Govtech AI Startup NationGraph Raises $18M

The user wants an expansion of the news card about NationGraph's $18M Series A. The persona is a CPO at a digital agency moving into SaaS for political and government clients. Based on the search results, I have a lot of good information: - NationGraph's founders and backstory: Kimia Hamidi (CEO) and Eden Ding (CTO). Hamidi previously founded Buyer, a price intelligence platform acquired by Ramp. Ding came from Citadel, specializing in large-scale data. The company was founded in 2024. - What NationGraph does: It's an "AI-native intelligence platform" that indexes millions of government records (meeting minutes, budgets, etc.) from ~110,000 agencies to find procurement signals *before* an RFP is issued. It aims to solve the "information asymmetry" in government contracting. - **Investors and deal details: The $18M Series A was led by Menlo Ventures (Partner Croom Beatty is joining the board). [Other investors include](https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQHqsrzJ_EriXPYgO2E1FKlKtPlXQbFkD4ViGQ30Fe9KnkttLpK_6gyFSWD9hmdaIjKUKt1FssB--q6Q3Y_znuyKTFW__3zcg9XMc-ULtE8A3xx0LsYxLAWWGnvqf5WIwTFX59wVENor85YC7Ctiz_cn0tQGy4g4JLGouLMvO8JNTCVHU-u7xlTZi9QbD1ueYYX-4keZ0tHPTc8u) Perplexity's Fund, XYZ Venture Capital, and Reach Capital. [Total funding is now](https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQHqsrzJ_EriXPYgO2E1FKlKtPlXQbFkD4ViGQ30Fe9KnkttLpK_6gyFSWD9hmdaIjKUKt1FssB--q6Q3Y_znuyKTFW__3zcg9XMc-ULtE8A3xx0LsYxLAWWGnvqf5WIwTFX59wVENor85YC7Ctiz_cn0tQGy4g4JLGouLMvO8JNTCVHU-u7xlTZi9QbD1ueYYX-4keZ0tHPTc8u) $22.5M. [The round closed in Q4](https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQHqsrzJ_EriXPYgO2E1FKlKtPlXQbFkD4ViGQ30Fe9KnkttLpK_6gyFSWD9hmdaIjKUKt1FssB--q6Q3Y_znuyKTFW__3zcg9XMc-ULtE8A3xx0LsYxLAWWGnvqf5WIwTFX59wVENor85YC7Ctiz_cn0tQGy4g4JLGouLMvO8JNTCVHU-u7xlTZi9QbD1ueYYX-4keZ0tHPTc8u) 2025. [- Menlo Ventures' thesis](https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQF1Ee1GJClv3imjxigjP-lkkUwmZlo1ZSdAwXssZBTQ_Pg5XA_tvTJw_ODRkmzoigtkIRlEtuTN9LBzjzwAaQpwRsakbhqu-50T0Xmt8L_odfihCtkq_X3c5FdvpplXW1aUkjKixF1Ucmnl8vFEcFWcr4dQzisgnTaWwrwGifJDth6oC1Z02nNNDYaKIVJox_PEvoQZiIcf5bvBtoBwaztJqPG41vsRHNOkY8NcsM0vk5MikjNVGcrKiiXAbFHNOx3DVH4P-b_7i6nU5j2KyHI3wfoW6t2pya-Wcg==): Partner Croom Beatty calls government sales "incredibly messy and opaque." [Menlo sees an opportunity](https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQHi1xfWqDuyAkr1O-uVeGON-nKn1MOL3Xcag7Q2Jk3C3qMyIUCzOVHmD-1hTeWt1yZsWNLEzfwOSBWX3sx8WgIUHSXhE-T0LTycrgEjoRDVdXh2CxDLDQHbAV38ihPmbRTCmKHTuJsupsop6Az1iPvh3txsBqMkLAtYUhcBsDPUAvLTYI6JXZBg35wW7vTZibsY77OqPPo4Kvs6PEg=) for NationGraph to become the "transaction layer for government procurement," moving from a system of intelligence to a system of action. [- Govtech Market Context](https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQEI_Ltn-lKwFJLJRB5juctf1TIDz6EZtCDBPUWNN9QEqSOgJ4k49EtymrmyaNk6Jy3_VpgDFF1eCtlh0Y2_mr7qtKm5F8v3VdKqdI5t37AKlio1WVkq2EMqJxWuu1YaWtpAoh1TdF1GcDpeB5FDBqUVBgOufBqJxrowZjznM9ca0410jJHDqbxu30XoPzes46MxsdiDIg==): The market is large and growing, projected to reach between $154B and $160B by 2031, with a CAGR of around 15-16%. [The US market is expected](https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQHFI0Se0lPNmx-GoKYf1P4n8f-paX-BHSOwUEevlYKY40Uj-P-pi1WQoJD1O6w8IvkFzC9CHG512GjvCKqviqB81Euy1K25eADcJEtMyOQBontoXG1UjU7Dx5jZpynO1JgVwlROtOSv8cdrbA_O2uv2Y5xgWa2A8erQsny3lkKeUmI=) to grow at a CAGR of ~13.2% through 2035. [Digital transformation](https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQH0nCjVPyB4Kc8HDiNPkcHOTDXiRKGyjBOuLGy3Igazy-IsbXb3nvDvnlfuekpXVZ-Vs2PvK3XvOicIw6KXSsCplH3e2vuNwfHlsY9D9CAYLnowL56Ix6S9uPEMOqmhi_OGUICby1-3_5urSvQpZRnV0ZQ0kQKj0ThFkSbHxqQolfo=), AI adoption, and citizen expectations are key drivers. [- Challenges in Govtech](https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQH_4Y8jCefTS8_L1u_yLSIjnQCuN60e_xO0tYih1lb0B4yli6ynoWriomIw_fFyLcVXA4vvD2dt8vwx3s3trQQKJB8ZctBI0gD8QDgAc4-4bc7bTc_q4ADPC7Oz0Ea9BX3eNoQRJrWQJ6qqmwVWs4BrVD1xOSVlh3jiVDEMqwHXsER2V7NrxDosqY21o3HSUmHY) Sales (relevant to the persona): Long sales cycles, strict data security (FedRAMP), complex bureaucracy, and the RFP-based bidding process are major hurdles. [Customer acquisition](https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQGeK4BzVGhhxOoe2F4wXtFBsWg7YHZg6nhy2emLweTtwtlHPi8AkrDgd96xCwafx5Lc6DKeNMYUAmGH_2pInm6rqvYPRSk3L0Nf0POc4L_UDWX1g63j9y57yIZnG9CFWXbsnRiOPtJV0FTJmXav9MgGVUE7tpFpSEjiX1Q0OQjS3vOz) costs are high because the market is still in a primitive state regarding SaaS adoption. - AI in Procurement Trend: Public sector AI procurement is accelerating. In the UK, 55% more AI contracts were awarded in 2025 vs. 2024. [Governments are increasingly](https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQGCTymuSUCYYiY5wMS6qC5PQRmpbDZ78hgkosWaKWdBlGV25rt56WCTV07_LxFJ_5jNnhmrEK-Fiadr07RZOIYvx35OiwFEO-qJNxiE-ys3-7bGWGmqRUnCiD6GXHkORaAKv5NwENqy4Nhrgu5smi4JCPSBMLDtIOWQ-vNGlgBEST27IH1MHb__WEbmWymH4_9Rh7BVJhCmYb5h0ktBXBBlW-Cwnqs02HYi42g6gFu0vE7N0QaOpuHqy6jHxn-3cw7j-mQHzccOj7dT) buying off-the-shelf AI for efficiency gains rather than custom builds. [AI is used for tasks](https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQEf_D4njhoxKJMl9lo-wFj0WuM9A_FQEo4xweJHzsoaMVOaWLmTabbGEgzlY0UcFMt959gxMZyu8VDcvKGt_JZTkv3ls3_S0MEWT2KEMHTwjOPt_Jx4Ijbu_4GDXtUXqWVzK4fYMZXXryy_dg==) like spend analysis, fraud detection, and streamlining workflows. Now I will structure this information into the requested Twitter-thread format, making sure each paragraph is punchy and factual, without repetition or filler, and tailored to the persona's interests. Paragraph 1: Focus on the founders' backgrounds, which are highly relevant to the persona (previous exit, high-finance data background). Paragraph 2: Detail the investors beyond Menlo, specifically mentioning Perplexity's Fund, which signals a strong AI/data-centric approach. Mention the total funding. Paragraph 3: Explain the core problem NationGraph is solving – moving beyond the RFP. This is a key insight for anyone selling to government. Paragraph 4: Quote or paraphrase the lead investor's (Croom Beatty at Menlo Ventures) thesis about the messy nature of gov procurement and the vision for NationGraph to be a "transaction layer." This speaks directly to the vertical SaaS and GTM strategy interests of the persona. Paragraph 5: Provide market context. The size and growth rate of the govtech market, highlighting the opportunity. Paragraph 6: Connect this to the broader trend of AI adoption in the public sector, citing a specific statistic about the increase in AI contracts. This is crucial for the persona's interest in AI. Paragraph 7:** Briefly touch on the challenges this kind of platform addresses, like long sales cycles and fragmented data across tens of thousands of agencies. This validates the problem for the persona. This structure covers the backstory, the "why now," the investor perspective, the market size, and the enabling technology trend, all of which are highly relevant to the CPO persona. It avoids repeating the summary and provides concrete, new information. The tone will be factual and direct.