Helios AI: The AI Operating System for Public Policy

Helios: An AI Platform for Public Policy Professionals

During 2022, as OpenAI’s ChatGPT gained prominence, Joe Scheidler, co-founder and CEO of Helios, was engaged in a distinct undertaking: assisting in the establishment of the White House’s newly sanctioned cybersecurity office and navigating the intricacies of public-private collaboration concerning cyber policies.

Concurrently, Joseph Farsakh, his co-founder, was stationed at the State Department, involved in peace negotiations regarding the Yemen Houthi conflict. Their paths crossed during national security discussions, prompting them to exchange insights on how large language models could potentially reshape public policy operations on a daily basis.

Addressing Decision-Making Gaps

At the level of operation within the White House, crucial decisions are frequently made utilizing a combination of disparate tools, spreadsheets, and accumulated institutional knowledge. The founders questioned whether a more effective method existed to support decision-making, one that integrated AI-driven tools with a comprehensive understanding of the public policy decision process.

This inquiry led to the conceptualization of Helios. To bring this vision to fruition, they enlisted Brandon Smith, a long-standing acquaintance of Scheidler’s and a seasoned machine learning expert with experience at Microsoft and Datadog, to spearhead the technical direction.

“Our distinctive advantage lies in the convergence of specialized domain expertise, established connections, and robust technical capabilities applied to a profoundly important challenge,” Scheidler stated to TechCrunch.

Seed Funding and Market Positioning

Helios, distinct from other entities sharing the same name in payroll/HR management or climate/economic forecasting, officially launched last month, securing $4 million in seed funding. Unusual Ventures led the investment round, with participation from Founders Inc. and Alumni Ventures, as exclusively reported by TechCrunch.

Helios’ primary offering, Proxi, is an AI-powered operating system specifically designed for public policy, regulatory affairs, legal, compliance, and government teams. While currently in beta, the company reports early adoption among professionals in federal, state, and local government, as well as within Fortune 500 companies and startups.

Proxi: Core Features and Functionality

“Our aim is to equip all public policy, legal, and compliance professionals with comprehensive automation, deploying a network of secure AI agents. These agents are trained and refined using extensive public policy datasets to assist with everything from strategic guidance to the creation of sensitive and complex written materials, data analysis, and stakeholder mapping,” Scheidler explained.

Proxi incorporates four key features. “Consult” functions as a conversational AI agent, providing continuous, 24/7 access to a public policy team member who actively monitors the legislative and regulatory landscape.

Users initially provide Proxi with details about their roles, work, portfolio, areas of focus, and objectives. The agents then proactively deliver pertinent information upon each login.

This functionality shares similarities with the AI-driven software platform offered by Hence, which aids organizations in monitoring geopolitical and business risks.

Writing and Analysis Tools

The second feature, “Scribe,” is a collaborative AI editing and writing tool. It assists policy professionals in transforming insights from Consult into memos, filings, and formal policy documents. “Decipher” is a powerful data analysis tool capable of parsing extensive bills, reports, and filings, converting them into structured insights and risk alerts.

“A significant portion of my time at the State Department was dedicated to tasks I would have preferred to avoid, such as meticulously analyzing lengthy documents,” Scheidler noted.

Finally, Proxi includes a CRM tool that enables users to visually map their stakeholder network and track interaction histories, including detailed meeting notes.

Security and Future Plans

Helios presents a complete solution, according to Scheidler, emphasizing the company’s adherence to the highest encryption standards for federal clients and its ongoing compliance audits.

The seed funding will be allocated to expanding the product and engineering teams, with a primary focus on attracting top-tier technical talent. Rather than prioritizing rapid monetization, the startup is committed to cultivating enduring business relationships and gathering detailed feedback from early beta testers.

“Our long-term vision is for Helios to become universally recognized as the standard for all government and private sector interactions,” Scheidler added.

Competitive Landscape

This ambition may involve surpassing immediate competitors like Bloomberg Government and FiscalNote, and ultimately challenging established players such as Palantir, OpenGov, and Civica, the co-founder indicated.

“Palantir has already achieved a market capitalization exceeding $300 billion,” Scheidler observed. “We believe there is substantial opportunity for growth within this sector over time.”