AI-Funded Development of Artificial Intelligence Operating System for Public Policy Reaches $4 Million in Seed Funding
In the dynamic and expansive U.S. market that boasts an annual software and lobbying spending of over $10 billion, a new player is making waves. Helios, a technology company, has recently raised $4 million in seed funding for its AI-native operating system, Proxi, designed specifically for public policy professionals.
### Funding and Development
The funding round was led by Unusual Ventures, with support from Founders Inc., Alumni Ventures, and strategic angel investors. The talented founding team at Helios includes Joe Scheidler (CEO), Joseph Farsakh (President), and Brandon Smith (CTO), who bring extensive experience from the White House, the State Department, Microsoft, and other prominent organizations.
The early traction for Proxi is evident, with over 100 public policy professionals from Fortune 500 companies, regulatory bodies, consultancies, and lobbying firms on the waitlist, demonstrating clear market demand.
### Key Features of Proxi
Proxi offers a suite of advanced AI features tailored to the specialized field of public policy. Its key features include:
- **Consult**: A conversational AI agent that continuously scans legislative and regulatory changes, delivering personalized, live updates and strategic recommendations tailored to a user’s portfolio. - **Scribe**: A collaborative AI writing and editing tool that helps transform policy soundboarding sessions into formal memos, filings, and policy documents. - **Decipher**: A tool for parsing long-form bills, reports, and regulations into structured data, providing insights and risk alerts that help users quickly assess legislative and regulatory impacts. - **Centralized Data Access**: Provides a secure workspace that consolidates policy and regulatory data, enabling users to access historical context and manage government relationships and stakeholder engagement efficiently.
### Technology and Approach
Proxi leverages large language models fine-tuned with public policy datasets, enabling highly relevant and accurate outputs tailored to the complexities of public policy environments. Unlike standalone applications, Helios’s AI tools integrate seamlessly into a comprehensive operating system designed specifically for policy and regulatory workflows.
### Broader Vision
Helios aims to be the core AI operating system enabling improved policy analysis, regulatory compliance, and government relations through automation and AI intelligence. This aligns with wider trends of AI-native governance, where real-time data sensing, AI-driven insights, and automated actions become integral to the public sector’s function.
Joe Scheidler, CEO & Co-Founder of Helios, states that Proxi aims to change the way policy, compliance, and regulatory affairs professionals operate, providing clarity, speed, and leverage to shape outcomes instead of getting blindsided by them. The new funding will be used to expand the team, accelerate product development, and boost go-to-market efforts.
Lars Albright, General Partner at Unusual Ventures, expresses excitement about backing the Helios team and their use of AI to reshape how policy professionals drive critical strategy and growth within their organizations. In a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape, modern tools that enable enterprises to stay informed and respond swiftly and strategically are increasingly essential, according to Lars Albright.
With its innovative AI-powered features, strong funding backing, and expert leadership, Proxi is poised to revolutionize how public policy professionals monitor legislative changes, create documents, analyze risks, and manage stakeholder engagement.
- With the new funding secured, the Helios team is planning to utilize the resources to expand their team, accelerate product development, and boost go-to-market efforts for their AI-native operating system, Proxi, designed specifically for public policy professionals.
- In an ever-changing regulatory landscape, the integration of artificial intelligence into governance becomes increasingly crucial. Helios's vision is to become the core AI operating system, providing improved policy analysis, regulatory compliance, and government relations through AI intelligence and automation, ultimately changing the way policy, compliance, and regulatory affairs professionals operate.
