Kaizen, a technology company transforming how citizens interact with government services, has raised $21 million in Series A funding to advance its mission of rebuilding America’s digital infrastructure for public services. The round was led by NEA with participation from 776, Accel, Andreessen Horowitz, and Carpenter Capital, bringing the company’s total funding to $35 million.
Kaizen partners with local, state, and federal agencies to replace outdated systems with a unified, people-first digital platform. Already serving over 50 agencies across 17 states and reaching more than 30 million residents, Kaizen’s platform supports services such as recreation, transit, licensing, payments, and utility billing. The company’s vision is to deliver modern, efficient, and beautifully designed government technology that restores public confidence in civic institutions.
The Series A funding will fuel Kaizen’s expansion into new verticals, including DMVs, court management, and federal programs. Its growth trajectory has been rapid, with a tenfold increase in customers and a ninefold growth in annual recurring revenue since 2024. Recent partnerships include Maricopa County (AZ), San Bernardino County (CA), Suffolk County (NY), and the Cherokee Nation.
Kaizen’s software platform enables governments to rapidly launch essential resident services, providing administrators with modular tools to build and manage their systems. For residents, the experience mirrors that of modern private-sector apps—seamless, intuitive, and accessible.
The company’s work in Maryland exemplifies this impact. Kaizen launched a new state park day-pass system in under 60 days, eliminating long-standing traffic jams and saving the state hundreds of thousands of dollars in overtime costs. Park leadership also reported improved visitor satisfaction and even a resurgence in wildlife due to the smoother operations.
Co-founders Nikhil Reddy and KJ Shah bring complementary expertise to the mission. Reddy, previously an engineer at defense-technology firm Anduril, saw how modern software could power national-scale operations. Shah, who began his career in M&A at William Blair, observed firsthand how outdated technology hindered public agencies. Together, they founded Kaizen to bring AI-native, design-driven innovation to civic infrastructure.
Kaizen’s momentum coincides with a broader wave of U.S. government investment in digital modernization. A new National Design Office has been established to lead a $10 billion initiative to overhaul more than 25,000 federal portals, marking a shift toward accessible and human-centered public technology.
With this latest funding and its growing network of agency partnerships, Kaizen aims to become the “technology prime” behind America’s next generation of public interfaces—tools that strengthen democratic engagement and make government technology as functional and inspiring as the institutions it serves.
KEY QUOTES:
“Kaizen is focused on the most fundamental American services that we use every day – the parks, transit, licensing, the everyday systems that quietly hold our communities together. That clarity of mission has accelerated their growth and embodies exactly what the American Dynamism movement stands for to ensure our government is working at the speed of technology and serving our national interests.”
Katherine Boyle, General Partner, Andreessen Horowitz
“American citizens have been worn down into accepting second-class solutions when it comes to public service technology. Think about it, when was the last time you had a delightful experience booking a DMV appointment or reserving a campsite at a state park? IRS.gov logged over 275 million visits in a recent filing season, and federal park sites receive nearly a billion visits a year. Imagine if each of those interactions were just flat out excellent – seamless, discoverable, and optimized for an AI-native world. If we raise our expectations of what public service technology can and should be, we can transform not just someone’s day or weekend, but how millions of people experience the impact of their taxpayer dollars. Our country has an extraordinary legacy of using design to create enduring icons — from monuments and infrastructure to public spaces. So why should the technology powering our most widely used and impactful resident services be any different?”
Nikhil Reddy, Co-Founder and CEO, Kaizen
“In so many places around the world, public services run on technology that’s every bit as good as what we use in our daily lives — sometimes better. There’s no reason America shouldn’t aim just as high. Kaizen is building the backbone for public services that reflect the beauty, ambition, and potential of the society they serve.”
Alexis Ohanian, Founder and General Partner, Seven Seven Six
“For decades, public servants have been forced to use stagnant software built through acquisitions, not product innovation. Our agencies need and deserve a platform built natively and designed to grow with them.”
KJ Shah, Co-Founder, Kaizen
“As a career public servant with 30 years at the Department of Natural Resources, I can say without hesitation that this initiative is one of the most meaningful changes we’ve implemented to expand and safeguard public access while ensuring equitable access to our public lands.”
Paul Peditto, Assistant Secretary of Land Resources, Maryland Department of Natural Resources
“Kaizen is tackling one of the toughest areas in technology and doing it with precision and purpose. Nikhil sees opportunity where others see complexity, and his team is proving that public services can be modern, efficient, and built around the people they serve.”
Amit Kumar, Partner, Accel
“Public services impact hundreds of millions of people every day in the US alone, yet their technologies often lag far behind the seamless digital experiences modern consumers expect. We’re thrilled to back Nikhil, KJ, and the Kaizen team as they bring streamlined, thoughtfully-designed, AI-native experiences to government services, already reaching more than 30 million residents across 17 states and 50 agencies.”
Andrew Schoen, Partner, NEA
