A govtech-focused nonprofit in the nation’s capital offering accelerators and connections to startups dealing in local governments is closing after seven years of programming.
CivStart, which also provides a network platform for startups and pitch competition opportunities, announced this week its nonprofit operations are ending. This is due to several factors, per cofounder and chief impact officer Nick Lyell, including revenue from program services becoming its primary source of funds rather than philanthropy and grants.
“CivStart Ventures is built to deliver that work directly, while remaining distinct from the nonprofit’s legacy mission and activities.”
Nicky Lyell, CivStart cofounder
It’s also easier to scale the organization as a for-profit, he said, which is why the spinoff company and data-driven matching platform CivStart Ventures will still be in operation. There will be no disruption to current networking and connecting stakeholders, he said.
“CivStart, as a nonprofit, played a critical role in ecosystem building, early acceleration, and convening governments and innovators,” Lyell told Technical.ly. “CivStart Ventures is built to deliver that work directly, while remaining distinct from the nonprofit’s legacy mission and activities.”
There are still several organizations in the DC region providing accelerators and incubators for startups working in government contracting. Dcode, which connects startups to the federal government, hosts an 8-week accelerator. FedTech organizes several programs throughout the year focused on contracting with the Department of War, Department of Homeland Security and other agencies.
The organization hosted its first accelerator in 2019, initially for 24 months but shifted to 12 months over the years. That programming will no longer be available, but the spinoff for-profit, a data driven platform aimed at streamlining government contracting, will still be in operation and connect governments and startups.
State of Govtech, CivStart’s annual conference focused on the industry, will still happen in 2026 under CivStart Ventures, Lyell said.
Resources in a platform created by CivStart for founders and government stakeholders, called its Innovation Hub, will be transferred to several civic tech nonprofits, according to the statement.
CivStart’s website will also remain active throughout 2026 to direct people to other resources.
“What won’t change is the community,” CivStart leadership wrote in a public statement. “Our alumni, mentors and government partners built something enduring together.”
