Presidential Innovation Fellows

What Presidential Innovation Fellows does

Presidential Innovation Fellows (PIF) is a federal fellowship program founded in 2012 by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and administered since 2013 within the U.S. General Services Administration's Technology Transformation Services (TTS). PIF recruits mid-to-senior-level technologists, designers, and strategists through an annual competitive funnel (20-35 fellows per cohort, 50+ active, 250+ alumni) and embeds them as yearlong senior advisors at federal agencies. Fellows are hired as full-time federal employees at the GS-15 Step 1 level (salary of $163,964 as of January 2024, DC locality) and deployed to partner agencies via Interagency Agreements that fund the program through cost-sharing among participating agencies.

PIF does not operate a unified software product; instead, it produces a portfolio of agency-specific digital deliverables including Telehealth.HHS.gov (a COVID-19 telehealth information platform serving 1M+ providers and 300M+ patients), the NIH All of Us Researcher Workbench (a precision medicine data platform supporting 270,000+ enrolled participants), the CCPS machine learning API at the VA (the first ML API deployed at VA, processing 400K+ disability claims automatically), the DOJ Civil Rights Reporting Portal, ADA.gov, and policy research such as the China Technology Transfer Strategy report that influenced FIRRMA legislation in 2018. Underlying technical capabilities span human-centered design, data science, software engineering, AI/ML, NLP, and systems thinking, applied through embedded co-creation with agency staff.

The program's revenue model is professional services funded through federal appropriations and Interagency Agreements. PIF has served 45+ federal agencies including HHS, NIH, VA, DOJ, DOT, FEMA, SBA, DOD, and GSA. The go-to-market is structured around annual cohort recruitment cycles: agencies submit project proposals, GSA hires fellows, and IAA-funded assignments place fellows with agencies for a year. As a federal program, PIF has no external investors, no commercial revenue, and no IPO pathway; sustainability is tied to administration and congressional priorities.

Name

Presidential Innovation Fellows

Legal name

Presidential Innovation Fellows

Website

https://presidentialinnovationfellows.gov

Company type

Public

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Presidential Innovation Fellows is a federal fellowship program within GSA that embeds mid-to-senior technologists as yearlong senior advisors in 45+ U.S. federal agencies, producing digital products and AI applications across healthcare, defense, veterans affairs, and civil rights missions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Sector Innovation Services

NAICS

Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Research Grants, Fellowships & Stipends (International) (EDAIAOAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

University-Sponsored International Internships & Co-op Placements (EDAIAFAB), Online/Hybrid Lifelong Learning Platforms & Open Enrollment Programs (EDAAAEAL)

Keywords

• Federal innovation fellowship
• Government technology services
• Public sector innovation
• Federal digital transformation
• Civic technology advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Federal Government Funding via IAA: PIF is a service of GSA's Technology Transformation Services. Fellows are hired as full-time federal employees at GS-15, Step 1 level. Agencies pay for fellows through Interagency Agreements (IAA) - non-severable, reimbursable services agreements. GSA HR makes tentative offers to selected candidates and the program is funded through the federal appropriations process.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Presidential Innovation Fellows (PIF) is a yearlong fellowship program that embeds mid-to-senior-level technologists, designers, and strategists as senior advisors within federal agencies to co-create stronger public services. The program recruits cohorts of fellows through a competitive application process, hires them as full-time federal employees at the GS-15 level, and assigns them to partner agencies to deliver innovation projects in areas such as healthcare, defense, veterans affairs, transportation, and civil rights using data science, design, engineering, product, and systems thinking.

Product overview

Presidential Innovation Fellows (PIF) operates a fellowship program that embeds technologists in federal agencies rather than offering a unified software product. The program provides strategic advisory services across government modernization initiatives. Notable deliverables include Telehealth.HHS.gov (a public information platform for COVID-19 telehealth resources), the All of Us Researcher Workbench (a research data platform for NIH's precision medicine program), CCPS (an ML API for automating VA disability claims classification), the Civil Rights Reporting Portal (a DOJ platform for civil rights violation reports), and ADA.gov (a DOJ accessibility information platform). The program itself is a yearlong fellowship placing technologists as senior advisors in federal agencies to address national priorities using data science, design, engineering, and systems thinking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Presidential Innovation Fellows Program A yearlong fellowship service that places mid-to-senior-level technologists, designers, and strategists as senior advisors within federal agencies. The program recruits cohorts, hires fellows as full-time federal employees at GS-15 level, and details them to partner agencies to work on innovation projects in data science, design, engineering, product, and systems thinking.
• Telehealth.HHS.gov A public information website developed for HHS to accelerate telehealth awareness and adoption during COVID-19, providing plain-language guidance on telehealth policy changes and resources for healthcare providers and patients. Served 1M+ healthcare providers and 300M+ patients.
• All of Us Researcher Workbench A research data platform developed for the NIH All of Us Research Program offering researchers access to participant data, workspaces, a Cohort Builder, and an interactive notebook environment for conducting health research, including access to electronic health records, biospecimens, surveys, and biological, environmental, and behavioral data.
• Content Classification Predictive Service (CCPS) An AI/ML API implemented at the Department of Veterans Affairs that uses natural language processing and machine learning to analyze veterans' disability claims and automatically classify them. Processed over 400K claims automatically, achieving a 24x increase in automated processing and saving $1.5M in direct labor costs.
• Civil Rights Reporting Portal A platform designed for the DOJ Civil Rights Division to transform how it connects with victims of civil rights violations, enabling public reporting of incidents and using data science to translate natural language reports into actionable enforcement insights.
• Veterans Experience Office (VEO) Tools Data, tools, and technology developed for the VA's Veterans Experience Office to enable delivery of veteran-centered services, including customer records systems and contact center modernization.
• China Technology Transfer Strategy Analysis A policy research analysis exploring China's participation in U.S. venture deals and technology transfer methods, examining dual-use technologies including AI, autonomous vehicles, AR/VR, robotics, and blockchain with national security implications. Co-authored for DIUx by PIF Michael Brown.

Quantifiable outcome

• Processed over 400,000 claims automatically without human intervention (24x increase) and saved $1.5M in direct labor costs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability9 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• General Services Administration (GSA) - Technology Transformation Services (TTS)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPIF is a service of GSA's Technology Transformation Services. The program is administratively housed within GSA, which hires fellows as full-time federal employees and assigns them to agencies through Interagency Agreements. TTS applies modern methodologies and technologies to improve the public's experience with government.
• 45+ Federal AgenciescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgencies including HHS, NIH, VA, DOJ, DOT, FEMA, SBA, CDC, CMS, DOD, DOE, DHS, NASA, FDA, and many others submit project proposals and host PIF fellows. Agencies pay for fellows through IAA agreements.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• U.S. Digital Service (USDS): The U.S. Digital Service is the most direct peer to PIF: both are federal fellowship/tour-of-duty programs that embed technologists in agencies to deliver modern digital services, with similar recruitment models and mission framing. USDS is housed in the Executive Office of the President rather than GSA.
• 18F (GSA): 18F is a sibling program within GSA's Technology Transformation Services that builds digital services for federal agencies using modern, open-source practices. It is the closest intramural peer to PIF inside the same parent organization, differing mainly in being a permanent consulting and product team rather than a yearlong fellowship.
• Defense Innovation Unit (DIU): DIU accelerates commercial technology adoption for national security. It is a direct peer of PIF given their collaboration on the China Technology Transfer Strategy report and the appointment of PIF alum Michael Brown to lead DIU; both embed non-traditional talent into the federal government to modernize mission capability.

Broad incumbents

• Accenture Federal Services: Accenture Federal Services delivers large-scale digital transformation, AI, and data services to federal civilian and defense agencies. Comparable to PIF in addressing similar modernization problems across HHS, VA, and DOT, but operating as a paid commercial contractor rather than an embedded fellowship.
• Booz Allen Hamilton: Booz Allen Hamilton is a major federal-services consulting contractor whose AI/ML and digital modernization work for HHS, VA, DOD and civilian agencies substantially overlaps with the kinds of projects PIF fellows execute. It is a broad incumbent serving many of the same agencies at much larger scale.
• DARPA: DARPA is a federal agency within the Department of Defense that funds high-risk, high-reward R&D projects and historically draws visiting technologists and program managers. Like PIF, it imports outside talent into government to drive innovation, though DARPA's funding-and-program-manager model is distinct from PIF's embedded-advisor model.

Emerging players

• Code for America: Code for America is a nonprofit that applies technology and human-centered design to improve government services at the state and local level. It is comparable to PIF in mission (modernizing public-sector services through technologists) but sits outside the federal government and operates via civic fellowships and brigades.
• U.S. Digital Response: U.S. Digital Response mobilizes experienced technologists as pro-bono surge support to state and local governments. It mirrors PIF's mission of pairing outside technical talent with under-resourced government teams, but operates as a nonprofit rather than as a federal fellowship program.

Regional players

• Government Digital Service (UK): The UK's Government Digital Service designs and builds common platforms and services for UK government and trains digital, data, and technology professions via its GDS Academy. It is the leading international analog to PIF's mission of embedding technologists into public services.
• GovTech (Singapore): Singapore's GovTech builds and delivers citizen-facing digital services for the Singapore government, comparable to the modernization work PIF undertakes for U.S. federal agencies. It is not a direct competitor but the closest international equivalent in mission and operating model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PIFgov
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/white-house-presidential-innovation-fellows

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Presidential Innovation Fellows