Darwin raises Series A to help government agencies govern AI responsibly

Insight Partners has led Darwin’s Series A funding round, backing the AI governance platform designed specifically for government agencies. The investment signals growing investor confidence in Darwin’s mission to help the 91,000+ state and local agencies across the U.S. implement AI responsibly while addressing talent shortages and modernizing legacy workflows.

What you should know: Darwin tackles the dual challenge facing government CIOs who must both control AI risks and unlock its operational value.

• The platform starts with Govern, a centralized system that lets agencies set policies, monitor usage, and enforce compliance across departments.
• Once governance frameworks are established, agencies can graduate to LaunchPad, where they build and deploy AI agents for back-office operations like onboarding, RFP review, procurement, and record management.
• By establishing trust internally first, Darwin creates a foundation for scaling AI workflows while maintaining the transparency and accountability requirements essential for public sector operations.

The leadership team: Darwin’s founders bring proven GovTech experience and deep technical expertise to the challenge.

• CEO Noam Maital previously built and sold Waycare, an AI traffic management platform adopted by cities nationwide, giving him credibility as a second-time GovTech founder.
• CTO Asaf Fadida contributes cybersecurity and cloud infrastructure expertise from building endpoint security solutions for the Israeli Defense Forces.
• The company recently added Chief AI Officer Dustin Haisler, former president of e.Republic (a digital government publication) and a recognized voice in public-sector innovation, expanding Darwin’s reach across the SLED (State and Local Government) ecosystem.

Why this matters: Government agencies face urgent pressure to modernize citizen services while navigating rapidly evolving AI regulations and compliance requirements.

• CIOs consistently told Insight Partners that AI governance represents both a massive opportunity and an urgent need in the public sector.
• Darwin’s approach of implementing guardrails before scaling innovation addresses the core tension between AI adoption and public accountability.
• Once embedded, Darwin becomes a foundational layer where every new AI agent leverages the same secure framework, making it attractive to CIOs prioritizing both safety and efficiency.

The big picture: This funding reflects broader expectations that government agencies will fundamentally redefine how they deliver services, manage data, and engage citizens over the next decade—but only with proper governance frameworks in place.