TechCongress
TechCongress is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that places technologists as policy fellows in U.S. Congressional offices to advise on AI, cybersecurity, privacy, and emerging tech policy. Founded in 2015, it has placed 140+ fellows across both parties.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What TechCongress does
TechCongress is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2015 to address the technical expertise gap in U.S. federal tech policymaking. It operates multiple fellowship programs — the Congressional Innovation Fellowship (early-career, 10-month), Senior Congressional Innovation Fellowship (mid-career, 12-month), Congressional Digital Service Fellowship, and AI Security Fellowship — that place technologists as policy advisors in House, Senate, and committee offices across both political parties. Since 2016 the organization has placed over 140 fellows, with 35 alumni transitioning to full-time Congressional staff roles, and fellows have contributed to legislation including the CHIPS and Science Act and AI-related bills. TechCongress does not develop or sell technology products; it is a talent pipeline service with no proprietary software, APIs, or AI/ML systems.
The organization's core technology is its fellowship matching process, which uses an anonymized application review through Screendoor to minimize bias, followed by orientation, structured interviews with prospective host offices, and placement based on expertise and office needs. Revenue is generated through grants, foundation funding, government grants, and individual donations supporting the mission, rather than through customer pricing — fellows are placed at no cost to Congressional offices, and TechCongress pays stipends and benefits to fellows from donated funds. The organization has diversified recruitment into vertical-specific tracks (climate, government innovation, science/research) and is actively extending its model to state legislatures through partnerships with the National Conference of State Legislatures, AAAS, and the S&T Impact Advisory Group. Marketing and recruitment are conducted through blog content, newsletters, podcasts, social media (X, LinkedIn, Bluesky), informational events, and conferences including Code for America Summit and the AI+ Expo.
TechCongress firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- TechCongress
- Legal name
- TechCongress
- Website
- https://techcongress.io
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- TechCongress is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that places technologists as policy fellows in U.S. Congressional offices to advise on AI, cybersecurity, privacy, and emerging tech policy. Founded in 2015, it has placed 140+ fellows across both parties.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
TechCongress industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Government Fellowship Programs
- NAICS
- Professional and Management Development Training (611430)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Career Services & Job Placement Platforms (Jobs, Recruiting, Employer Networks) (EDAFAMAM)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Internship/Apprenticeship Matching & Work-Based Learning Platforms (EDAFAMAL)
Keywords
Where TechCongress is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
TechCongress business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Fellowship Program Funding: TechCongress is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that funds its fellowship programs through grants and donations. The organization pays stipends and benefits to fellows who serve in Congressional offices. Revenue comes from foundations, government grants, and individual donations supporting the mission of building technical capacity in Congress.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels10 records
TechCongress product offering
Product offeringCore offering
TechCongress runs technology policy fellowship programs that recruit technologists and place them as policy advisors in U.S. Congressional offices and committees for 10- to 12-month terms. Its flagship offerings are the Congressional Innovation Fellowship (early-career) and Senior Congressional Innovation Fellowship (mid-career, 8+ years experience), supplemented by the Congressional Digital Service Fellowship and a one-time AI Security Fellowship. The organization funds and operates the program; host offices receive the fellows' services at no direct cost.
Product overview
TechCongress operates as a technology policy nonprofit offering multiple fellowship programs that serve as the core products. The primary offerings include the Congressional Innovation Fellowship (early-career) and Senior Congressional Innovation Fellowship (mid-career), which place technologists as policy advisors in Congressional offices. Additional programs include the Congressional Digital Service Fellowship for government modernization roles and the AI Security Fellowship for executive branch placements. The organization provides a comprehensive fellowship experience including orientation, placement support, stipends, and benefits, but does not offer a traditional SaaS or technology product. All programs function as talent pipeline services rather than software products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Congressional Innovation Fellowship: The flagship early-career fellowship program placing technologists as policy advisors in congressional offices and committees.
- Senior Congressional Innovation Fellowship
- Congressional Digital Service Fellowship
- AI Security Fellowship
Products and services
- Congressional Innovation Fellowship Flagship early-career fellowship placing technologists as policy advisors in U.S. Congressional offices and committees for a 10-month term (January–October), providing expertise on AI, cybersecurity, privacy, and emerging-technology policy.
- Senior Congressional Innovation Fellowship Mid-career fellowship for technologists with at least eight years of work experience, placing them in U.S. Congressional offices for a 12-month term (January–December), with optional extension through January 2028.
- Congressional Digital Service Fellowship Fellowship placing technologists in digital service and modernization roles within Congress, supporting government technology and digital benefits delivery.
- AI Security Fellowship A one-time, 12-month fellowship placing fellows in AI safety roles in key executive branch offices to address emerging AI safety policy concerns.
Quantifiable outcome
- 140+ technologists placed in Congress since 2016
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use TechCongress
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
TechCongress technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
TechCongress partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- S&T Impact Advisory GroupcoreTechCongress and S&T Impact Advisory Group co-organized the inaugural Legislative Futures Forum in October 2025, convening state science and tech policy fellowship leaders and NCSL seed grantees representing 14 states. The partnership focuses on charting a course for integrating technology verticals with state legislature fellowship programs.
- National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)minorNCSL partnered with TechCongress and S&T Impact Advisory Group for the Legislative Futures Forum. NCSL provides seed funding to launch fellowship programs and disbursed planning grants to accelerate implementation across states. They offer monthly webinars for current and prospective fellowships and provide shared ecosystem resources.
- American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)coreAAAS co-hosted the Legislative Futures Forum with TechCongress and S&T Impact Advisory Group, held as a pre-conference ahead of AAAS's 49th Forum on Science and Technology Policy. AAAS and TechCongress collaborated on planning recruitment strategies and sharing best practices for fellowship implementation.
- Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP)minorTechCongress was invited to participate in the AI+ Expo organized by SCSP, a nonpartisan nonprofit focused on emerging technologies and national security. The conference convened industry, government, and academia to showcase AI innovations. TechCongress presented at the AI+ Careers stage.
- Code for AmericaminorTechCongress attended Code for America's 2025 Summit with theme 'designing for change, delivering for the future.' The summit focused on digital services that reach all Americans and civic innovation programs. TechCongress team participated in sessions and networked with civil servants and community members.
- Roadtrip NationminorTechCongress collaborated with Roadtrip Nation on a documentary 'Tech for Us' featuring 2022 fellow Julie Lin. The documentary highlights paths within public interest technology and was produced as a road trip documentary spanning 21 days from Maine to Kentucky.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
TechCongress competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- New America: Large think tank with programs in technology policy, education, and governance. Broader scope than TechCongress but overlaps on the policy talent development and tech policy research dimensions.
- National Conference of State Legislatures: Established bipartisan organization supporting state legislatures, now seeding state tech policy fellowships with TechCongress. Strategic partner and emerging institutional backer of TechCongress's expansion model.
- American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science & Technology Policy Fellowships: Long-running fellowship placing scientists and engineers in federal agencies to inform policy. Closest historical precedent for TechCongress's model but oriented toward executive branch and STEM broadly rather than tech-specific Hill placements.
Others
- Congressional Research Service: Internal legislative branch agency providing nonpartisan policy analysis to Congress. Functions as a structural complement/competitor to TechCongress fellows since it supplies the same expertise gap, though as in-house staff rather than external fellows.
Direct peers
- GovTrack: Nonprofit civic tech platform tracking legislation and Congressional activity. Sits in the same ecosystem of nonprofit civic technology serving Congress, though its product is data/tooling rather than talent placement.
- Aspen Tech Policy Hub: Aspen Tech Policy Hub runs a tech policy fellowship placing technologists into executive branch roles and Congress-adjacent policy work. Most direct comparable given its similar model of recruiting technologists for government policy placements.
- U.S. Digital Response: Nonprofit that rapidly places volunteer technologists into government roles for short-term civic technology projects. Highly comparable talent-to-government matching model, focused on executive and state agencies.
- Code for America: Civic technology nonprofit that places technologists in government service roles focused on digital service delivery. Overlaps with TechCongress on the mission of embedding technical talent in government, though Code for America emphasizes state and local digital services.
- POPVOX Foundation: Nonprofit focused on improving public understanding of Congress and civic engagement. Comparable audience and mission of strengthening legislative institutions, though focused on transparency rather than direct fellowship placement.
Emerging players
- Federation of American Scientists: Nonprofit that places science and technology fellows in Congress and executive agencies. Comparable fellowship-for-government model, with a longer history in science rather than technology specifically.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
TechCongress social profiles
Digital presenceTechCongress financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
TechCongress leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
TechCongress funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors1 record
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TechCongress M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about TechCongress
What does TechCongress do?
TechCongress runs technology policy fellowship programs that recruit technologists and place them as policy advisors in U.S. Congressional offices and committees for 10- to 12-month terms. Its flagship offerings are the Congressional Innovation Fellowship (early-career) and Senior Congressional Innovation Fellowship (mid-career, 8+ years experience), supplemented by the Congressional Digital Service Fellowship and a one-time AI Security Fellowship. The organization funds and operates the program; host offices receive the fellows' services at no direct cost.
Is TechCongress a public or private company?
TechCongress is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was TechCongress founded?
TechCongress was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is TechCongress based?
TechCongress is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does TechCongress make money?
One revenue line is on record: fellowship Program Funding.
Who are TechCongress's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are New America, National Conference of State Legislatures and American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science & Technology Policy Fellowships. Congressional Research Service is listed as an others. Direct peers are GovTrack, Aspen Tech Policy Hub, U.S. Digital Response, Code for America and POPVOX Foundation. Federation of American Scientists is listed as an emerging player.
Does TechCongress have an API?
No public API is recorded for TechCongress.
What industry is TechCongress in?
TechCongress's product category is Government Fellowship Programs. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFAMAM, Career Services & Job Placement Platforms (Jobs, Recruiting, Employer Networks), with a secondary code of EDAFAMAL, Internship/Apprenticeship Matching & Work-Based Learning Platforms. Its NAICS code is 611430 and its SIC code is 8200.