Zac Bookman built one of the largest exits in government technology history, but it wasn't glamorous. For over a decade, OpenGov was the "little engine that could," growing steadily while flashier startups grabbed headlines and venture capital. Then COVID hit, governments desperately needed digital transformation, and suddenly everyone wanted what Zac was building.

In our conversation, Zac breaks down the unique challenges of the GovTech market, from selling to 19,000 individual cities to navigating bureaucratic procurement processes that would make enterprise software sales look simple. He shares how the 2008 financial crisis sparked OpenGov's founding after discovering cities were still using COBOL systems from the 1960s, and how COVID accelerated a digital transformation that had been decades in the making. We also discusses AI's potential to leapfrog government into the modern era but by automating the mundane processes that currently drain thousands of hours from public servants.

Whether you're building in vertical SaaS, navigating complex sales cycles, or just trying to understand how government really works, Zac's insights offer some great lessons about patience, persistence, and the power of solving real problems for underserved markets.

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You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Zac Bookman on X at @ZacBookman.