About GovWell
GovWell makes software that city and county governments use to handle permits, business licenses, planning and zoning, and code enforcement. Residents and contractors apply, pay and track their requests online, while staff review plans, schedule inspections and send notices in the same system. AI tools check applications for errors and answer questions from the public at any hour.
More than 200 agencies in over 40 states use GovWell. Its customers include Macon County, North Carolina; Clarksville, Indiana; Perinton, New York; and Butte-Silver Bow, Montana. GovWell is headquartered in New York City. Troy LeCaire (CEO) and Ben Cohen (CTO) founded it in April 2023. Two former mayors advise the company: Michael Nutter of Philadelphia and Mick Cornett of Oklahoma City.
Funding Rounds (SEC Form D)
| First sale | Filed with SEC | Amount sold | Investors | Avg. check | Terms | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 17, 2026 | May 14, 2026 | $28,999,981fully sold | 10 | $2.8M | EquityRule 506(b) | Form D ↗ |
| Jun 25, 2024 | Jul 1, 2024 | $5,499,998fully sold | 2 | $2.7M | EquityRule 506(b) | Form D ↗ |
| Total, two offerings | $34,499,979 | |||||
First sale is the date the first investor in the offering committed to invest. Companies must file Form D within 15 days of that date, so filing dates run later.
Rounds announced by GovWell
What the company said publicly about its funding. Announced amounts can differ from Form D figures: an announcement can combine several closings, and some money is raised without a Form D.
| Announced | Round | Amount | Investors | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 14, 2026 | Series A | $25M | Insight Partners (lead), Work-Bench, Bienville Capital, David Reeves, Andreas Huber, Chris Bullock | govwell.com ↗ Press release ↗ Insight Partners ↗ |
| Jul 29, 2024 | Seed | $4.5M | Work-Bench (lead), Bienville Capital | govwell.com ↗ Work-Bench ↗ TechCrunch ↗ |
Why Investors Backed GovWell
Most cities and counties still run permits and licenses on old software, and GovWell is replacing it. 80% of its sales replace a legacy vendor, and it has never lost a live customer. Insight Partners led its $25 million Series A in May 2026. Insight's Max Wolff called local government "a large and underserved software market" that is "on the verge of a critical technology shift."
The problem it targets
Every new home, business and infrastructure project in the US starts with a permit. GovWell's case is that permit software is often decades old, and routine building permits can take weeks of manual review. Seed investor Work-Bench called much of this software "clunky, on-premise, decades-old, and in many cases unusable." Towns also cannot hire engineers at competitive salaries, so they need outside software companies. Co-founder Ben Cohen grew up helping his father, a general contractor, apply for hundreds of construction permits.
What the product does
GovWell runs permitting, licensing, planning and zoning, and code enforcement in one system. A tool called AutoCheck reviews applications against local codes in seconds. A Community Assistant answers residents' questions around the clock, in any language. Governments can tailor the platform to their own rules with no-code tools, so GovWell sells one product instead of custom builds. Towns go live in weeks. North Royalton, Ohio, took three.
Progress so far
GovWell signed five government customers before its founders wrote any code, TechCrunch reported. At the seed round in July 2024, it served more than a dozen agencies in seven states. By May 2026, GovWell had over 130 municipalities and counties in 34 states. GovWell also had a three-month median sales cycle. GovWell now has more than 200 agencies and a 98% renewal rate. In Hampton, Georgia, business license processing fell from 10 days to under an hour, according to the city's community development director.
Who backs it
Work-Bench, a New York seed-stage firm, led the $4.5 million seed in July 2024, with existing investor Bienville Capital. Insight Partners led the $25 million Series A in May 2026, and both earlier investors put in more. Three GovTech operators also invested: David Reeves, former president of OpenGov; Andreas Huber, CEO of First Due; and Chris Bullock, founder of ClearGov. The company puts total funding at $34.5 million. Max Wolff of Insight joined the board, which also includes Work-Bench co-founder Jessica Lin. Insight also backs government software makers CivicPlus and PayIt, according to Government Technology.
How the market is moving
Public money for faster permits is growing. A federal housing law enacted in July 2026 created a $200 million-a-year fund for local efforts to speed up permitting, Stateline reported. HUD is also offering up to $3 million in grants for automated building code permitting systems. Denver approved a five-year contract worth about $4.6 million for AI plan review in March 2026. Jeff Cook of the investment bank Shea & Co. counted $2.8 billion in gov tech deals in the second quarter of 2026. Writing in Government Technology, he said more deals now involve smaller, faster-growing companies with AI products.
We wrote this summary from public statements by GovWell and its investors. It is not investment advice.
GovWell in the News
Leadership Team
Executive officers and directors listed on GovWell's Form D filed May 14, 2026.
Sources
- SECGovWell Technologies Inc. filing history
- Companygovwell.com, team page
- Companygovwell.com, mission page
- Companygovwell.com, careers page
- Companygovwell.com, terms of service
- Companygovwell.com, privacy policy
- PressStateline, Cities turn to AI to speed housing permitting
- PressGovernment Technology, Gov Tech Biz Quarterly Roundup: Q2 2026
- PressGovernment Technology, AI Partnership Aims to Automate Parts of Permitting Reviews