tech space, a new US AI startup has its sights set on solving the complexities of getting government documents around the world. We caught up with Adam Boalt, co-founder of HelloGov, to hear their story.
Back in 2007, Adam Boalt found himself getting ready for an international trip when he realized that his passport had expired. Nervous that he would miss his trip, he found a courier that could help him expedite his application and have his passport in-hand before he left for the airport.
Surprised that these services weren't more widely available, Boalt set out on a 20-year journey not just to help customers get their government documents quicker, but to revolutionize the way that customers interact with the government.
"When I started in the industry 20 years ago, we set about helping everybody in the US connect with couriers to get their government documents quicker. This eventually led to the government creating the first passport courier program. Off the back of that, millions of US citizens have been able to get their passports in time for their trips." said Boalt.
However, despite the fact that passport applications are at an all-time high – in 2023, over 24 million people applied for US passports, the all-time highest number of applications per year and 77.5% increase over the last decade – the process remains slow and complex, leaving US citizens unable to make their trips or frustrated by unnecessary delays.
But now – after a decade of founding and investing in companies outside of the industry– Boalt has partnered up with Steven Fox, a government document veteran, to launch HelloGov. The new AI startup aims not just to make government applications quicker, but solve the other problems that lead to stress and delays for customers.
Bringing the government document space into the AI era
Traditionally, the passport application process involves filling out complex forms, figuring out what documentation you need to submit and a wait of 6-8 weeks to get your passport back.
On top of reducing that wait time down to as little as 2-3 days, HelloGov simplifies the application process by collecting the applicants information, completing their application for them and making sure it gets approved the first time.
"Although the courier program has helped millions of US citizens get their documents quicker, the actual application process is confusing for applicants. In fact, before HelloGov, we used to see around 20% of all applications delayed or suspended by the government for things like signatures in the wrong place, small errors on checks, or even using the wrong color pen. That's why we created a full end-to-end platform that uses AI not just to speed up delivery, but to prevent unnecessary delays and stress. " added Boalt
All the applicant needs to do is answer some simple questions and HelloGov's specialized AI assistants will complete their application forms, detect whether they need to complete supplemental forms and work out what documentation they need to provide.
With specialized AI assistants that have been trained on the nuances of government applications, HelloGov's AI gives customers full end-to-end support, from answering questions about the process to scanning and checking documents to make sure they're approved to helping find appointments at government agencies quickly.
"Everything we've done has been to make a complex process simpler for applicants. Our AI gives them 24/7 customer support that can answer even the most complicated questions on any part of the process. But it's so much more than that too. It completes your application so there are no mistakes. It scans your requirements to make sure they'll be approved first time. And then – once you've sent your application – it tracks your application in real-time, sending you SMS messages and emails on the progress and even chasing the government on your behalf to speed things up." added Fox.
Plans to become the global AI layer to all governments
While HelloGov launched in the USA earlier this year, Boalt and his team already have plans to expand globally so that HelloGov can simplify the way that everybody interacts with their governments.
"While we're tackling North America first, we know that the headache of getting government documents isn't unique to the USA. We already help international customers apply for immigration and travel visas to the USA and we're planning to expand that over the next few years with the goal of becoming the global go-to solution for getting any kind of government documentation from any global government" added Boalt.
