In 2019, Justin Wenig found himself heavily involved in the startup ecosystem at Y Combinator where he was developing his first startup Coursedog. This startup was determined to make tools for higher education institutions, including those of state departments, mainstream. Wenig soon discovered that most of his colleagues were steering clear of the public sector sales arena as a result. The cause was unmistakable: the red tape turned even the simplest of operations, like checking the purchase made by a school district the previous year, into a very complicated and irritating process.
“Among hundreds of startups, there were just a few of us trying to bring modernization to the interplay between government and education,” Justin Wenig informed TechCrunch. The investors were also dubious as they considered the sales to the public sector as slow, bureaucratic, and challenging to scale. However, the obstacles did not dishearten Wenig, and in 2021, he sold Coursedog for a nine-figure amount to JMI Equity and kept his position on the board.
Introducing Starbridge
Wenig’s newest project, Starbridge, was opened up in 2024 for the purpose of providing sales teams with better tools for the public sector. The platform gathers fragmented public data, which is generally scattered around the filtering channels of PDFs, agency websites, meeting minutes, and even outdated directories, and puts it together in one place where it is easily accessible.
Starbridge gives a rank score to public sector sales accounts, which indicates their readiness to purchase new technology. It also keeps up with the changes in the management and the new projects, thus offering sales teams a clear, data-informed action plan. “Instead of chasing noise, our customers have a clear view of where to focus and when to act,” Justin Wenig said. This is part of how Justin Wenig is transforming public sector sales with AI through smart insights and AI in sales workflows.
Series A Funding Success
On Wednesday, Starbridge revealed that it had closed a Series A funding round of $42 million with the firm Craft Ventures, founded by David Sacks, as the lead investor. The round was also backed by Owl Ventures, CommonWeal Ventures, and Autotech Ventures. After the $10 million seed round, this financing increased the total amount raised by the startup to $52 million. Wenig termed the fundraising journey “fun” and gave the credit for the opening of doors to the friends’ connections.
Looking Ahead
Starbridge has a plan to introduce the “Starbridge AI platform for sales,” which will let users obtain its information without quitting their current applications. The system will work together with CRMs, Slack, and various other sales sequencing programs. Justin Wenig points out that the startup sets itself apart from rivals such as GovWin and GovSpend by implementing AI in sales workflows over its databases, making it easier for sales teams to use. This demonstrates improving public sector sales with AI and offering AI solutions for government sales.
Looking back on his past, he remembers how hard it was to get funds for Coursedog when it was not at all the investors’ cup of tea. A day has come, technology advancement unlocks new potentials, and startups targeting hard problems with the business-as-usual mentality start getting recognized. “Perhaps, no one is willing to take a shot at politics anymore, but they are still willing to create,” said Wenig. “How Justin Wenig is transforming public sector sales with AI is a testament to the power of persistence and innovation in an area that once seemed impenetrable.
